Best Six Ton Excavator

Finally settled on a size so can't tell you how many Deere 70's, EX60's PC60's andSK60's I've looked at.

Only question which of these would you suggest staying away from or going towards? Heard that parts are hard to find on Deere 70's and EX60's, is this just for the older series that had the wobble sticks and the oddly angled cab? Heard the swing gear box and the travel motors are especially problematic.

SK60's seem to be a bit rare but rarely hear anything negative about them, and PC 60's same thing. Is there a particular manufacture or model that was an especially good machine in terms of reliability and ease to work on. It's only going to be used here and there for building a couple houses (digging basements) demoing a garage, and working on a concrete paving project. So nothing hugely demanding, and I have time so don't have to run it into the ground to get done with things, just curious wouldn't want to pick something up and find myself with an impossible to repair machine, or one with chronic problems. At least as much as I can prevent said things.

Hello iceberg i have a Kobelco sk60 with blade knuckle boom and 24" steel tracks and my machine is closer to 9 tons. That being said other then the monitor going out half the time the machine started every time even at 10 degrees and did all i asked it to do . just bought a TB 250 Tak as the Kobelco was to heavy to move with my Dually and trailer

iceberg210 said:

Finally settled on a size so can't tell you how many Deere 70's, EX60's PC60's andSK60's I've looked at.

Only question which of these would you suggest staying away from or going towards? Heard that parts are hard to find on Deere 70's and EX60's, is this just for the older series that had the wobble sticks and the oddly angled cab? Heard the swing gear box and the travel motors are especially problematic.

SK60's seem to be a bit rare but rarely hear anything negative about them, and PC 60's same thing. Is there a particular manufacture or model that was an especially good machine in terms of reliability and ease to work on. It's only going to be used here and there for building a couple houses (digging basements) demoing a garage, and working on a concrete paving project. So nothing hugely demanding, and I have time so don't have to run it into the ground to get done with things, just curious wouldn't want to pick something up and find myself with an impossible to repair machine, or one with chronic problems. At least as much as I can prevent said things.

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I got me a Deere 70D a few years ago. Hour meter was broken at 5800 hours. I re sealed the swing gear box, put fluid in it, and have put 300 plus hours on it. Rebuild the bucket pins. Paid 8 grand for it. It ran like a bag of crap, smoking, stalling, and had several old fuel filters sitting in the under carrige. I dropped the fuel, shined a flash light in the tank, and removed the yellow jerry can cap that drifted over the fuel pickup on certain swings, and removed the sawdust and cigarrete butts that had clogged the electric fuel pump soneone added. I then removed that pump. Fired 'er up and she runs great! Rotary manifold needs some love, as the blade won't hold the machine up when I let go of the blade control (But it did when I first got it), and depending on the position of the cab, sometimes one track or the other is a bit weak. Wobbly joysticks do weep a tiny but, but not enough to cause a drip.

Took out the hydro filter, was clean as a whistle.

Yes, the swing case and travel motors on these things are apparantly known turkeys, _BUT_, since it's a cheap machine to start with, having to maybe put a 1K Chinese final drive on it may not be a bad thing. It handles a 48" mud bucket right full with authority, and is easy to work on.