obsideus
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Importing and modifying a new mini excavator from China
- Thread starter dfkrug
- Start date
OP
dfkrug
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- 05 Kioti CK30HST w/ Prairie Dog backhoe, XN08 mini-X
Almost all these machines have their system RV set too low. How to fix that is early in this thread and on Utube:
You want 2400-2500psi.
JohnnyB24
New member
I ordered that hose from Amazon and it did not fit the Briggs 420cc. The size is too large and they don't appear to be pipe threads since there is a gasket on the flat surface of the plug. Do you know the actual threads of the plug? I still have my break in oil in so I don't want to take the plug out for inspection yet, but the correct hose would be great to have on hand for my first oil change.
Thanks!
HCS-II
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- JD 110, JD 318, Diggit EM15 excavator
I remember a comment about the EM15 having weak track motor mounts that could bend inwards or outwards. Here is a pic of my 2023 EM15 which seem to show a plate doubling the motor support as well as bracing inwards toward the house support.
HCS-II
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You need the M12x1.5 hose I posted the link a few post ago (which you read and liked). These are asian engines so no imperial threads anywhere on them. The oil plug is not a tapper threads but rather parallel with either a copper or rubber gasket on the face of the plug.
Last edited:
JohnnyB24
New member
Reading your previous post , I did not realize that it applied to the B&S engine as well as the RATO. Thanks for the info.
JohnnyB24
New member
I ordered and installed the oil drain hose. I'm pretty happy with it I guess. I plan to keep it stowed inside the machine and feed it temporarily through a hole that was drilled in the rear bumper when it's time to change oil. Hopefully it will be less messy this way.
Attachments
My experience with cheap Chinese mini excavator and skid-steer: I recently got a $6k no-name skid steer and a $10k no-name mini excavator. I also got a bunch of attachments online: a hammer, wide bucket, and an opposing thumb.
#1 issue is that purchasing them is very tricky. Specs are murky, sellers avoid straight answers, and the credit card dispute is often the only way out. E.g. One Chinese seller, after accepting the full payment, claimed that it was only a 50% deposit, and demanded twice as much, etc. I was able to find a third-party local seller, and purchase them as-is, for cash, picking them in person at the time of payment.
These are gasoline-powered due to environmental regulations, which makes them inferior from the scratch. Controls are very jerky, which is typical for any such gas-powered equipment that doesn’t come equipped with sufficiently heavy engines and flywheels. I knew only one gas-powered one that operated well: it was one of the first Bobcats with a huge Wisconsin engine. Diesel is the king for such equipment.
These gas engines run at high rpm to compensate for their weakness, so they are prone to overheating. The newer equipment comes with electric fans fit in their enclosures to cool them.
Their weight is insufficient in comparison to the offered power. It needs to have back ballast added, but the market does not seem to offer any cast steel ballast plates. The good thing is though, it could be easily transported on a back of a 1,500 pickup track. The bad thing is that they are very unsafe, I had them roll over more than once.
After only 5 hours, both track rollers disintegrated, with blocked bearing that basically fell off. I found no replacement track rollers commercially available so far, so they would have to be produced custom. There is no service, no service manuals, nor any parts available.
There are no grease fittings, and when replacing a bucket after approx. 10 hours, the bolts were already badly scored, as apparently there was too little grease to begin with.
There are no filters. Neither hydraulic, nor fuel, none. You got the idea. It’s a throwaway product.
Engine stops at even the smallest incline, probably due to crankcase oil sensors, as adding oil helped slightly. The photo of the excavator illustrates the incline at which I had to hoist the front to restart it.
Hydraulic power dies on a very small downward slope, due to the hydraulic reservoir installed low in the front, starving the pump.
Many small engineering problems:
E.g. Skid steer’s maintenance access cover is impossible to open when the bucket is down, making it impossible to service the machine in the field. On a larger downward incline, the cover opens on its own, risking breaking hinges, because there is a hinged, heavy radiator behind it, that is not locked in place, and the latch of the cover is too thin. An opposing thumb attachment broke immediately in two, as it was made too thin.
Attachment hoses’ couplings and spare hoses are so rare, that it made their identification and purchase impossible so far, when I presented them to local part sellers.
So, is it better than getting an old piece of a well-made equipment? I previously purchased and used mini Bobcats, Ditch-Witches, Takeuchis, Gehls, CASEs, and Kubotas of this world, and these machines in similar price ranges were practically wrecked and required a total overhaul, which essentially prevented their efficient use at first, and multiplied their cost. They typically came with thousands of hours on tachos, or tachos already disabled.
Chinese product may shock by their comparative lack of durability, but at least they allow to get some work done within the first 50 hours or so, before the similar overhaul would be needed. Also, the main challenges are different, as follows:
The typical #1 issue in brand-name equipment at this price point was a worn-out engine, worn-out hydraulic pumps, motors, and rams, but spare parts were generally available. Also, their electrical harnesses were a mess at this point.
In contrast, the Chinese Honda knockout engines, no-name pumps, motors, and rams proved at first to be fairly reliable, while the #1 issue is the general poor engineering, and lack of parts.
