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

[caver]

<snip>..... I still dont understand why he built a container castle on his garage LOL.

I just recently started watching him. Is he like a trust fund kid or something? He's a bit of a cobbler and rough on stuff. Never understood the container castle either as it's obvious he lives elsewhere or still with his parents. You can't say the kid is lazy though. Puts about 99% of his peers to shame.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Any thing Takeuchi is good. . .

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.

Good to hear.

Noted. I'll especially look for that. I did notice on a Volvo ECR48, that it did NOT have good access to the main valve, pump and lines area without removing the rear body panel. (it had a leak back there and we couldn't get to it w/o tools) I remember that the Takeuchi was very easy to access.

Fast and crisp is my preference too. And the Takeuchi has the fastest hydraulics of any machine I've tried out.

 

[Bigfoot62]

My heart is still saying Cab and air conditioning, but my wallet (and my wife) are still shouting, "HOW MUCH?" D:

I'm thinking about dropping back to an open station machine. Really thinking hard about a Takeuchi TB260. A local dealer has it in his rental fleet. Canopy model, 1600 hours, with a hydraulic thumb for $35K. That's exactly half the price of a new one with a cab.

 

[Deerherd]

Go with your heart and get the cab and air. You don稚 want to be trading up next year. You stay cool, free of stinging, biting bugs, plus it keeps the cab area/electronics free of dust. Not to mention it makes it easier to hear the stereo!

I looked at the Takeuchi but the dealer was not very responsive, but I liked the excavator. I tried to demo a Kubota but something was wrong with the DPF system. It went into regen at three hours and after running in regen mode for three more hours they had to pick it up because it wouldn稚 complete. I was told it was too cold(10 degrees) to finish. They did get it to complete regen by bringing it into a heated garage.

I went with the Bobcat with the cab, extended arm, hydraulic thumb, quick change bucket and auxiliary hydraulics. Plus it has no DPF or regen to deal with. It has been problem free.

You will really like adding an excavator to your arsenal. Oh and whichever excavator you decide on, GET THE CAB, you will not regret it!

 

[Bigfoot62]

Go with your heart and get the cab and air. You don't want to be trading up next year. You stay cool, free of stinging, biting bugs, plus it keeps the cab area/electronics free of dust. Not to mention it makes it easier to hear the stereo!
. . .
You will really like adding an excavator to your arsenal. Oh and whichever excavator you decide on, GET THE CAB, you will not regret it!

Appreciate your input. And, yeah, I WANT the cab. What's killing me here, is that I can pay cash for $30 or so. A new cab machine will require financing. And, I really didn't want another note. But, Deere and Takeuchi are offering 0% for 36 and 48 months, respectively, and I could leave the money in the bank to help pay the notes . . . :banghead: Information overload! Too many decisions!

The local Deere dealer has offered me a nearly new, 2018 50G cab with 400 hours, long stick, hyd thumb and angle blade for $58. $12 grand off the price of a new one. It's in their rental fleet. It will have the remainder of the 2000 hour/2 year warranty, and qualifies for the 0% financing.

Good news is that I don't HAVE to buy anything. I could just hire it done, but I really enjoy running an excavator, and probably wouldn't like how they were doing it. I could also rent or lease a machine, but I don't like the idea of throwing that money away. I'd rather buy, and if one day I decide that I didn't need it any longer, I could sell it and recover the majority of my investment. (But my wife says that I don't ever get rid of anything! )

That's it. I'm done. My head hurts and I'm going to bed!

 

[dfkrug]

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

Interesting video. I like to get the perspective of someone who has lived with, owned, and worked on different machine brands.

I guess if my hydraulic thumbs were pushed back so easily by the Kubota's bucket, I would be annoyed, too.

The biggest reason to go fixed vs. hydraulic is always gonna be the plumbing. Notice when he talks about stealing the boom-swing hydraulics to power the thumb. He doesn't use the swing at all. How common is that? (My machine has no swing.)

