Best Choice of a Mini Excavator

I am new to this forum and new to Mini Excavators. I have 0 experance with mini excavators. I have a 150+ acre Pc of property and looking to purchase a used Mini excavator for just personal use on my land which I narrowed down to I think a 5 ton size with rubber tracks with a enclosed cab. With heat and A/c and thumb. Was considering a 2014 Bobcat42 and after speaking to somebody who owns one and is also purchasing another 2nd mini a little larger he suggested checking out the John Deere’s because they are more confortable smoother running for personal use. Any input on this ? or a suggestion for a different manufacturer whould be appreciated. Also thoughts if a angled front blade is a good plus to have.
Machine will be used again for various uses like clearing of woods with many downed trees, removing stumps, and property has many rocks needed for clearing in trails.

My only equipment now is a 2007 John Deere 790 with a loader and a Rotary Cutter and a box blade and a 7 backhoe attachment. Also have a old Ford 9n tractor and rake.

Lots of good minis out there. I’ve got a Bobcat E42. It has served me well. I’ve got about 110 hours on mine. No major issues. I did just have a hydraulic issue that my dealer struggled with, but it ended up being a setup adjustment and all is good, maybe even better than ever.

I wanted my machine to be easily mobile, and the 4.5 ton weight class is about as big as I could go without updating my towing equipment and getting a CDL, neither of which I wanted to do. I’m continually amazed at what I can do with my machine. Overall, very pleased.

For what it is worth,today I was at my local John Deere dealers looking at a mini excavator that they did not have in stock.Anyway they told me that the mini excavators are made by "Hitachi".

Deere and Hitachi are the same machines when it comes to excavators, different paint, sometimes different engines depending on size.

I'd also recommend taking a look at Takeuchi, my grandfather had a TB25, I have a TB145, great machines, that we've had great luck with.

E 42 is a very nice machine...if you dont plan to haul it....go as big as you can go and still fit the job you have to do.

caterpillar

Cat maked great equipment....but have to say cat minis are not the best....and not actually made by cat.

I recently got a Cat 304E at work and love it! I can't compare it with others as it's the only mini ex I've run but it sure is smooth. I'm guessing there's only one pump as trying to do two things at once will starve one of the functions. My only complaint is the door is a little small, I can get through but I have to turn sideways. I'm not really overweight, just a big guy at 6'4" and 260lbs. Someone with a bigger belly would have trouble.

That is the whole point why cat minis suck..they arent horrible diggers..but they really suck at running hydraulic motor implements....with a name and price of a CAT....You should be able to do everything...heck even sany has more pumps

It seems that everything actually made by CAT is really good...and i heard the contract they had with their mini ex supplier has expired and that they will start building there own or get another supplier....hopefully they will get it right...cause i do like CAT and their parts network

Bigger is always better. A used 322b Cat can be had for under $40k. I just traded a 23k hour one in last year. Would have sold to family, as the machines are that reliable. Had 4 at one time. Minimal electronics and damned near bulletproof if maintained with common sense.

With that said, I've got Takeuchi and Yanmar minis, at 5 to 9 ton. Dealer support has been fair, but, I do play a mechanic on TV (seldom involve a dealer).

I'd suggest shopping dealer and their service first, then pick a brand. What good is a Kubota when the closest dealer is 100 miles away, or their mechanic can't read (yes, I have one of those).

I like the product support from my Caterpillar dealer best, but, my operators prefer my Takeuchis in the minis.

Most important, once a model is selected, is to try and find one without DPF. Working for a large contractor and keeping the fleet up to date means that I can't avoid Tier IV machines, but, if it's your only one, I strongly suggest Tier III or earlier.

Yes to Cat but, on the models that caught my interest the ,301.7D CR and 301.4C do not accept the thumb as an option. This is not a factory option on these models however,is a mechanical thumb welded onto the machine an option?

What do you plan to use it for?
Do you need to tow it around?
What is your budget?

For me the answer was to dig drainage, dig ponds, install culverts, dig ditches, move slash
I only need to tow it to the property and then hopefully never again HOWEVER we do own rentals and plan to buy more properties, so being able to haul it around myself with my own truck and trailer is a big bonus
My budget for mini ex was around 20-25K.
I found a 98 Takeuchi TB035 for $14000 (33 hp 3 cyl turbo diesel, machine is 8000# give or take) needed electrical and tune up type work
PERFECT!
VERY VERY happy with my purchase.
I looked at komatsu, hitachi, Deere, Cat, Bobcat, etc
Takeuchi is fun to say, plus they are Japanese (been building heavy equipment for more then 50 years) and get VERY high ratings for mini excavators.
I was lucky found this digger private party on craigslist well under budget giving me $$$ to fix it up. I am a mechanic who specializes in wiring, so this was a perfect fit
I was ABOUT to drive 8+ hours, go to a dealer, he had like 10 units in my price range, but dealers get fees and taxes (miore like 25-30K for the 30-40hp machines), etc etc. So I was super happy to find this machine I had enough $$$ left over to buy a small dozer
My unit was only 3 hours away and there was room to negotiate, came with the manuals and was a cash deal. It obviously had been cobbled together, so I have spent the last 3 weeks fixing the previous mistakes and bringing it back up to operating condition.
Make a list of your chores, for me we have 23 acres on a river at the base of a mountain, off grid here in North Idaho. Most of my chores began with the word "dig" which lead me to research mini excavators or "track hoe" as they are called.
Once you start researching the mini ex machines you will see them everywhere you go......You will see alot of John Deere and Hitachi machines here in the PNW on jobsites (tells you something about quality). Also I had never heard of Takeuchi, turns out they are a preferred brand. I am happy to have one that is over 30hp, under budget, everything works.
After lots of research It seems to go something like this:
Kubota, John deeere/hitachi, Takeuchi (less dealer support here in USA, but still good support so they get #3 position), bobcat, Komatsu, cat, etc etc etc
Do yourself a favor and research "grey market machines" before you jump into anything......

Sir, Like you the needs are going to be mostly drainage,culverts, and lots of trees to be removed and cut. I have two friend that have drainage issues on there property. A thumb is going to be essential. I did some research on the tube and discovered that I can purchase a mechanical thumb of my choosing for a lot less than a dealer.