#1 issue is that purchasing them is very tricky. Specs are murky, sellers avoid straight answers, and the credit card dispute is often the only way out. E.g. One Chinese seller, after accepting the full payment, claimed that it was only a 50% deposit, and demanded twice as much, etc. I was able to find a third-party local seller, and purchase them as-is, for cash, picking them in person at the time of payment.
These are gasoline-powered due to environmental regulations, which makes them inferior from the scratch. Controls are very jerky, which is typical for any such gas-powered equipment that doesn’t come equipped with sufficiently heavy engines and flywheels. I knew only one gas-powered one that operated well: it was one of the first Bobcats with a huge Wisconsin engine. Diesel is the king for such equipment.
These gas engines run at high rpm to compensate for their weakness, so they are prone to overheating. The newer equipment comes with electric fans fit in their enclosures to cool them.
Their weight is insufficient in comparison to the offered power. It needs to have back ballast added, but the market does not seem to offer any cast steel ballast plates. The good thing is though, it could be easily transported on a back of a 1,500 pickup track. The bad thing is that they are very unsafe, I had them roll over more than once.
After only 5 hours, both track rollers disintegrated, with blocked bearing that basically fell off. I found no replacement track rollers commercially available so far, so they would have to be produced custom. There is no service, no service manuals, nor any parts available.
There are no grease fittings, and when replacing a bucket after approx. 10 hours, the bolts were already badly scored, as apparently there was too little grease to begin with.
There are no filters. Neither hydraulic, nor fuel, none. You got the idea. It’s a throwaway product.
Engine stops at even the smallest incline, probably due to crankcase oil sensors, as adding oil helped slightly. The photo of the excavator illustrates the incline at which I had to hoist the front to restart it.
Hydraulic power dies on a very small downward slope, due to the hydraulic reservoir installed low in the front, starving the pump.
Many small engineering problems:
E.g. Skid steer’s maintenance access cover is impossible to open when the bucket is down, making it impossible to service the machine in the field. On a larger downward incline, the cover opens on its own, risking breaking hinges, because there is a hinged, heavy radiator behind it, that is not locked in place, and the latch of the cover is too thin. An opposing thumb attachment broke immediately in two, as it was made too thin.
Attachment hoses’ couplings and spare hoses are so rare, that it made their identification and purchase impossible so far, when I presented them to local part sellers.
So, is it better than getting an old piece of a well-made equipment? I previously purchased and used mini Bobcats, Ditch-Witches, Takeuchis, Gehls, CASEs, and Kubotas of this world, and these machines in similar price ranges were practically wrecked and required a total overhaul, which essentially prevented their efficient use at first, and multiplied their cost. They typically came with thousands of hours on tachos, or tachos already disabled.
Chinese product may shock by their comparative lack of durability, but at least they allow to get some work done within the first 50 hours or so, before the similar overhaul would be needed. Also, the main challenges are different, as follows:
The typical #1 issue in brand-name equipment at this price point was a worn-out engine, worn-out hydraulic pumps, motors, and rams, but spare parts were generally available. Also, their electrical harnesses were a mess at this point.
In contrast, the Chinese Honda knockout engines, no-name pumps, motors, and rams proved at first to be fairly reliable, while the #1 issue is the general poor engineering, and lack of parts.
Last edited:
OP
dfkrug
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Specifically, what mini-X did you buy and where did you buy it? All the issues you describe have been encountered and been discussed in this thread. I also led off with the choice between a beat-up Kubota and a new Chinese mini.
If you imported your mini yourself into the US, then the default engine on the smallest machines is now a 420cc gasoline Chinese or B&S 1-cylinder. If you imported it into just about any other country where they are not as concerned about clean air, then you would get a 499cc Diesel Chinese 1-cyl engine. Not a very good one, either.
For US$10K, you can easily find a 1-tonish Chinese mini in the US with a 3-cyl Kubota or Yanmar diesel engine.
OP
dfkrug
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- Joined
- Feb 3, 2004
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- 05 Kioti CK30HST w/ Prairie Dog backhoe, XN08 mini-X
My house motor cushion valve is installed and working well.
The Danfoss dual-crossover RV I used came pre-set to 1500psi. I turned both RV adjustors in one full turn as an initial setting. I was shooting for 2000-2200psi. This work-port relief setting is hard to measure with a gauge.
The parts I needed are shown. The best cushion valve I found for this project is from Summit Hydraulics, and runs about $100. I landed the too-large valve in the photo for half that, and I made it fit. The installation was tight, but it worked.
I used this opportunity to check hoses for wear, and add even more wear protection. Plus I cut up the floor panel so I could get it off without removing the ROPS.
I see that Cam of centraldiggersupply.com now offers a kit to do this, for $250. I think that is reasonable, and he uses the smaller valve.
The Danfoss dual-crossover RV I used came pre-set to 1500psi. I turned both RV adjustors in one full turn as an initial setting. I was shooting for 2000-2200psi. This work-port relief setting is hard to measure with a gauge.
The parts I needed are shown. The best cushion valve I found for this project is from Summit Hydraulics, and runs about $100. I landed the too-large valve in the photo for half that, and I made it fit. The installation was tight, but it worked.
I used this opportunity to check hoses for wear, and add even more wear protection. Plus I cut up the floor panel so I could get it off without removing the ROPS.
I see that Cam of centraldiggersupply.com now offers a kit to do this, for $250. I think that is reasonable, and he uses the smaller valve.
