I am now an official equipment owner 8-)

[AirBornOne]

Hey gang,
Well I finally purchased a mini-ex. A TB016 Takeuchi.All I gotta do now is learn how to operate it.
Tore out a small stump thats been bugging me.Ripped out some blackberry canes and I didn't even get one scratch.Stuffing the blackberry into a recycle bin with an excavator is a hoot (and good practice I think).Then came the 2 pointer with an old basketball
Picked it up at auction with 1,48_ (?) some odd hours on the clock.
Now reality is checking in.
Could the clock become unplugged for appx. 2,000 hours?
Funny, I didn't see the cylinders leaking when I checked it out So far it's just the boom,stick & bucket.
It has a nice CP, 3 hole bucket on a quick connect.Cool.
Question for the professionals,The manual refers to "greater bucket capacity" when connecting to the outer link.Do they really mean more digging force?
And now that I tracked down some bona-fide ISO VG68 hydraulic fluid,what's this business of pressurizing the hydraulic fluid tank?
The manual says "...after filling the fluid,with the fill cap removed,start the machine and extend all the cylinders and shut off the engine.Replace the cap and pressurize the tank".Is there a step missing?
Came with a tank full of diesel at least! And it started right up on a cold 36deg. morning before I even knew about using the pre-heaters.
Next up is changing out the gear oil (GL4).Did you guys know that GL5 has about twice the amount of additives that GL4 has? The only issue is if you have any "yellow metal" in there.Seems that to much of a good thing is a problem for the yellow metals.I'll chase down the link I got that info from.
Sure is fun cleaning up the place now.
Thanks for listening.
Jay.

 

[qball]

congrats. tacos are great minis. it will outlast you with a little tlc. enjoy your new toy.

 

[Construct'O]

You sure that isn't a Cat excavator???????? Is that your backup operator setting there next the blade?Good luck:usa

 

[redline]

heaps of fun to be had on that little gem

 

[Elbonk]

The cat looks a little nervous.. "you're gonna need one big litter box!"

 

[20dub]

congrats...:drinkup

 

[IH560JL]

Good luck, much fun to come

 

[AirBornOne]

Thanks guys.
My co-workers think I'm nuts so the encouragement is appreciated.
I rented a Gehl to clear some bamboo a while back.
Wednesday I went back to clean up the area and prep for a fence.
It seems that bamboo raises the grade level.I had dirt building up against the back of my two garages,nearly 1' above the original grade level.
With the recent rain the ground was really workable and I was able to use the blade to do some decent leveling.
Maybe we need a projects thread?

You sure that isn't a Cat excavator???????? Is that your backup operator setting there next the blade?Good luck

Construct'O,
That little operator is one of 3 ferrals that run around my yard.Cute,curious and skittish.
I covered the Tak's control consoles with garbage bags but found little muddy paw prints all over the seat.I think they like it.

The cat looks a little nervous.. "you're gonna need one big litter box!"

Elbonk,
Yeah, the little guy and it's sibling are skittish.

Their mother was one of two closed eye kittens I uncovered about 2-1/2 years ago when I rented a Gehl mini to clear bamboo from my property line.
I had to clear some debris to gain access.One 'piece' of which was a 10-12' section of 2X4 construction I partly lifted and partly dragged away right over the top of the kittens.
Luckily I spotted the two huddled up.I thought I killed them.But no.
I tucked them away in a box w/rags.Later I saw the black & white was gone.
It wasn't till midnite when I saw momma cat come back for the tortoise shell kitten after I attempted feeding it some baby formula.
The neighbor says she has spotted the tortoise shell around,I 'thought' I saw it once about a year ago so I guess it survived also.
Happy New Year All.
Jay.

 

[upnover]

Good for you on getting a new toy. At least you can play with it. Mines in the shed cause it's -32C here right now and I cant play still this white topsoil has metlted and the leaves are out. Have fun

 

[strott]

Takeuchi's were the number one compact excavator manufacturer in the UK recently and are very common machines, well known for their smoothness and speed hence very popular with utility companies and streetworks crews but unfortunatly this means that there a few machines in the UK which are not battered to bits and scared of a grease gun!!

Looks like you have got a nice example there, congratulations.

 

[AirBornOne]

Good for you on getting a new toy. At least you can play with it. Mines in the shed cause it's -32C here right now and I cant play still this white topsoil has metlted and the leaves are out. Have fun

Yeah it was cold here too Upnover.It nearly hit 32deg F a few nights ago

Looks like you have got a nice example there, congratulations.

Thanks Strott,
I have been looking around for just over a year.
Found a decent machine at a nearby rental yard but the cost would have been significantly more.
Another private unit, for nearly the cost of this one, was much more the worse for wear.Loose & leaking air bleed on the FI unit,really loose pins/bushings, and a dent/crack in the blade that would make anyone cringe.
Till the next time.
J.

 

[pw58]

nice machine,congrays