Looking to buy a Mini-X. Your experience and opinions, please

[nybirdman]

I will second the Kubota mini-ex.Have a friend with a side business using a dozer/mini ex/tractor ect. and he works his hard and expects durability in his machines.He just replaced his tracks at 3000 hours on the mini.

 

[Bigfoot62]

. . . He has owned the Takeuchi for several years,,
from talking to him,, right now, I believe the only machine Chris would buy is a Takeuchi,, he says the machine is flawless,, for his applications.

Yeah, I'm hearing good things about the Takeuchi. The manager of the local dealership said that they have a bunch of them in the rental fleet. Cost of maintenance was the lowest of any brand they have.
And, I was impressed with the hydraulics performance. Super fast! It's really way past some of the other brands. When trying a mini-X out, I will simultaneously be walking the machine, swinging and lifting the boom, and rotating the house. That will let you know what the hydraulic pump can handle. Takeuchi has been the best that I've tried, with Deere a close second.

 

[CADplans]

I would absolutely LOVE to find a good, clean, well-maintained machine for $25-30K. But I'm not going to pay 30 and spend another 30 getting everything to work!!

I will find one this summer,, my spending desire is,, $15K tops for the machine,, $5K for repairs.
I will be looking for a machine that does not have a cab, if it does not have a thumb, I will totally DIY the mechanical thumb.

I think the big thing about repairs to a machine that you already own has to do with speed at which you work,,
Watching videos of operators that are making money, they run the machines F A S T !!,, that is real hard on the machine.

My 40 year old tractor never breaks,, but, I never do anything other than mowing at any speed near full throttle.

I slow down, and let time get the job done,, rather than make LOTS of money now,, and then pay for repairs.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Did you look at Kubota? KX040-4 is right in your spec range. I almost purchased one but ended up with a TLB. This is assuming you have a good dealer relatively close.

Actually, the 040 is a little lighter and smaller than what I'm looking for. The KX057-4 is the closest comparable model. On the Kubota website, I specked out a 057, with a cab, angle blade, and hydraulic thumb. When you add the two year warranty, (to match what Takeuchi and Deere include) it's shows $88K. Considering sales tax, that would be nearly $20K more than the other two brands. Don't know how much below MSRP that I could be out-the-door, but I doubt that they will come off $20K

 

[Bigfoot62]

I will find one this summer,, my spending desire is,, $15K tops for the machine,, $5K for repairs. . .

Hope you find what you're looking for.

As for me, I need a machine that will work. Do not have the time or desire to "tinker" around with worn-out stuff. But that's my preference.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I thought I knew what excavator I wanted,, until I spent some time watching some of this guys videos,,

This video explains why you may prefer a fixed, non-hydraulic thumb.

He seems to have been running excavators (he owns a half dozen or so) for about 8 years.

In his opinion, the best one he has owned is a gray market Yanmar,,
Why is it best? It NEVER breaks down,,

I'm certain that I want a hydraulic thumb. Don't have to debate that any more.

While I don't yet own an excavator, I have owned two full-sized Tractor/Loader/Backhoes, and I've been running heavy equipment for the past 4 decades.

I would consider Yanmar, but the nearest dealer is about 200 miles away.

 

[Snobdds]

Any thing Takeuchi is good. I have never seen a Yanmar in person, have no dealers close to me to even look over.

I had a renter that works at CAT here and he convinced me to go CAT. It's been great and have had zero issues with it. The biggest thing I would suggest is to look at how the hydraulic lines are run and make sure they are easy to service. CAT has a side panel opposite from the engine panel that gives access to all the lines. A rats nest of lines is never fun to work on, you will eventually have to deal with hydraulic lines, there are just too many on a mini ex to not ever have a problem.

The 6 way blade and hydraulic thumb are almost a necessity for the machine. I use mine a lot up at my cabin and the thumb is critical when dealing with logs. Get your butt in some seats and get a feel for how fast the hydraulics work, there seems to be a huge range of hydraulic speeds, I like them fast and crisp.

 

[4570Man]

I can’t imagine why you’d prefer a manual thumb other than cost. I agree that you definitely want a hydraulic thumb. I’ve about to come to the same conclusion you have on the used machine. I’ve been looking for a skid steer and it takes $30k to buy anything decent and they all need tracks and who knows what else. I may end up buying a new 75 Kubota even if it entails buying a $15000 used machine to work until next year and save up some more in the meantime.

 

[cdaigle430]

Yes I have watched most of his videos, he is in upstate New York I believe. I am now looking for a used mini thanks to him. Dont want to pay more than 15k....
About this person-he can fix or repair just about anything but he is also smart enough to know when to bring in an expert. I still dont understand why he built a container castle on his garage LOL.

 

[MMalabama]

I think Yanmar and Takeuchi are really making the best mini right now from people I know that use them and operators i follow on Youtube. Not sure how pricing compares on Yanmar to takeuchi but you may not have a yanmar dealer nearby, but if you do id look them over.