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Good Chinese companies to buy mini excavator?

zeroo

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
166
Location
lexington/tollesboro
Occupation
plumbing contractor
They use Kubota engines and assemble in Canada. I'm not paying Canadian wages for a Chinese excavator
Kubota has a special company in china, for china kubota use engines. These are not supposed to be sold outside of china. I’m curious whats going on. Anything china owned and made sucks. America builds stuff there (like apple) cause you can pollute and use slave labor. But when Americans are taken out of the equation, it’s china crap. maybe try a sany?
And fyi, covid didnt cause delays..governments did.
 

cuttin edge

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
2,692
Location
NB Canada
Occupation
Finish grader operator
It all seems legit. No reviews, no information. Maybe ask the dealer service department guys about the machines. Their mechanics might let you know if they have any bugs, or how good the warranty is.
 

grachman

Active Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2020
Messages
31
Location
vancouver
Chinese quality is tricky. Everybody with reviews has only a few hours on them.

In Canada, used mini excavator sell as soon as ad is posted. One source says they are up 30 percent this year while price has fallen in usa
 

johnnieq

New Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2023
Messages
1
Location
Ontario, Canada
Kubota has a special company in china, for china kubota use engines. These are not supposed to be sold outside of china. I’m curious whats going on. Anything china owned and made sucks. America builds stuff there (like apple) cause you can pollute and use slave labor. But when Americans are taken out of the equation, it’s china crap. maybe try a sany?
And fyi, covid didnt cause delays..governments did.
When ordering from the US they will use an EPA certified engine if requested.
 

ianjoub

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2018
Messages
1,437
Location
Homosassa, FL USA
How did the mini loader work out?
It is doing ok. I had to jury rig one of the track tensioners until I get motivated enough to remove the whole frame and fix it properly. I also am still just leaving it on a smart charger as I haven't hooked up the charging system yet. It is a strong machine, runs well, and does what it needs to though. I think it is a good deal for what I paid for it.
 

IceHole

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2023
Messages
602
Location
AK
I think 32k for a cobbled together "excavator" that will be clapped out in 1000hrs and a healthy guy could outdig with a shovel is crazy. Id maybe consider 10k, tops, knowing it's going to be a constant headache of tinkering and working around poor design.

We paid ~16k for a ~15 yr old Hitachi 200. It has ~10k hrs, but it paid for itself in the 1st year of work. Granted that was one of those planets lined up auction deals. Has needed maybe 5k of work total over the last ~10 years.
I paid ~$20k for a 10 yr old 4k hr Hitachi 40 for at home. I can't think of many uses for something much smaller, though I'm used to running the 200 and a 330.

My zx40 is a bit loose, but no worse than my ~4500hr Bobcat. Definitely not swing and try to catch the trench like some clapped out backhoes I've used!
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
smallest real machine I have operated was a new 17 Deere rental. I mean, brand new.
It behaved like a big machine. But it was John Deere engineering.

PXL_20230217_155950771.jpg
The smallest was the Cat 009 and it was nothing like a real machine. 1 function at a time, please.
PXL-20210414-170648459.jpg
 
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IceHole

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2023
Messages
602
Location
AK
smallest real machine I have operated was a new 17 Deere rental. I mean, brand new.
It behaved like a big machine. But it was John Deere engineering.
The smallest was the Cat 009 and it was nothing like a real machine. 1 function at a time, please.

They had a tiny Komatsu at RB Auction several years ago.

It was seriously like a slightly larger kiddie playground toy! PC1?
I swear 2 or 3 guys could have picked it up and put in in a pickup truck.
 

TomA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2012
Messages
143
Location
Mariposa, CA
Bar none auction has a bunch of mini ex's listed brand new. I think these are powered by 13 hp Briggs. A study of the last sale shows them selling for about $3600.

Andrew Camarata has one he paid about $5000 for and has been doing meaningful work with it.
 

BC Placer gold

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
Messages
343
Location
Enderby, Bc Canada
The
They had a tiny Komatsu at RB Auction several years ago.

It was seriously like a slightly larger kiddie playground toy! PC1?
I swear 2 or 3 guys could have picked it up and put in in a pickup truck.
First excavator we ever owned was a Kubota 007, the previous owner set it up for helicopter mob/demob and used it for building hiking trails for Parks in the mountains.

Boom removed easily, for long lining in two loads.

It was tiny, lol!
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
They had a tiny Komatsu at RB Auction several years ago.

It was seriously like a slightly larger kiddie playground toy! PC1?
I swear 2 or 3 guys could have picked it up and put in in a pickup truck.
I hire a guy that has a bunch of those strategically staged in the areas we work. One can fit through a garden gate and all work on steep hills. He digs 6" trenches, we lay pipe and get inspection, he backfills and replaces the pine needles the way they were. It is a good little niche business. He can usually feel existing pipes in the ground before he tears them up, although he does have a utility locator friend who comes out and does locates of customer facilities first.
 

IceHole

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2023
Messages
602
Location
AK
I hire a guy that has a bunch of those strategically staged in the areas we work. One can fit through a garden gate and all work on steep hills. He digs 6" trenches, we lay pipe and get inspection, he backfills and replaces the pine needles the way they were. It is a good little niche business. He can usually feel existing pipes in the ground before he tears them up, although he does have a utility locator friend who comes out and does locates of customer facilities first.
Seems like it'd be easier to use a shovel?
 

MG84

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2023
Messages
643
Location
Virginia
Seems like it'd be easier to use a shovel?
My brother does propane tank/system installs and frequently rents a Kubota K008 to trench yard lines from the tank to the house in tight access areas. If they are short enough and easy going you can dig them by hand, but even that tiny excavator is 3-4 times faster than hand digging. He's looking to buy one (Kubota) and I'm trying to get him to step up to a 1.7t but he insists it won't fit where he needs.
 
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