Buying Advice CAT 302.5 Excavator Review...

[Localmotion]

I've been offered a CAT 302.5 mini excavator by a friend who is packing up. The price is great (no quibble there), but having used the machine a couple of times long ago, my impression of it wasn't as good as our existing Case CK28 (even though the case is much older and worn).

Has anybody has experience of owning / operating the CAT 302.5? Any tips / advice / reviews of the machine would be appreciated...

I have to decide by Tuesday, otherwse it will be going on general sale...

[jenkinsph]

I would think you need to decide whether you need the machine in your operation. That is a judgement call only you can make. You need to have enough little jobs or close quarters work to justify having it.

My opinion isn't worth much as I have less than 100 hours running a 302.5, but my impression was it is a good machine. Running water and electrical lines in northeast AZ was easy enough, working in areas with large rock it was underpowered and undersized. I wound up buying a deere 110tlb instead of a Cat 902 and 304.5 because it was cheaper and easy to transport. With less invested it makes calling in larger equipment for the tough jobs easier to swallow.

[MessickFarmEqu]

CAT's mini excavators have only really gotten as good as Kubota / Bob-cat in the last 2-3 years. Anything older than that was subpar.

[Localmotion]

CAT's mini excavators have only really gotten as good as Kubota / Bob-cat in the last 2-3 years. Anything older than that was subpar.

It's funny how different locations have different opinions...

Here in Europe, Bobcat is still not considered a serious contender in the excavator market (obviously they are in the skid steer) yet CAT have been highly regarded for as long as I can remember!

Compared to our CASE, I must say that after using it again today, I am very impressed with the CAT - admitidly it's newer, but considering it's 300kg lighter it handled very well. I'm gonna sleep on it...

[MHarryE]

Back in the late 1990's Cat made its push for dealers to have Cat Rental Stores, and wanted to stock them with Cat mobile equipment to keep as much Cat brand as possible. The Cat mini-excavators started out as Mitsubishi. Cat and Mitsubishi were partners in Shin Caterpillar-Mitsubishi in Japan but until then Cat didn't go into minis so that part of the lineup sold in Japan was Mitsubishi brand. They didn't have things Cat dealers are used to working with like SAE hydraulic fittings, ORFS hose ends, etc. So to hurry their entry into the mini market they took their partner Mitsubishi products and Caterpillarized them. I saw my first one in Leicester, UK, where it was getting a Caterpillar (meaning Perkins branded Cat at that time) engine fitted in place with lots of duct tape holding hoses and things together for some quick tests. I now have a 301.8 and love it although I really don't have anything with which to compare. It is an ex-rental, and still has the Cat Rental Store, I Live On Grease, and dealer decals. I have it becasue the cost was right and the Cat dealer is only 25 miles away. My Kubota dealer is 150 miles. But things keep changing. Kubota introduces their new track skid steers at the same time Cat starts putting Kubota engines in theirs. Cat's mini excavators have gone Mitsubishi - Caterpillar - Mitsubishi - and now Kubota engines.