What excavator do I need?

[markct]

well i guess its all about being in the right place at the right time, i had always thought an excavator would be nice to have, but never in my wildest dreams would i have thought i would get one cause they are pretty expensive usualy, well last spring one saturday morning i got a call from the owner of a construction company that i used to do mechanic work for. they asked me if i wanted there 1982 gradall G3R excavator, they were cleaning out and wanted to get it outa there, well only downside was that it had been rolled over and sat for about 10 years, but in some ways this was a plus since it only had about 6000 hours on it. well i took it and rebuilt the cab and rewired the cab, took a few months of evenings and weekends but now i have a low hour excavator in good condition for only about 300 bucks in steel and a few small parts, plus my time. i have attached a picture of it right after i got it, i dont have one yet of it after fixing it up

 

[hockeypuck]

Stay away from auctions if at all possible. If you are friendly with some construction companies, that is the best way to get a used piece of equipment. Do not even think of buying an old excavator unless you like to work on equipment.

For $15k you would be looking at late 80's or early 90 stuff. You can get some of the larger pieces (like the 892) sometimes cheaper than the smaller stuff (ie jd490, Hit. 120) because the 30k lb class is more in demand than the 60 k lb machines. I see a number of Cat 215 still working in my area. That may be a place to start.

Puck.

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Gary, I've got a complete different angle for you. Line your projects up in order by importance and what about renting one big enough to do what you need. Let them deliver with there 18 wheeler and all you have to do is put fuel in it. Atleast this way you will get seat time and see what size is good for you and you could even rent different brands to try them on.
I only have a big skid steer and the other members really sound like they know there stuff on excavators. Renting seems to be safe from my point of view to not get burned on a used piece of equipment.
I plan to rent a kubota 161 in a week or so and probably will not have a use for one again for quite a while. Just another way to look at it. Good luck
Mulching on..Robbie

 

[caver]

Stay away from auctions if at all possible.
Puck.

I just came from the local tractor auction and that was my experience.
Hundreds of people. They had a Kubota L35 TLB, console looked like new and only showing 20+ hours. Tires were BALD. Top of dipper arm had been welded
in two different spots. Had an old sticker on it from an Alabama dealer. I started to wonder if it had been in a flood. Easily 1-2 inches wore off the loader cutting edge. Sold for almost 12K. Then they sold a Case 480F TLB
3K hours. It didn't seem in bad condition but somebody shut it off a few minutes before the bidding started and there was a nice puddle of hydraulic fluid forming under the engine. It sold for almost 9K.