The Chinese toy excavator thread.

[sewer bill]

I did mean that literally.
My happy places are inventing and fabbing up fun things, and doing woodwork and building cabinets.
I look at that thumb picture and see several problems that I am not geared up to do. My friend Ben has a lathe and CNC mill and I pay him to do those things. That is HIS happy place.
On that stick, anywhere they are pivoting a bolt in a hole is going to hammer out over time. It needs a machined thicker boss welded on in a jig at the manufacturing stage of the game. For me to come back and beef those bores after the fact would be an unhappy place, LOL.

I like inventing too. I have several one off hydrojetting cutting tools in service at my work that I designed and fabricated that do a better job than anything you can buy off the shelf. One day I'll find someone who wants to go in on making that a business.

I would honestly be surprised if I get enough hours on it to slop a pin hole out. At least this versions pins have grease zerks. The early ones had no way to lube them.

It's definitely more an excavator shaped object than an actual excavator.

My test gauges came in the mail today so I'll be finding out soon if it's pushing 2000+psi on the thumb. Thinking about it now I might have to plumb in a selector valve so I can reduce the thumb to like 500psi on one relief valve and be able to switch it to the stock manifold at several thousand psi to run the attachments.

 

[HarleyHappy]

I love to resurrect and restore worn out things. I have the welders, a lathe and a knee mill.
I would love to do Camaro’s, GTO’s, Chevelle’s and such but being that a roller can be 20k or more, they are out of my league.
Instead it’s heavy equipment, one piece at a time, other than my other job.
I would look at one of these as a challenge, to reverse engineer a stolen design, to begin with. That thumb in the video, would be an easy fix.
While it would disappoint me that the design was **** poor, it wouldn’t surprise me, at that price point.
Do I try and buy American, of course but after dealing with motorcycles most my life, that buy only American attitude, left me long ago.
That is not a hill, I try and climb anymore.
I just try and be honest to myself and work with what I’ve got and can afford, as most of this, is a hobby for me.

 

[Grease Daily]

I hope this thread stays on topic and doesn't devolve into a political argument. Kudos to those who have already made good points on the pros/cons of buying Chinese vs. shelling out for actual machines (LOL).

I can speak from both sides of the argument and will give a spoiler up front that I quickly learned my lesson, which I already knew, which is that you get what you pay for.

I was a city dweller for 30 years and finally bought my dream 10 acre homestead earlier this year. I very quickly bought a Kioti tractor which I didn't know I needed and now use everyday. I do a lot of tree work, clearing and am doing a lot of building which means a lot of trenching, which means mini excavator. 3 months later I can't see ever doing without one.

I was blown away when I found a Rippa (1 ton) on Facebook for $6500 a few hours from me. I jumped, seemed like a no brainer when I was seeing commercial grade equipment the same size for 5 times the price. It took me all of 2 weeks to realize what a pile of garbage it was. Yes, it digs holes and does mini-ex types of things ok. But what about the day it doesn't? No manual, no parts support, no nothing. I got scared and listed it for sale. Oddly enough a guy who runs excavators for a living bought it. I bet he's sold it by now. He said he wanted to try one out.

I think it was about the second hour of breathing the un-muffled exhaust from a 13.5 gas engine under my ass that made me reconsider. That thing rattled some sense into me.

Sorry for the novel but I'll sum this up this way. If you need a deal and only plan to use a mini-ex very lightly then go for the Walmart Chinese one. If you want one to keep and actually use then buy once, cry once and you'll see how much better it is from every angle.

First machine, Rippa R10 pro ($6750 including delivery to my house)
Second machine, Hyundai Robex R17/Kubota powered, 2 ton, ($16k with 1k hours)

I would ideally like a 3-4 ton machine but I think I'd be backing up at that point. They destroy turf and gravel too badly for my use case.

 

[laidback01]

there was a IHI-40jx on my local craigslist last night for $7000. Isuzu diesel 3LC1 or similar. looked like hell. about 4T. Definitely going to need some work. I tried to get some friends to call/look. Nope, not shiny enough. I just don't get it. that was a hell of a buy - someone bought it this morning or last night, it's gone now. That's not Chinese stuff, but if all you are looking at is price, that's my advice, don't worry about shiny paint!

