mini excavator

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

RHINO

RHINO

Joined
Dec 23, 2003
Threads
105
Messages
5,088
Location
Strawberry, AZ
so i'm going to buy a piece of equipment and for a while i thought it would be a micro backhoe, but the more i think about it the more a micro excavator makes sense,,, i'm thinking small 1-1/2 ton unit would be prefect for my needs of diging in rock filled soil, hydro auger atatchmnent, hydro thumb and the little blade for small grading.

i really dont need to load a truck or move large quantities of material around with a front end bucket.

so, who has one and what are your thoughts?
 
my thought is that I want one badly for my birthday...! But I'm always getting socks for some reason...
The excavator form is really very useful, you can do a lot with them. More than the other ones.

It does seem like it's either cheap generic chinese or a ton of money. It's an interesting issue since you'd think hydraulics and some steel is not rocket science, but of course you gotta have parts available (admittedly a lot is standardized though) and good enough design. I watched a few videos about folks buying cheap chinese ones off alibaba (the delivery fees are big) and having or not having problems with them. Did not seem like a very convincing buy, overall. If you want peace of mind, a Kubota or equivalent will be great, of course. And apparently equipment like that of a good brand and if well maintained keeps its value very well, so that's something. I'd go with that approach if I had the funds.
 
The thumb is the bomb!! I’ve got two tractors and large skid steer and need to dig 6x6 pad for fuel tank. I’ll end up using front end loader and shovel but I sure wish I had a mini excavator. Used them in past to tear out a deck, trench lines and if your doing any building projects they are a no brainer!
 
i used to run heavy equipmemt for a living, so i know how much work can get done with an excavator and how versatile they can be, thats why i keep coming back to one for my yardwork. hell, gimme a mini exc AND a mini wheel loader and i'll move mini mountains!!

i think the tiny chinese machines will be all i need, BUUUT a company called Kymron imports them, does a bit of reworking to them and then sells them with USA parts and support. seems like a no brainer to me, for my intended uses.

this is the model i keep thinking about
www.microtrackhoe.com

KYMRON® ZX16D Mini Excavator, Kubota powered (Fully Loaded 3 Year Warranty) | K&R Equipment

K&R Equipment in Muskogee, Oklahoma.Call: 918-215-7284 The 2025 ZX16D KYMRON Mini Excavator is part of the all new KYMRON Premium ZX Series. The ZX16D Mini Excavator comes in different color options and features a High Quality hydraulic pump along with internal boom mounted hydraulic lines for...
www.microtrackhoe.com www.microtrackhoe.com
 
RHINO said:
i used to run heavy equipmemt for a living, so i know how much work can get done with an excavator and how versatile they can be, thats why i keep coming back to one for my yardwork. hell, gimme a mini exc AND a mini wheel loader and i'll move mini mountains!!

i think the tiny chinese machines will be all i need, BUUUT a company called Kymron imports them, does a bit of reworking to them and then sells them with USA parts and support. seems like a no brainer to me, for my intended uses.

this is the model i keep thinking about
www.microtrackhoe.com

KYMRON® ZX16D Mini Excavator, Kubota powered (Fully Loaded 3 Year Warranty) | K&R Equipment

K&R Equipment in Muskogee, Oklahoma.Call: 918-215-7284 The 2025 ZX16D KYMRON Mini Excavator is part of the all new KYMRON Premium ZX Series. The ZX16D Mini Excavator comes in different color options and features a High Quality hydraulic pump along with internal boom mounted hydraulic lines for...
www.microtrackhoe.com www.microtrackhoe.com
Click to expand...
Nice this is an hour east of me, May have to check these out.
 
what I keep on thinking is that I can shovel stuff from a pile into a trailer fairly easily but digging a trench or a pit in hard clay is another story altogether, so my preference for an excavator over a front loader.
 
I picked up a skidsteer while I was building my workshop. I did some napkin math and the cost to rent one here and there adds up and if I bought one I'd have it when I needed it - or when I "almost" needed it. That was definitely the right choice. There were a multitude of things that got done a LOT easier because it was around that I wouldn't have specifically rented one for just to do.

