1980's vintage excavator

ecnorton2001 · Feb 27, 2022

Asking everyone's thoughts on CAT vs. Deere for a 35-year-old machine. 2 series CAT vs. 90 Deeres of the same vintage.
Is the general condition of the machine is most important, or did one brand or the other have more issues?
CAT and DE dealers are about the same distance from me. Is one brand easier to get parts than the other?

Thanks for the help!
Ed

StevenG · Feb 27, 2022

I can't speak to the Chevy vs Ford of the day but would say that condition should be a HUGE factor in your purchase. You could always call both dealerships and ask about certain parts availability.

dieseldog5.9 · Feb 27, 2022

490 Deere was pretty similar to the hitachi counterpart.

200 series cats had a single pogo stick and a forward and reverse pedal.

John C. · Feb 27, 2022

You are asking about machines that are more than thirty years old? What difference would any design issue matter at this point?

cuttin edge · Feb 27, 2022

There is a 235 Cat that has been sitting in the woods on the side of the road, not far from where I live. The man that owned it, had dug a few basements in the area, as he had owned the property. The machine was parked on a Friday, and he suffered a stroke that weekend. He never worked again, and lived for 5 years after that. He has been dead for 11 years. The machine stayed put for 16 years. About a month ago, his daughter sold the land, and hired someone to move the machine. They drained the fuel, fresh fuel, new filters, and batteries, and they tell me it started like it had only been sitting a week. Longer than a month I guess, it was before Christmas. Walked it on our float, and it went to a contractor here on the river. If I were to guess, I'm figuring it will end up with a lot of leaks, and rotting hoses, but that's pretty good.

AzIron · Feb 27, 2022

2 series cats are some strong machines really good bones to work with

Tones · Feb 28, 2022

The Hitachi/ Deere were alot more robust than the Cats particularly in the boom and dipper arm and a lot smoother to operate. Also Hitachis sip fuel Cat guzzlers

Dgreen4298 · Feb 28, 2022

I have a 215 cat. Simple machine, no electronics and parts are easy to come by in the new,used, and aftermarket. All part numbers are usually marked on the part

dieseldog5.9 · Feb 28, 2022

Tones said:
The Hitachi/ Deere were alot more robust than the Cats particularly in the boom and dipper arm and a lot smoother to operate. Also Hitachis sip fuel Cat guzzlers

I think for deere time period wise to match 200 series cat machines we are talking about machines with Deere engines, such as the 790

StevenG · Feb 28, 2022

I had a 590 Deere that was a good machine. Never had a problem getting parts from local AG Deere dealer. 94 model if I remember correctly. I would buy based on can condition and not brand.

ecnorton2001 · Feb 28, 2022

Thanks everyone. Not meaning to start a Ford vs. Chevy war (or CAT vs. DE)

Just curious about parts availability. I know you can easily get John Deere agricultural parts for tractors decades old, but those machines were much higher production numbers than excavators.

Tones · Feb 28, 2022

Basically the only difference between Hitachi and Deere was the engine. The Deere engines used are probably current models today but with other variations like emissions etc but the core could be the same. Everything thing else will be Hitachi including hydraulic pumps etc. It is the same with Sumitomu, Case, Linkbelt.

dieseldog5.9 · Feb 28, 2022

Hitachi hydraulic cylinders are metric and the Deere hydraulic cylinders are SAE

John C. · Feb 28, 2022

Deere excavators from that era used a totally different hydraulic system. I can't seem to bring the name of the pumps and valves back out of my brain. It will come to me at 3:00 AM when I get up to pee. I forget it again before breakfast though.

dieseldog5.9 · Mar 1, 2022

Some of those older Deere excavators the cab was on the wrong side also.

Willie B · Mar 1, 2022

John C. said:
Deere excavators from that era used a totally different hydraulic system. I can't seem to bring the name of the pumps and valves back out of my brain. It will come to me at 3:00 AM when I get up to pee. I forget it again before breakfast though.

Radial?
Backhoes of the era were pretty advanced hydraulics. Closed center valves, the pump crankcase was pressurized. A cam in the crank pushed 8 pistons outward to pump oil, a spring pushed them back to center. As oil pressure in the crankcase built, pistons didn't return all the way. Constant pressure, variable flow.
John Deere was then the best machine on the market, couldn't beat them for smooth operation. In my experience John Deere dropped the ball on parts support, especially hydraulics.

John C. · Mar 1, 2022

Those old 490 and 590 excavators were Linde hydraulic pumps and valves. I woke up at 3:00 AM and wrote it down and then went to pee. A sharp pencil is better than a long memory.

Tones · Mar 1, 2022

The 490 and 590 look exactly like the Hitachi UH04-3 and UHO6-3. These models were the last of the UH series, in NZ at least. IMHO they were the best series excavators Hitachi built. I had the pleasure of operating a UH08-3 from new which was one of the first to be sold in Australasia. The Jap's were so concerned about the ethos Kiwis had, if it can be done it will be done, and in many cases the machines were put into tasks away beyond the design limits that they sent a bloke out with an ultrasound gadget and cracked tested every machine in the country. None failed

Northern mb · Mar 1, 2022

How do those older excavators compare in performance to say something built in the early 2000s. I was looking at specs for a cat 225 and the 111 gpm at 1000 psi on the 225 vs 130 gpm at 4000 psi on a 01 Volvo ec290blc we were looking at and I didn't think I'd be happy with the 225.

AzIron · Mar 1, 2022

The big difference will be fuel burn

1980's vintage excavator

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