 

[skyking1]

I hope this thread stays on topic and doesn't devolve into a political argument. Kudos to those who have already made good points on the pros/cons of buying Chinese vs. shelling out for actual machines (LOL).

I can speak from both sides of the argument and will give a spoiler up front that I quickly learned my lesson, which I already knew, which is that you get what you pay for.

I was a city dweller for 30 years and finally bought my dream 10 acre homestead earlier this year. I very quickly bought a Kioti tractor which I didn't know I needed and now use everyday. I do a lot of tree work, clearing and am doing a lot of building which means a lot of trenching, which means mini excavator. 3 months later I can't see ever doing without one.

I was blown away when I found a Rippa (1 ton) on Facebook for $6500 a few hours from me. I jumped, seemed like a no brainer when I was seeing commercial grade equipment the same size for 5 times the price. It took me all of 2 weeks to realize what a pile of garbage it was. Yes, it digs holes and does mini-ex types of things ok. But what about the day it doesn't? No manual, no parts support, no nothing. I got scared and listed it for sale. Oddly enough a guy who runs excavators for a living bought it. I bet he's sold it by now. He said he wanted to try one out.

I think it was about the second hour of breathing the un-muffled exhaust from a 13.5 gas engine under my ass that made me reconsider. That thing rattled some sense into me.

Sorry for the novel but I'll sum this up this way. If you need a deal and only plan to use a mini-ex very lightly then go for the Walmart Chinese one. If you want one to keep and actually use then buy once, cry once and you'll see how much better it is from every angle.

First machine, Rippa R10 pro ($6750 including delivery to my house)
Second machine, Hyundai Robex R17/Kubota powered, 2 ton, ($16k with 1k hours)

I would ideally like a 3-4 ton machine but I think I'd be backing up at that point. They destroy turf and gravel too badly for my use case.

you get good at picking dryer times of the year, and laying out plywood with bigger machines. If you have really fine topsoils they are the worst and don't spring back as well. If you get some 18" wide rips of 1" form ply they spread out and even out the forces from a 35.
This is a pristine lawn at the boss's house. I had to jump down in there over this little wall and had the 6x6 steel sheet for landing. Note the plywood and dunnage for the bucket assisted spin on the sheet and over the wall.




Get the sheets and plywood up quickly.




No harm no foul. The only thing I had them do is halt the irrigation that week. Once I got in there they watered it and then dried it back out for the trip out.
The next fun was jumping up on that little curb and dunnage and plywood to protect the pool edge overhang.

 

[sewer bill]

there was a IHI-40jx on my local craigslist last night for $7000. Isuzu diesel 3LC1 or similar. looked like hell. about 4T. Definitely going to need some work. I tried to get some friends to call/look. Nope, not shiny enough. I just don't get it. that was a hell of a buy - someone bought it this morning or last night, it's gone now. That's not Chinese stuff, but if all you are looking at is price, that's my advice, don't worry about shiny paint!

I would have snagged that.

 

[92U 3406]

Neighbour down the road has one of those little Chinese tracked skid steers. For what it is and what it costs it's perfect for little jobs around the property. He's lent it to me a couple times and it's saved me hours of work. For the amount it gets used it's really not worth it to shell out $20k to $30k on a name brand unit.

I 100% agree though these machines definitely aren't high enough quality that I'd trust my livelihood with it if I were a small landscaper or contractor.

 

[laidback01]

I would have snagged that.

Yeah, it crossed my mind to run up and get it. but... I really don't need yet another project. Just this past wednesday, we picked up a used Kioti DK4510, there's getting to be too much stuff here. I'm going to have to sell off something soon..

 

[DDoug]

there's getting to be too much stuff here. I'm going to have to sell off something soon..

Moving the magnetic north pole are we ?

Join the club.

 

[sewer bill]

Small update. At 12 hours of time on it now much more comfortable operating it moved a lot of logs and removed some small trees.

I'm sure you'll all find this hard to belive but I did manage to bend the thumb too.

 

[laidback01]

My neighbor bought one of these 2000lb jobs. I'll have to point him at this thread. He's got a fixed thumb, but is desiring a hydraulic one.

