mini excavator or not?????

[Will_C]

I don't think there is any substitute for a mini excavator. There are units avilable for not much more than he cost of a backhoe attachment. The tracks are expensive, you should have a qualified mechanic look them over on a used unit and give you a estimate on usable life left...but remember, a 100 hours of use is alot for a non-commercial user.

Will

 

[grsthegreat]

Ive run alot of different model Kubota mini ex's over the years, and ive never rented one that wasn't a strong digger. I even rented a mini that you could retract the tracks to 35" wide to move thru doorways......was cool.

If i ever win the lottery, theres an excavator in my shop the next day. Don't need a large one, as the small ones have plenty of power.

then again....with the lottery... id probably spring for a larger one with a a/c and heated cab....its only $$$

 

[Ken45101]

A big difference between a mini and a backhoe is that the backhoe can only dig and dump dirt 90 degrees apart whereas a mini can spin 180 degrees. This is good if you are ditching on one side of the drive or trail and want to dump it on the other side. If it's not hard digging, yes, a bh can dig off to the one side and dump on the other side, but that's not where they have their maximum strength and stability.

My uses are much like yours, driveway maintenance and building hillside trails. I have a small Kubota B21 TLB that I used until I bought a KX-121 mini. Wow! What a machine It runs circles around the B21.

Of course it's a lot bigger than what you are looking at, but I have dug some pretty good size stumps out (24") in about 20 minutes.

Ken

 

[roger4400]

Very good point of view and experiences....what a nice forum and good people sharing their experiences for the benefit of all. Thank you keep thoses ideas coming. Roger

 

[MarkV]

Roger there is something wrong with the deal you are looking at. A KX41 in good working condition that is not going to be a money pit to keep running will sell for much more than $3K. Inexpensive ones with over 2500 hrs sell for $7500 plus. Make sure you have a mechanic check this out before you buy.

MarkV

 

[boggen]

A big difference between a mini and a backhoe is that the backhoe can only dig and dump dirt 90 degrees apart whereas a mini can spin 180 degrees. This is good if you are ditching on one side of the drive or trail and want to dump it on the other side. If it's not hard digging, yes, a bh can dig off to the one side and dump on the other side, but that's not where they have their maximum strength and stability.

My uses are much like yours, driveway maintenance and building hillside trails. I have a small Kubota B21 TLB that I used until I bought a KX-121 mini. Wow! What a machine It runs circles around the B21.

Of course it's a lot bigger than what you are looking at, but I have dug some pretty good size stumps out (24") in about 20 minutes.

Ken

hhmmssss, did ya mean 180 degrees for backhoe and 360 degrees for excavator?

 

[davcog]

..I'm retired so I'm playing.....the only difference between a 60 years old man and a 12 years old boy is the toys cost and size

:drink:

I love my BX 23 and the backhoe but as others have posted a mini would sure be handy. That 360 sweep would have saved a lot of time and :mur: on more than one of my projects.

 

[Ken45101]

hhmmssss, did ya mean 180 degrees for backhoe and 360 degrees for excavator?

No, I meant exactly what I said.

I did say that for easy digging, a BH can dig on one side and dump on the other, but that's not where their strength and stability are. If you have any serious digging, you will need the BH facing the digging and that only gives you 90 degrees of swing.

I used to try to dig out the ditch along the driveway with the B21. I had to have it facing the ditch and that mean dumping the mud on the driveway.

If you try digging to the side: 1) you lose distance, the stabilizer takes away your reach, and 2) you can't dig near the stabilizer or the dirt under it will collapse. A BH also has much less stability to the side than it does straight out.

Ken

 

[Taiser]

Excavator all the way! I love my BH, but an excavator is way stronger, better, faster, smoother, better reach, etc... I've had hilly jobs that would scare me to death on my tractor mounted BH, but when I borrowed my buddies itty-bitty excavator, I was AMAZED at how well it worked out. Would love to find one cheap somewhere that's for sure!

 

[roger4400]

Roger there is something wrong with the deal you are looking at. A KX41 in good working condition that is not going to be a money pit to keep running will sell for much more than $3K. Inexpensive ones with over 2500 hrs sell for $7500 plus. Make sure you have a mechanic check this out before you buy.

MarkV

Thank you for your advise, I will bring my son in law that is an operator (on a big Komatsu excavator) with me, he has a good knowledge of those machines. The person that is selling seem to be a farmer and when you look at the photos of the mini (year 1994) it looks very nice, no big scratches, well preserved ,paint look not faded( maybe he took very good care of his mini like I take care of my tractor that have and will never sleep outside and will never see rain....). Thank you. Roger