Will I be happy with 3t (6300-6500lb) vs 3.5t, homestead/occasional use machine?

[rice_harvester]

I am looking for ANY comments from more experienced operators about the specific capabilities of a ~6000lb (3ton) vs a ~7500lb (3.5ton) excavator. NOT on the jobsite but mainly for leisurely "hobby"/home use. I do my own maintenance/ mechanic so can evaluate used (older) equipment reasonably well. And despite the occasional use part, prefer to own vs rent due to remote location.

Current tilt trailer could haul a 7500lb+extras machine, I am looking for something to bumper pull not gn, in this case. I've been keeping my eyes out for a "deal" regionally and have yet to pull the trigger on anything in 2 years. I passed up a 'steal of a deal' Komatsu 6300lb 'feeling' it was way small at one point, but now ...
There is a low hours Hanix older 2.9ton (6500lb) machine, that has caught my interest.

The only similar thing I have ran personally, would be a kx71 rental years ago, about a 6500lb machine, which was capable enough but a little small for the road grading I was trying to use it for at that time, so my recollection is- underwhelming.

Brand names and specifics aside, would you try to talk me into ...or out of... the slightly smaller "3ton" , vs keep waiting for something slightly more "capable" to maybe come along eventually?

 

[newbury]

Expand on your

leisurely "hobby"/home use

I'm in about the same boat, right now I could use a "helping hand" picking up and moving 10' to 20' pine logs, about 20" in diameter (weight ~1,000 lbs).

 

[MH8675309]

There just dont seem to be any "deals" on anything these days

 

[Fixastuff]

I have a 2ton and a 6ton machine. Always amazed what the 2tonner is capable of. A 3 tonner can do almost anything unless you need to lift larger boulders or something.

 

[Carl_NH]

I passed up a 2600 hr Cat 303.5 Cab at 9200 lbs as it was too big for what I needed and the attachments were very expensive. I did get a $11K 2 Ton China Mini Ex with Kubota engine instead (with a rock bucket, Auger, Tiling grading bucket)- its the helping hand loading 2' rocks into the FEL bucket, picking up logs etc. It's slow moving, and a bit on the light side.

IMO, a 6000-7000 lb machine is an ideal size for most tasks - as the 2 ton is too light for any serous trenching, boulder moving, stump removal.

My neighbor has the Cat 303.5 for sewer work, grading, general excavation, and that machine gets more hours than the big 315CAT. These 9000 lb machines like CAT or Bobcat e35 are workhorses that can do most everything well. It won't rip out 24" stumps like a 20T machine but it could.

 

[mike69440]

I am looking for ANY comments from more experienced operators about the specific capabilities of a ~6000lb (3ton) vs a ~7500lb (3.5ton) excavator. NOT on the jobsite but mainly for leisurely "hobby"/home use. I do my own maintenance/ mechanic so can evaluate used (older) equipment reasonably well. And despite the occasional use part, prefer to own vs rent due to remote location.

Current tilt trailer could haul a 7500lb+extras machine, I am looking for something to bumper pull not gn, in this case. I've been keeping my eyes out for a "deal" regionally and have yet to pull the trigger on anything in 2 years. I passed up a 'steal of a deal' Komatsu 6300lb 'feeling' it was way small at one point, but now ...
There is a low hours Hanix older 2.9ton (6500lb) machine, that has caught my interest.

The only similar thing I have ran personally, would be a kx71 rental years ago, about a 6500lb machine, which was capable enough but a little small for the road grading I was trying to use it for at that time, so my recollection is- underwhelming.

Brand names and specifics aside, would you try to talk me into ...or out of... the slightly smaller "3ton" , vs keep waiting for something slightly more "capable" to maybe come along eventually?

No,
Unless you want to just play in your backyard sand box, like small digging and trenching, anything less than a 5 ton machine will disappoint you.
,

 

[MichiganIron]

We use a Cat 302.5C at the farm for general maintenance type stuff and firewood. It is the perfect size / capacity for what we do. There hasn't been a farm task it wasn't up for, plenty of digging and lifting capacity. Hard to come by a good used Cat Machine at a decent price.

No,
Unless you want to just play in your backyard sand box, like small digging and trenching, anything less than a 5 ton machine will disappoint you.
,

 

[Fixastuff]

No,
Unless you want to just play in your backyard sand box, like small digging and trenching, anything less than a 5 ton machine will disappoint you.
,

In my experience this is not true at all and I have both a 2t and a 6t machine.

 

[M59]

I am looking for ANY comments from more experienced operators about the specific capabilities of a ~6000lb (3ton) vs a ~7500lb (3.5ton) excavator. NOT on the jobsite but mainly for leisurely "hobby"/home use. I do my own maintenance/ mechanic so can evaluate used (older) equipment reasonably well. And despite the occasional use part, prefer to own vs rent due to remote location.

rice_harvester,

Please pardon me but I'm thinking your asking the wrong question. What I don't see is what you want to accomplish and what is the best machine for the job. The best machine, once you have detailed your objectives may not be an excavator. Also, there is not much difference in machine capabilities of 6K vs 7.5K lb machines. Possibly a little more reach or lift at distance but not much. You won't see big differences until you double the machine weight, say going from 10K to a 20K lb machine or a 2K to 5K lb machine.