 

[jflaherty4488]

1. That seems common, mine tracks straight while swinging but you can hear it working harder.

2. There are lots of complaints I have read from gas and diesel 2 ton owners that their machines were shipped with not actual hydraulic fluid just some kind of transport fluid. I think it is probably janky stuff and I have read multiple people being satisfied with performance after swapping the fluid to 46. Another popular thing seems to be to put stiffer springs over the pilot plungers to tame down the jerkyness.

3. The thumbs are definitely hit or miss on these and at the auction I bought mine at they had 5 of these lined up in a row and 2 of them I could see the the pin holes were over an inch off from the others. Mine does not hit the boom but now I wonder if those other 2 machines would lol.

I work for a custom spring manufacturer in Oregon and designed a spring kit for the pilot controls on my AGT 1.8t mini-ex. 900 kits sold since I launched in April. People are happy with them...making a difference in smoothing out controls. www.SpringPilot.com

 

[Universal Parts]

I am engaged in this field, I think I have some say, this domestic small excavator has few after-sales parts on the market, it is recommended to buy Yanmar or Kubota or Caterpillar 301.5, it will be a problem to find parts when it breaks down.

 

[ianjoub]

I am engaged in this field, I think I have some say, this domestic small excavator has few after-sales parts on the market, it is recommended to buy Yanmar or Kubota or Caterpillar 301.5, it will be a problem to find parts when it breaks down.

Why do people assume it will be a problem to get parts. My machine has a Kubota diesel. All the hydraulic stuff is name brand. There may be a few things one can't just pick off a parts diagram and order, but can certainly be sourced locally with a minimal amount of effort.

I have gotten parts from the manufacturer for mine as well, though all mfg's may not be as easy/responsive. www.2loader.com I have no affiliation, just a customer.

 

[Universal Parts]

Why do people assume it will be a problem to get parts. My machine has a Kubota diesel. All the hydraulic stuff is name brand. There may be a few things one can't just pick off a parts diagram and order, but can certainly be sourced locally with a minimal amount of effort.

I have gotten parts from the manufacturer for mine as well, though all mfg's may not be as easy/responsive. www.2loader.com I have no affiliation, just a customer.

You probably misunderstood what I meant. If you buy a whole device from this dealer, you must be able to buy the corresponding parts. I am talking about dealers that only sell OEM parts. The parts that can be sold in my place are all popular and recognized models. Unpopular ones may not be sold. This has an advantage that you can easily purchase them at a very low price.

 

[FredATX]

I hope this thread stays on topic and doesn't devolve into a political argument. Kudos to those who have already made good points on the pros/cons of buying Chinese vs. shelling out for actual machines (LOL).

I can speak from both sides of the argument and will give a spoiler up front that I quickly learned my lesson, which I already knew, which is that you get what you pay for.

I was a city dweller for 30 years and finally bought my dream 10 acre homestead earlier this year. I very quickly bought a Kioti tractor which I didn't know I needed and now use everyday. I do a lot of tree work, clearing and am doing a lot of building which means a lot of trenching, which means mini excavator. 3 months later I can't see ever doing without one.

I was blown away when I found a Rippa (1 ton) on Facebook for $6500 a few hours from me. I jumped, seemed like a no brainer when I was seeing commercial grade equipment the same size for 5 times the price. It took me all of 2 weeks to realize what a pile of garbage it was. Yes, it digs holes and does mini-ex types of things ok. But what about the day it doesn't? No manual, no parts support, no nothing. I got scared and listed it for sale. Oddly enough a guy who runs excavators for a living bought it. I bet he's sold it by now. He said he wanted to try one out.

I think it was about the second hour of breathing the un-muffled exhaust from a 13.5 gas engine under my ass that made me reconsider. That thing rattled some sense into me.

Sorry for the novel but I'll sum this up this way. If you need a deal and only plan to use a mini-ex very lightly then go for the Walmart Chinese one. If you want one to keep and actually use then buy once, cry once and you'll see how much better it is from every angle.

First machine, Rippa R10 pro ($6750 including delivery to my house)
Second machine, Hyundai Robex R17/Kubota powered, 2 ton, ($16k with 1k hours)

I would ideally like a 3-4 ton machine but I think I'd be backing up at that point. They destroy turf and gravel too badly for my use case.