 

[Tomtint]

A couple years ago I bought a used Kubota KX121 that was traded into my local Bota dealer. The salesman knew I was looking for one with a cab and thumb..which this had and called me as soon a second it was on the lot. It was a 1 owner with a stack of service and maintenance records, as it was fleet maintained. I bought it it's a bit over 6k hours on the clock and have had zero issues with it whatsoever. I think I only use it 40-50 hours a year so at that pace..I'll be dead before it is.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Interesting video. I like to get the perspective of someone who has lived with, owned, and worked on different machine brands.

I guess if my hydraulic thumbs were pushed back so easily by the Kubota's bucket, I would be annoyed, too.

The biggest reason to go fixed vs. hydraulic is always gonna be the plumbing. Notice when he talks about stealing the boom-swing hydraulics to power the thumb. He doesn't use the swing at all. How common is that? (My machine has no swing.)

I've worked with a bunch of different machines in my life. Some with no thumb, some mechanical thumbs, and some with hydraulic. That's why I know that I want hyd. But I wouldn't rob the boom swing to get it.

 

[Bigfoot62]

A couple years ago I bought a used Kubota KX121 that was traded into my local Bota dealer. The salesman knew I was looking for one with a cab and thumb..which this had and called me as soon a second it was on the lot. It was a 1 owner with a stack of service and maintenance records, as it was fleet maintained. I bought it it's a bit over 6k hours on the clock and have had zero issues with it whatsoever. I think I only use it 40-50 hours a year so at that pace..I'll be dead before it is.

KX121 is a good sized machine. At 9K#, that's a little smaller than what I would consider ideal for me, but I could live with it if the price was right. (KX161 would be more what I'm looking for)
And, I like Kubota equipment. Problem is, I'm just not seeing any good, clean, used 121's or 161's for sale anywhere near me. In fact, I only know of one KX161 anywhere near here. (and it's not for sale) Most of the 'Botas around here are small ones. Here, the bigger machines are usually CAT, Komatsu, etc. Currently on Machinery Trader, there aren't any 161's, and only three 121's within 500 miles of me. Of those three, only one is less than $40K, and they say that they "think" it has 3800 hrs on it. But you can't read the hour meter.
Point is, to answer you directly, I'd love to find a good deal on a Kubota, I just haven't. (so far, anyway)

Question Tom:
Your 121 has cab and A/C, right? Any issues with it?
Some of my friends are trying to steer me away from a cab machine because of the potential for trouble with the air conditioning system. Down here, you couldn't stay in a cab without it during most of the year.

 

[Deerherd]

Appreciate your input. And, yeah, I WANT the cab. What's killing me here, is that I can pay cash for $30 or so. A new cab machine will require financing. And, I really didn't want another note. But, Deere and Takeuchi are offering 0% for 36 and 48 months, respectively, and I could leave the money in the bank to help pay the notes . . . :banghead: Information overload! Too many decisions!

The local Deere dealer has offered me a nearly new, 2018 50G cab with 400 hours, long stick, hyd thumb and angle blade for $58. $12 grand off the price of a new one. It's in their rental fleet. It will have the remainder of the 2000 hour/2 year warranty, and qualifies for the 0% financing.

Good news is that I don't HAVE to buy anything. I could just hire it done, but I really enjoy running an excavator, and probably wouldn't like how they were doing it. I could also rent or lease a machine, but I don't like the idea of throwing that money away. I'd rather buy, and if one day I decide that I didn't need it any longer, I could sell it and recover the majority of my investment. (But my wife says that I don't ever get rid of anything! )

That's it. I'm done. My head hurts and I'm going to bed!

Here’s how I looked at it. I searched for a year trying to find the right used one, and regardless of brand the price was too close to purchasing new. Additionally the good financing is not available on used.

New cabbed version gets you warranty, air, knowledge that all maintenance will be taken care of and that new excavator smell! Use it for 5-7 years, and you won’t have any trouble selling a well taken care of low hour machine at a good price. It’s what everyone is searching for.....