Mecalac excavator

[materthegreater]

Does anyone here have a Mecalac, or have any experience with one? I'm seriously considering getting one but I'd like to demo one first. From everything I've read, they have lots of great features and seem like a very versatile machine. But I wonder how reliable they are and how well they work in the real world. I'd be looking at a 6mcr or 8mcr. The two piece boom intrigues me.

 

[treemuncher]

I've researched these but never taken the time to stop at a dealership as I don't do any commercial dirt work any more. They look to be a very interesting machine. These machines won't provide the flow or lift I need so they are not on my radar. Mecalac has been in business many years from what I did determine and they are a common construction piece in Europe. I think your nearest dealer will be in the Boston, MA area from what I remember, as I thought about stopping in to check one out a couple years ago.

I really like the idea of a high speed excavator undercarriage with the skid steer capabilities. I rented a Kobelco Blade Runner for a job years ago and I was really impressed with the productivity of a multi-machine for a one man operation. I see the Mecalac as being the same type of machine - maximum productivity out of one machine so you don't need more than a single piece to get a job done efficiently. After all, the bottom line is about time and efficiency.

Let me know if you get one. It would give me a reason for a trip out of Maine while up there with the motorcycle during our summer getaway to my wife's home town.

 

[Quint]

They do look versatile. Would be nice for private ownership or small business trying to minimize amount of machines I would think.

 

[Tags]

They did quite a demo at the Connex show last year. I briefly looked at them about 4 1/2 years ago thinking that one machine could do the work of two. The dealer support is just too far away though, and when you really get to looking at it, there’s an awful lot of lines and wiring on top of the boom that I can’t believe would take too kindly to being stuffed up into tree limbs and what not. I would love to demo one, but again the dealer is about three hours away from where I am, and in the end I think that’s just too far if something happens to not be right with the machine.

 

[treemuncher]

The dealer support is just too far away though, and when you really get to looking at it, there’s an awful lot of lines and wiring on top of the boom that I can’t believe would take too kindly to being stuffed up into tree limbs and what not. I would love to demo one, but again the dealer is about three hours away from where I am, and in the end I think that’s just too far if something happens to not be right with the machine.

Not to be negative to this line of thinking as I totally understand the need for dealer support for some people but I would never own most of what I have accumulated over the years if I based all of my purchases that way. When I was still sort of new to heavy equipment, I purchased a Komatsu because the 22 acre parts facility in Ripley, TN was only a couple hours away - parts were readily available even if the dealer was not. I maintain and repair everything that I own. I rarely have need for a dealer.

Today, I would not own my Swiss, Canadian or German machines if I was worried about nearby dealer support. I guess I don't scare easily when it comes to repairs. A phone call or two to tech support, if direly needed, usually gets me sorted quickly and I get the machine back up and running. Hydraulic and electrical schematics usually get most of my issues solved on my own.

I understand the needs of some owners to rely on dealerships for all maintenance and repairs. I must live on the fringe as I rarely make contact with a dealer unless I find it absolutely necessary. And they are all 2 hours or more away anyhow. Often, if I can't find it locally or on the net, I just build it in the shop if it is not super technical. Self sufficiency is the key to success in rural America. I would not let the distance of a dealer sway me from a purchase if I could justify the use of a machine. YMMV.

 

[Tones]

20 years ago I worked with a bloke who had a Kaiser excavator, similar to a Menzi and his dealer was 27 000 miles away. It had a system where they could diagnose problems from Germany. He would ring them then plug a USB cable into his phone and they would do a full system check. When done they would tell him what,where and how to fix. The phone he used was a CDMA type. For the life of me I can't understand why a service tech even needs to attend a diagnosis callout considering the improvement in telecommunications.

 

[John C.]

Probably because a lot of the US dealers and manufacturers want you to pay a subscription fee for them to watch you use the machine for their purposes of research, marketing and warranty denial.

 

[Tags]

Not to be negative to this line of thinking as I totally understand the need for dealer support for some people but I would never own most of what I have accumulated over the years if I based all of my purchases that way. When I was still sort of new to heavy equipment, I purchased a Komatsu because the 22 acre parts facility in Ripley, TN was only a couple hours away - parts were readily available even if the dealer was not. I maintain and repair everything that I own. I rarely have need for a dealer.

Today, I would not own my Swiss, Canadian or German machines if I was worried about nearby dealer support. I guess I don't scare easily when it comes to repairs. A phone call or two to tech support, if direly needed, usually gets me sorted quickly and I get the machine back up and running. Hydraulic and electrical schematics usually get most of my issues solved on my own.

I understand the needs of some owners to rely on dealerships for all maintenance and repairs. I must live on the fringe as I rarely make contact with a dealer unless I find it absolutely necessary. And they are all 2 hours or more away anyhow. Often, if I can't find it locally or on the net, I just build it in the shop if it is not super technical. Self sufficiency is the key to success in rural America. I would not let the distance of a dealer sway me from a purchase if I could justify the use of a machine. YMMV.

I completely get that, as I don't use the dealer much either and do most of my own services and repair what I can. I do go to the dealer for parts and filters and a question to the service department here and there. The big problem I see is all the electronics on the newer stuff, I hate to say it, but you're pretty much a slave to the dealer and their support to get some of the emissions related issues sorted out at this point, even non related emissions issues will more than likely need a computer to be plugged in. Plus, if I'm buying a new machine and there happen to be warrantee issues, I have better things to do than trucking equipment 2 or more hours out of state one way and praying the DOT police aren't looking my way....

 

[lantraxco]

The Mecalac machines, all of them, are superb in design in my opinion. So far I have yet to be remotely impressed with any American representatives of these gems sadly. Perhaps the European management is more personable and sensible, but it seems they're afraid of the US and seem to want to keep 'Merican middlemen between us yokels and the European management team. Especially in the US Northeast, everybody I tried to deal with either acted like a mobbed up goodfella or was totally powerless and had to refer everything to the aforementioned. But then I'm a nobody, and apparently my friends that wanted to be Mecalac dealers must have been nobodys as well, because they also got ignored. I believe there is one dealer up West of Seattle, but in the four years we've been waiting they should have made some serious inroads here. Not happening.

By the way, for the mechanics and so inclined out there, I have never seen machines so well designed for ease of service and access to components, actually boggled my little brain a bit. YMMV.

 

[materthegreater]

Thanks for all the input. I got a chance to sit in a 9mwr at a dealer in Germany in 2019. There was a big of a language barrier and I think they were reluctant to let me run it because I was just a kid from the US on vacation. But, as mentioned, it seemed very well designed. I will probably go to the nearest dealer and check them out, but also am looking for some first hand experience from someone that's had some experience with them.

 

[lantraxco]

Thanks for all the input. I got a chance to sit in a 9mwr at a dealer in Germany in 2019. There was a big of a language barrier and I think they were reluctant to let me run it because I was just a kid from the US on vacation. But, as mentioned, it seemed very well designed. I will probably go to the nearest dealer and check them out, but also am looking for some first hand experience from someone that's had some experience with them.

I can't find the owner's card, but call these folks and chat them up, maybe ask for some feedback from renters?

https://jetcityequipmentmecalac.com/contact-jet-city-equipment-mecalac/

 

[CM1995]

They gave an impressive demonstration at the '17 Conex as well. In a business with unlimited budget or the government.. I would have one of the wheeled units as a utility machine.