Looking for buying advice/input on used mini excavators

[tommott77]

Thanks for advice on slopes. Makes sense on the tracks/slopes. I should be picking it up and bringing up to my mountain property next week. I'll be sure to post some pics of it in its new home when I get it up there. Until then here's a teaser pic of it on the CAT yard.

 

[mrmikey]

Don't forget the final drive oil, not much there and it rakes a lot of abuse. Nice machine...............Mike

 

[finn1]

I bought a Deere 26G open station for personal use last year. Would have liked a 36G sized machine, but we are mostly sand, and I am in no hurry, so the 2.6 ton machine is fine.

A contractor friend bought a 60G and 17G last year and is amazed at how much he can do with the little 1.7 ton machine, so I think you will be fine.

I can fit the 26G in the garage behind the tractor for the winter. How about looking at one of those Versa-Shed type shelters with a roof and maybe even two sides. They would provide at least some shelter for the tractor and excavator for the winter, Andy are inexpensive.

A fellow down the road shelters his tractor in a simple polele structure with a pitched roof and no walls. Cheap to build and looks nice, nothing my eyes, at least.

 

[tommott77]

I bought a Deere 26G open station for personal use last year. Would have liked a 36G sized machine, but we are mostly sand, and I am in no hurry, so the 2.6 ton machine is fine.

A contractor friend bought a 60G and 17G last year and is amazed at how much he can do with the little 1.7 ton machine, so I think you will be fine.

I can fit the 26G in the garage behind the tractor for the winter. How about looking at one of those Versa-Shed type shelters with a roof and maybe even two sides. They would provide at least some shelter for the tractor and excavator for the winter, Andy are inexpensive.

A fellow down the road shelters his tractor in a simple polele structure with a pitched roof and no walls. Cheap to build and looks nice, nothing my eyes, at least.

Thanks for that. Like I said it will mainly see light duty work; ditch clean up, small culvert installations, small pond clean outs, etc. It will be involved with, but not 100% responsible for some light clearing and cutting out a large switch back in the super steep driveway going up our property. I already have somebody with a 'biggin' excavator as he likes to put it for the big part of that job. I was contemplating a 2.5 ton machine but there's a big step up in price and size there that would stretch the capabilities of my tow setup. I'd like to be able to bring it back home across the state every once in a while for work at some of my other properties. No time crunches on any of this work and I think I'm definitely at the right size for now.

I have/and am still contemplating some more temporary type structures for storage. There's only a couple flat cut-out spots at the moment where I plan on building a couple more rental cabins over the years and the question quickly becomes do I throw, and likely sink some money into a short term storage solution, or wait and better spend that money on a more permanent solution/garage that would coincide with the construction of any of the newer cabins.