The weather has been cold and wet here for weeks, so I have not been able to do much since my last reports. I did finally finish installing the cushion valve for the swing motor, so it's now ready to do some real work (without fear of breaking those components). It's worth noting that working on the VC13 reminds me of older cars; there's lots of space inside that makes everything easy to access. From some videos that I have seen, the machines with pilot control manage to pack things in a bit tighter.
This week finally should be sunny and dry, so I have plans to do a bunch of work with this machine. In the short term, I will be cleaning up the inside of our greenhouse, digging out and leveling a long stretch for building a short retaining wall, and creating some mounded rows for planting berries. I also picked up two new attachments at another auction: a 5' hedge trimmer and a wood splitter. As that suggests, I expect to put a lot of hours on it this year.
My micro-excavator is definitely not smooth. If you are not experienced with operating hydraulic machines, I would be extremely cautious as you learn to use the machine. Always wear your seatbelt, as it can easily throw the operator out of the seat. Even with a decade of experience under my belt, I have found it challenging to gain fine control. It is possible, just challenging. In that regard, I am a little nervous about teaching my wife to use it, but it should be no different than learning to drive a car: you should start off slow and steady, in a flat and open lot, where there's nothing to crash into.... Speed is dangerous until you have developed your muscle memory and a solid understanding of how the machine reacts to different inputs and working conditions. A crowded environment is dangerous until you fully develop your spatial awareness of where the machine is moving through the space.
Incidentally, I made a "fun" discovery with the VC13 while cleaning out our barn: if the machine jerks forward/back suddenly and you happen to let go of the the controls, the tall joysticks on this machine have enough inertia that the motion will cause them to activate in the opposite direction. That causes the machine to rock in that new direction, which in turn causes the controls to activate in the newly opposite direction. Indefinitely. In other words, the machine starts to oscillate back and forth entirely on its own, like a bucking bronco. Mildly entertaining, but definitely not good for the machine or operator. Grabbing the controls and keeping them centered will stop the oscillation, but you need to react fast or could risk getting thrown.
My larger mini-machine does have pilot controls, and it's very smooth. That's largely due to its better (i.e. more complicated and thus expensive) hydraulic systems. I once ran it daily for several weeks without experiencing any meaningful fatigue. By contrast, I have only run my micro machine for a half day in one stretch, but it didn't leave me in any pain. I think it can be relatively comfortable if one maintains good posture and anticipates the forces induced by the machine's movements, just like leaning into the turns when driving a car on a curvy highway. Admittedly, good posture is probably easier to maintain with pilot controls, but those machines tend to be bigger than the VC13. I needed a machine that is small; your needs may vary.
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