 

[paulsharvey]

Really depends on what you need to do, and the price difference. For stuff within the capability of a 2.5T machine, a 3.5T might not be faster or better; but work at the upper limits of a 3.5T or 5T machine, could take FAR longer with a 2.5T machine. There are two situations that I can think of that a 2.5T won't be able to handle with time: lifting things heavier than it has the butt for; ie, time doesn't overrule gravity. The 2nd is ground water; when you are trying to outdig ground water seepage, a small machine may not keep up with the water/sides falling in.

So, on machines; keep an eye for Yanmar, Ditchwitch, Veermer, Takekuki, and other real brands with less name recognition.

 

[paulsharvey]

Un general, something like a JD-27 to JD-50 are very utilitarian sizes, with the 50 being capable of setting small manholes, septic tanks, ect, and a 27/35 better suited for small services, telecoms, ect. If you knew that you were doing septic tanks/manholes on the small side, upto basements, I'd go 85 size.

On this forum, it's often stumps, and really even an 85 sized machine isn't want you want for many or large stumps/trees.

If tight spots aren't the fight, and time is unlimited, a JD-310 TLB has Far more weight, and can be roaded,

 

[nyone]

I have a kubota kh-41. 3,500lb machine. I'm just a home owner but dont contract anything out. I put 700hrs on my machine in 5-6yrs.

I have put a complete septic system in. Dug sono tubes for a 20x32' cabin, put in a 700' driveway including spreading 200' of stone, cleared the land and removed that stumps for all the above. Moved and burnt all that brush, stumps and trees for that land clearing. Buried all the down spouts for my house. Put up a 16x20 pole barn. Removed countless stumps, including some that I couldn't get out of the hole. I even dug out a existing houses foundation, 24x50'.

Granted it's not the fastest thing on earth but its paid for and does the job.

Its next big task is going to be re running underground utilities between buildings and digging up my 1,500sqft house to put dimple board up and drainage.

 

[txbonds]

I have a 2021 KX-73S (3 ton / 6200 lb machine) that has 625 hours on it. I use it on a 62 acre pine tree farm and its okay for digging drainage ditches and the like, but not heavy enough for dealing with stumps, logs, etc. We previously had a John Deere 310K backhoe that was better at dealing with stumps and logs, but sucked at a lot of drainage and pond bank work due to weight. I think for me, one day I'll look to upgrade to something in the 4 to 5 ton range. That should get me closer to the strength of the 310k backhoe but still lighter with tracks for work on softer ground without sinking or compressing the ground like the 310k did.

 

[mike69440]

Rock and stumps will challenge even 5 and 8 tonne class machines. smaller machine can dig out most 12" stumps

 

[txbonds]

Rock and stumps will challenge even 5 and 8 tonne class machines. smaller machine can dig out most 12" stumps

I can get the stumps out, but the machine can't lift quite enough and the track width and machine weight don't offer quite enough stability when off road on soft ground. Again, I'm using it and will be for a while until I can substantiate an upgrade but am just noting it doesn't have the capability that a 9k lb to 12k lb machine would have. If I did a lot of stump removal, I'd probably look at a ripper to tear roots as part of the process.

 

[paulsharvey]

For real hoe work, before you bit the bullet on a 50/85 class machine, atleast look at the prices of a 120/165 machine; IF it will live out it's days on one property. At times a real hoe isn't much more (if at all) than a smaller one.

Now, operating is the same, and it's not That much more expensive to run, BUT maintenance is a LOT. A fuel hydralic fluid change, is 33 gallons, thinks like tracks are often a career ending injury; ect.

The PC85 class machines are a really nice middle ground for digging, medium pipe work, but have no place in mass excavation.

 

[paulsharvey]

But back to 3 ton vs 3.5 ton, I think the weight difference is so small that a well engineered 3.0T might outwork a poor 3.5T. but give the two choices, I see no down side to going to a PC35/JD35/Cat303.5, class machine. I also would look at Yanmar, Ditchwitch, Takekuchi, ect. See what yiu like; but also do some real thinking about if the two sizes you listed are appropriate for what you want to do.

 

[snowninja]

I have a U27-4 purely for home use. Its 5908 lbs. and great in physical size but can max out in capability pretty quick depending on what you ask. Overall I'm happy and don't think a bigger one would make me any happier.

 

[mike69440]

What is tease pardon me but I'm thinking your asking the wrong question. What I don't see is what you want to accomplish and what is the best machine for the job. The best machine, once you have detailed your objectives may not be an excavator. Also, there is not much difference in machine capabilities of 6K vs 7.5K lb machines. Possibly a little more reach or lift at distance but not much. You won't see big differences until you double the machine weight, say going from 10K to a 20K lb machine or a 2K to 5K lb machine.

 

[mike69440]

What are the soil conditions? Do you have to rip thru rock, roots, hardpan?