Thanks for sharing this, your experience lines up with what I’ve heard a lot from folks who buy the ultra-budget models with no after-sales support. The “no manual, no parts, no service” problem is real, and it catches people off guard.

I think there’s still a gap in the market for something in between the no-name machines and the $30K+ dealer models — especially for folks like you working land or doing side projects who still want something reliable. The trick is knowing which ones are supported and which are drop-shipped with no backup.

I’ve been working a lot with compact excavators in the 1.5–4 ton range lately, and I’d be happy to share notes on what to look for if you’re ever comparing models or trying to spec something out. That Robex sounds like a solid step up, especially with the Kubota engine — glad to hear it’s working out better.

 

[sewer bill]

Update on the China excavator.

Been really busy with my real job I have done a couple small jobs still under 50 hours on the machine. Engine oil is still clear which is somewhat surprising for a diesel.

Bought a heavy tilt deck trailer for real cheap to move it around. Need to weld some d rings on the undercarriage to reduce time spent fiddling chaining it down.

Absolutely need to add counterweight feels like it's 500lbs shy of where it should be. Pulled the sheet metal off to check for leaks and hoses rubbing, found no issues.

Played around with some of the other buckets and attachments I bought with it. Honestly not a fan of any of the extra buckets I bought the stock one has better geometry on the ears and the pins for the stock bucket are greaseable and vaguely hardened. The tilt bucket is terrible. The little root ripper is nice though. I'll be selling all the extra stuff.


The sickle bar attachment I had no use for when I bought the machine just because it looked interesting has turned out to be the one attachment that has landed a real job for this machine. Mowing thick vines and brush on the tall steep slopes around my neighbors property. He's already got some of his friends sending me their addresses to come by and give them quotes.

This might actually be the most practical use for this class of lightweight machine. The big advantage is this fits in between the niche of slopes too steep for a wheeled machine to drive on because I don't have to and tractor pto mounted attachments can't reach up as high as I can with this. Tightening the foot control aux circuit bolts let's me keep the vavle open without holding it with my foot and I can just track around slowly and slice through stuff at the exact profile of the slope.

 

[laidback01]

that's fantastic! what a great idea. I've already bought one of those cheap tilt/cleanup 36" buckets for $600 for a "5 ton Chinese" . I've begun the work of adapting it with Deere/Hitachi Wedge quick connects. This looks like the next project! I was actually going to adapt a hydraulic motor (Cessna brand) for one of my old Gravely walk-behind mowers - so I could attach it to my mini. A sickle bar would be a better solution though rather than a 36" round blade. thanks for posting this, it'll solve a lot of issue for me!

 

[oldtom]

The whole country hates us? Are you sure they view us as an enemy vs adversary or more benign term like competitor? Do you personally know anyone from China or are you basing this on propaganda?

Treats their workforce like crap? Once again, have you any first hand experience or just hearsay? Is our workforce treated that much better?

They treat their buyers like crap? Any first hand experience with this? Have you been treated like a king with every person/company you have dealt with that is US based? I was satisfied with my dealings with the company I did business with: 2loader.com or https://cncougar.en.made-in-china.com/

I also did not find my equipment to be of 'abhorrent quality'. Shall we discuss US made cars in the 70's and 80's? K cars ring a bell?

You may not like their government and its policies. They may not like ours. Does that mean we should hate the individuals trapped in the system? It was the Soviet Union when I was a kid. We were taught that they hated us and if you ever met a Russian they would try to kill you. I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now. They are likely just a bunch of INDIVIDUALS trying to make their way thought life as best they can, JUST LIKE US.

So, I do not think it is morally wrong to buy from China.

these low-cost machines are imported by 3rd parties at a 300% markup.and it may surprise most in the usa but the worker are payed on par with us employees china is where Korea was 20 years a go and japan was 60years so give them 10 years ,and g,h us

 

[nicky 68a]

I too have a 5’ sickle bar cutter with extensions for use on my Tak TB23R.
I’ve used it a few times in the spring and it does take getting used to.
I’ve fairly stuck the boot into it and it’s performed well especially in the heavier branches which a chainsaw would be a better option.
It’s a Slanetrak cutter made in Nothern Ireland UK and will be getting put back on in October to do the winter cutting.