Low budget 80 class excavator, bobcat 442 or stick with major brands

[fourwheelinj1]

So i have been looking for a excavator in the 16k-19k pound range for about 6-8 months now. My dad and I are going in together on the purchase so he can have an excavator on the farm and I can have one for a new house I am getting ready to build. With that being said our budget is low at around 25k-27k at the absolute max and it needs to have a hydraulic thumb or be cheap enough I can add it and stay in budget. The machine won't get more than 150-200 hours a year put on it. Mainly doing light clearing, clean up, digging ditches and maybe an occasion old farm building tear down. I have been bidding on machines at auctions and I keep seeming to miss out by a few thousand dollars. I have been looking at takeuchi and komatsu machines mostly because that is what seems to be available anywhere close to my price range. I work in the utility and grading business so I have run CAT, kubota, takeuchi machines in this size and a lot of bigger komatsu machines. I am at the point now where auctions aren't working for me because most of the machines seem to need a lot of repairs which is making me keep my max bid lower. I need to purchase something soon so I am starting to focus more on machines being sold by private parties rather than auctions. There is a 04 model bobcat 442 with hydraulic thumb with 2700 hrs for sale about three hours away that tempting, but I have never run a bobcat/Terex machine and I have heard good and bad things about them such as parts are really expensive and that the cabs are not comfortable. I am also looking at a couple of takeuchi tb175s and tb070 that are for sale online that have 5k-6k hours for roughly the same price or 2k-3k more than the bobcat. So if you guys were in my shoes would you pursue the bobcat with 2700 hrs or a takeuchi/komatsu with 5k-6k hours. I know the takeuchi and komatsus can take some high hours. I have seen plenty that have 7k-9k hours. I have never really seen many high hour bobcat 442 or terex machines. The only other thing that concerns me about the bobcat is that the owner says that the gauge reads its overheating all the time even when it has been sitting all night and you first crank it. That didn't seem like anything more than a sensor to me, but my local bobcat dealer said it could be a bad gauge cluster,wiring harness or computer. I guess I am just hesitant of the bobcat because I don't know much about it and it is not one of the major name brand machines like komatsu, takeuchi, Cat, etc. Thoughts? I am just trying to find something that I am not going to end up having to put 5k-10k dollars in for repairs just to keep using it occasionally over the next few years.

 

[movindirt]

I ran a 442 once, I thought it was a good smooth machine, it was a 06' and I thought the cab was pretty comfortable myself, seemed like it sat pretty high, higher then a Cat 308E, but I didn't measure it so it might not be. Off your list I would look at the Takeuchi's first, had a TL26 skid loader a long time ago and it was a really well built machine, I think Takeuchi puts quite a bit of thought into the products they make.

 

[check]

I've been looking for a used excavator about that size (or a little smaller) with a thumb too. Been looking for almost a year. I haven't found anything within 300 miles and little within 400 miles. I guess they just didn't make many midi excavators with thumbs in years past.

 

[JGibson]

Never ran a 442, but the Takeuchi TB175 is a great machine. I wouldn't buy the TB070 myself as it is a MUCH more primitive machine than the TB175. I like the bigger Komatsu's but for what you have listed I think the Takeuchi TB175 would be the best choice.

 

[fourwheelinj1]

A takeuchi tb175 with 3-4k hours with a thumb for 25-27k dollars would be ideal, but i can't seem to find one of those. So i am trying to figure out is a takeuchi with 5500-6500 hours is better than a bobcat 442 with 2700 hrs. I also can't find a takeuchi even remotely local so I will also have to add shipping money too.

 

[Tags]

For a farm machine I would think something a little more simple like the Tak 070 would work ok. I would also keep an eye out for a Kobelco SK60 or a Kobelco SK70SR. Ive had use of a 60 and owned a 70 and they were both great diggers. I have heard nothing good about the 442s around here but the Bobcat dealer isn't the best either. Patience will be your friend, it seems the smaller class machines are selling for a higher price and much quicker than the larger units because I belive there is more work in general for the smaller class machines, plus they are easier to move around. IMHO, I would also look in the next class up in the 28000 lb range just to give yourself some more options.

 

[fourwheelinj1]

A bigger machine would be nice but not practical . Our farm is spread out on several different tracks of land so I need to be able to trailer it behind my Single axle dump.

 

[JGibson]

I hate to use this expression but "Size doesn't matter". I had a 5 1/2 ton Bobcat 335 and it did a lot of work. Popped massive black walnut tree stumps, tore down and rebuilt a mile of stone wall, demolished a barn, dug countless trenches, cleared a couple acres etc. Sure it may take a little longer, but you can pull it behind a pickup no problem, and you can get a nicer machine for the same money as a worse larger machine. For that size class I would suggest the Bobcat 435/335, Case CX50B, Kubota KX121-3m, KX161-3 or U45.

 

[mikebramel]

Yanmar B7 or Vio70

 

[bindian]

I wanted a Takeuchi also, but bought a local Caterpillar E70 on 24 inch steel tracks. It's older, but lovable. The cab is spacious and the thing digs good. No leaks, 5000 hours for $15,000. Undercarriage looks to be mid life. 15,200 pounds. CAT usually can get me the parts I need in 3 days or less. I'm in the process of acquiring a hydraulic thumb also. I'll plumb it in with a diverter valve off the bucket line.
hugs, Brandi

 

[cdm123]

I have an 05 with about 1500 hours. No complaints about the cab and it often surprises me how much it can lift or how fast I can throw up a 100 yd pile of material, o ya and push over 16" poplar tees.

 

[fourwheelinj1]

The more I think about it almost seems crazy to pass up the 442. I know it may not be the best machine out there but with 2700hrs on it compared to 5500-6500 hrs on the more major brands it just seems hard to believe that a machine with less than half as many hours wouldn't be more reliable.

 

[clintm]

where abouts in nc are you. who is your closest dealer. bobcat is one of the largest name brands in compact equipment. you should also take a hard look at any kubota's kx121-3ss and larger just be careful of the painted up auction machines.

 

[cdm123]

AS far as parts bobcat was taken over by Doosan and as far s I am concerned it was an improvement. The dealer would say "I don't know if it will fit its on you" and Doosan would say he!! ya it will fit call if you have a problem.