Chinese built 1-ton plus excavators.

[MattB4]

There is a lot of valuable information in DFKrug's Thread on importing and modifying mini excavators from China. However with the rise of many companies doing the importation for you in the US the part of the subject around importation is not a big consideration anymore. You can find several of these firms if you search Ebay for mini excavators. There is also a lot of them showing up on Auction sites. The preponderance of them seem to be labeled either AGT (Agrotk), Typhon, Rippa, Groundhog and Kymron. Most of these are virtually the same machine but have addons or different levels of quality when built.

My experience with buying was through Ebay and a company called Machinery Asia. I bought their Typhon Terror X (1000kg) model. My cost was $6000 plus tax with free shipping from California to Arkansas. I was required to use a forklift (I have a skid steer with fork attachment) to unload the crated excavator from the shippers flatbed trailer. The excavator I bought came with a quick hitch and also a hydraulic thumb. There was some minor assembly after getting it but the initial quality (for a very cheap excavator) was good with only one loose bolt found. It was used for seat belt attachment.

Regarding seatbelt. Since the seat on this unit folds up and forward to access the engine compartment the seatbelt which only attaches to the seat is not a true safety item. Anything that is going to throw you forward will cause the seat to come with you. If you want to have it I would recommend finding a method of bolting it to the frame.

My experience that 12 hours of operation has brought forward several things that I detailed in the Thread I mentioned at the beginning of this post. A few I have not mentioned are that the tensioning bolt on the quick hitch does not keep tight and you need to check it periodically and re-tighten (takes a 22mm wrench or socket). I was not pleasantly surprised that the B&S engine uses a Torch spark plug. I changed it for a quality NGK (BP6ES). I changed many of the needle grease fitting out to standard types by buying a metric kit from Amazon Amazon.com.

One thing I have noticed is there is a lot more video reviews of these Chinese mini excavators showing up now. The purpose of my Thread here is provide a place for operation issues, things learned and projects.

 

[MattB4]

One modification that has really helped in my opinion was welding the side cutters on to the bucket. Mine came with square cut edges so I also ground a bevel to the face of the cutters to help with root busting. With the cutters welded on and bolts removed it sure seems to dig easier. I also welded on the teeth but left the bolts on afterwards. The welded teeth no longer can slew inwards under digging pressure as they did when first operating.

Yes it means easy replacement is gone but in all likelihood I will never wear out the teeth and edges. Though I can't prove it I think those bolts sticking out on the sides of the bucket really increased the force necessary to dig versus a smooth side of bucket.

 

[mike69440]

Don't mess with an excavator less than 3.5 tons, prefer a 5 tonne and up.

 

[MattB4]

Don't mess with an excavator less than 3.5 tons, prefer a 5 tonne and up.

Depends on what you intend to use it for and the cost of ownership. I see by another post you made that you feel that your present 9-Ton excavator is inadequate for your purposes. Why not replace it now with what you think you need?

However there are some larger Chinese excavators in the 3-4 ton range being imported. Price of them is such that value you might get from them becomes a question. I could not justify paying out $25K-35K for something I might only use a few times a year.

Certainly would be interested in accounts and reviews from those folks that own one or are in the process of getting one.

 

[MattB4]

I happened to see these heating pads Amazon.com that if they work would solve the cold hydraulic oil problem. The pad looks thin enough to slip through the slots of the excavator cowling vents next to the hydraulic tank. The plugin cord could than be coiled mostly inside but pulled out when in use. Never used a stick on pad before though I did use the magnetic block heaters on other equipment in the past.

Another addition I made has been a battery maintainer with a disconnect cable on battery for quick access. It also has a plug that is fed through a vent slot. This saves having to unbolt the decks floor board anytime I need to charge battery.

 

[dfkrug]

Regarding seatbelt. Since the seat on this unit folds up and forward to access the engine compartment the seatbelt which only attaches to the seat is not a true safety item. Anything that is going to throw you forward will cause the seat to come with you. If you want to have it I would recommend finding a method of bolting it to the frame.

That is very true about the seatbelt anchorage. On my Rhino, the seat is secured with 2 bolts that have wingnut tops for quick removal to access the fuel tank. The bolts thread thru 1/2" steel plate, which is good, but I never use them or the belts.

A good modification for seat belt users would be to convert the bolts into studs that use a hairpin-type securing mechanism.

 

[dfkrug]

One modification that has really helped in my opinion was welding the side cutters on to the bucket. Mine came with square cut edges so I also ground a bevel to the face of the cutters to help with root busting. With the cutters welded on and bolts removed it sure seems to dig easier. I also welded on the teeth but left the bolts on afterwards. The welded teeth no longer can slew inwards under digging pressure as they did when first operating.

Were you able to get good welds on teeth? Some of those cast steels of unknown metallurgy do not like to be welded.

Also consider: remove and toss all of the cast teeth and weld on pieces of plow steel.

You can also make the sides of the bucket stronger just by welding some plate on the edges.

 

[MattB4]

The teeth welds seem to be holding up. Hard to say for how long with only a few hours of digging on them since welding. I MIG wielded them on all sides of where tooth touches bucket. I had looked to get standard backhole bucket teeth as replacement but ran into difficulty sourcing smaller teeth.

Edit: BTW you really have to work getting the paint off the bucket before welding. On other thing is to make sure the teeth (or cutting edges) and bucket are heated up hot before starting.

 

[dfkrug]

For teeth, I have used cheap crimp-on boxblade scarifier teeth, which I cut up and weld on. Also, I have used a replacement rake tine, cut into small pointed segments. Both were cheap at the tractor parts store (Agri-Supply).

I will never wear these out, even after hundreds of hours.

 

[Sonny580]

As I posted in the other thread, You have to start re-building these diggers before you can use them , BUT you cant start from scratch making one for the price you can buy them for, so I figure I have a good base to start from!