I figured that I'd sell it when the workshop was done, but it proved to be so useful that it is here over 25 years later. It also led me to getting a mini-ex about ten years later.

IMG_0831edit.JPG


Of the two, the skidsteer gets more use for moving things around, clearing snow, and such. I do need to do a thumb for the mini-ex, which could help with some things.

The downside is that you tend to take on more projects if you have them around. You can talk yourself out of doing something when it is going to be days or weeks of back breaking work, but you almost have to do something if it lets you "play" with your (mini) heavy equipment!
 
I have an 11k lb IHI mini ex from around 1990. Decent machine. Use it all the time. If I were to upgrade, I'd get a bigger machine, not smaller.

I also have a Mustang/Gehl skidsteer. It's a smaller 5500 lb machine. Nice for small jobs.
 
I grew up on 12 acres with a father that owned an excavation business. I had free reign to operate, dig, and bulldoze as I pleased, which ended up at a full-on motocross track by the time I was a high schooler. My dream was to be an excavator or blade operator after high school, but parents wanted me to go college and I obliged them. Bottom line, I love equipment and operating.

I bought an older 30hp Kubota tractor with FEL and box scraper about 1.5 years ago. It changed my life! A bit dramatic I know, but really, it has made things much easier and allowed me to do some development on my property that just wouldn't have been reasonable had I not had the tractor. I REALLY wanted to buy a mini-ex, but nowhere near as small as the one you linked. Something around 7500-8000 lbs, Kubota KX71 or Deere 35G size. I like the larger mini-s because of their ability to blade better than the lighter machines. Majority of my potential work isn't digging, its' shaping. In one of the rare times in my life, I have reasoned with myself that it is far cheaper and makes more sense to just rent the mini when I need it. I have the truck and trailer to get one when I need it, and I can rent one for $400 for a weekend. I've done this 4 times in the past 2 years and I can't say I would have used the mini a whole lot other than those weekends.

As you are an operator by trade, I personally think you'll be severely disappointed in the capability of the very small machines, but maybe I'm wrong. If you are retired and have a lot of free time, maybe buying one makes sense and you can tinker on things as you please. For owning a single machine, I personally think a tractor is a better option, and you can find a small Kubota TLB that is likely comparable in digging power, but has far more utility around the house.
 
talking about *mini* excavators, I just ran across the Komatsu PC01. Gotta get one for sure, but I don't know that they are available in the US. Would be great in my living room, no more boring evenings watching the news. I'll give you a hint: 3.5 HP, 800 lbs!
 
RHINO said:
i used to run heavy equipmemt for a living, so i know how much work can get done with an excavator and how versatile they can be, thats why i keep coming back to one for my yardwork. hell, gimme a mini exc AND a mini wheel loader and i'll move mini mountains!!

i think the tiny chinese machines will be all i need, BUUUT a company called Kymron imports them, does a bit of reworking to them and then sells them with USA parts and support. seems like a no brainer to me, for my intended uses.

this is the model i keep thinking about
www.microtrackhoe.com

KYMRON® ZX16D Mini Excavator, Kubota powered (Fully Loaded 3 Year Warranty) | K&R Equipment

K&R Equipment in Muskogee, Oklahoma.Call: 918-215-7284 The 2025 ZX16D KYMRON Mini Excavator is part of the all new KYMRON Premium ZX Series. The ZX16D Mini Excavator comes in different color options and features a High Quality hydraulic pump along with internal boom mounted hydraulic lines for...
www.microtrackhoe.com www.microtrackhoe.com
Click to expand...

That looks like one of the better mini/micro Exs I've seen. Price point is getting up there, for sure.
The most obvious improvement I see is that the boom cylinder is on the "back" of the arm. Many/most have it on the bucket side where it can get easily damaged.

I really hate renting equipment. So this is something I've been looking at for a while.
 
e9999 said:
talking about *mini* excavators, I just ran across the Komatsu PC01.
Click to expand...
cute little things huh? dont remember if it was Komatsu, but i rented rented one many years back, felt like i was riding some Mad Max motorcycle.
 
Ok, maybe I should have said it was the powered version of this!
Screen Shot 2024-07-01 at 9.02.18 PM.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom