Questions regarding upgrading from a VOLVO EC18E to

[Andres]

Hello guys. I am quite new to the the forum and have been working lately with my excavator but think I would need a little bit stronger and longer arm.
What I have been fighting with is that at the moment I own a EC18E which is quite new and it has been great. I love how compact it is and I can tow it with my VW transporter. Then I said it would be great to get a rototilt and the engcon has a small one that would work ok.

Here is mine in action.

Untitled by andres petur, on Flickr

Untitled by andres petur, on Flickr

Untitled by andres petur, on Flickr

I have been thinking about upgrading to the EC20E as it has 30% more digging force and better hydraulics and very compact. Could work with a rotorilt like on the picture. What is a huge plus is that I dont have to get a bigger car as the Transporter is perfect for what I do. Can it handle a rototilt and could I rock a jus as big bucket as with the bigger machine?

by andres petur, on Flickr


The other thing is that the seller has been telling me the ECR25 is much better machine and its just as much as the EC20E
I will on the other hand have to get a new trailer and bigger truck.
I would like to hear your opinions.

Untitled by andres petur, on Flickr

 

[funwithfuel]

As I was reading, I was thinking EC25 as well. You can equip the machine with quite a bit. Fitting with an articulated swivel is going to cost weight. So you may sacrifice digging strength for ditching capability. Not to mention the added wear on the boom swivel . The bigger question is where does most of your work lie? Where will you get the biggest bang for your buck?

 

[Andres]

I just want the machine to be just as versatile as possible.
I am digging for water pipes and also some garden work.

 

[funwithfuel]

The pusher blade affords a lot of stability. Are you adding to or trading your existing for the other? I like the idea of a wrist also. It adds so much. You will lose breakout force. It changes the geometry quite a bit. If you're not going through clay and rock, you should be fine.
I believe Volvo offers an articulated joint. It would certainly benefit to keep everything integrated to work together better. Otherwise you have extra levers or ridiculously oversized pummels that get in the way. Kinshoffer would be my second choice.
Good luck

 

[Andres]

I would be trading my existing one

 

[funwithfuel]

Before I took the plunge, I'd see if they have a rental. Try it on a job or 2 to see if you can live with the compromise in breakout force. But it would make for a very capable all round machine.

 

[Andres]

I cant rent one and the only thing stopping me is the fact I have to change the Van. The VW transporter is great allarounder and its a shame it cant tow more. Even the 4 motion 2.5tdi has the same towing capacity which is still not enough

 

[funwithfuel]

Seems like more investment than it is worth, to me anyway.

 

[Andres]

So you would stick to the 2 ton machines?
Maybe its just better to make it work for the money and then just get a EC20E with some heavy stuff

 

[Andres]

Kinshoffer?
So you would suggest to get the EC20E over the ECR25?

 

[funwithfuel]

If you have to change your whole platform, tow rig, trailer etc, then go with bigger. ECR 28 or 38 would both be good choices. Not much larger than the little 20 but more capable. I guess it comes down to what your need is and what you do every day.
I would not invest in an option to do one job a year, but if I were doing that job every month or even more often, then yes, it would be a possible investment.
Kinshoffer is a manufacturer of articulated stick ends. They're out of Germany I believe which might be easier to acquire considering your location.

 

[Andres]

I see where you are going. Then I guess its just a matter of when I would upgrade the car and the trailer.
I think the ECR25D would be perfect.
I now mainly work around small houses I build and use it for mainly digging and for small fundaments. The EC20E could probably also just do the job.

 

[NepeanGC]

As others have mentioned, you'll lose quite a bit of breakout force due to the tilt rotator. Most of it is due to the bucket design more than anything else. A tiltrotator kinda forces you to re-learn how to dig. Great in tight spaces, winding trenches, or grading work. Waste of time/money though if you're just bulking out material. The breakout force lost is quite dramatic on a small machine. I used to be able to rip out 24" diameter stumps in few minutes with a tooth bucket and thumb. Now it takes me 5-10 mins and I have to use a ripper. Not a big deal, since I don't take out stumps every day. Backfilling trenches and foundations is way quicker, as is finish grading.

 

[Andres]

I see. I guess then the perfect machine would be a ECR25 with a detachable tiltrotator.

I dont know if the ECR18/20 can handle the tiltrotator