Why so heavy/?????

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I am a proud owner of an L48. It is a pwerful and flexable machine. On the other hand I have looked at the Terramite site on many occations. A T9 is about 3000lbs less yet has almost 90% of the capacity of the L48. If a small company can produce such a small yet powerful little unit, why is it that a company with all the abilities of a Kubota or even other companies has not gone for the peak of proformance per pound???

A 7400pound CUT with 3200lb loader lift and a 14ft extenda hoe with 8000lb curl power would be in range. Couple that with a good pto and quick tach BH and loader and no one could compete.

Just had to ask forum visitors if Terramite can pack such a punch, then why can't a Kubota go there? Often improvements in any industry or product is brought on by competitions. Is this different?

 

[Dargo]

I asked the same question of a Kubota rep at a Kubota dealership once. Not on your specific machine, but I think his answer would be the same. Kubota engineers seem paranoid of creating a machine that would be "unsafe" because of them making the attachments too powerful and, therefore, making it too easy to upset the machine and injure the operator. Apparently the larger the manufacturer the more that attorneys would line up to sue them for their larger pile of assets. I dunno, I always like more power... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MarkLeininger]

I've rented and owned a variety of TLBs for construction excavating. The worst by far was the Terramite. I rented it because it was lighter so I could tow it with the vehicle I had available at the time. One of the main problems is that the power is so poorly matched to the size of the machine. You pull yourself in the hole with the backhoe, bounce all over the place if you try to carry a full bucket of something heavy. It has too narrow a stance compared to the center of gravity and feels like it's going to tip over if you get into any soft backfill around the foundation. The hydraulic controls offer very poor feel and jerky response. It is also very uncomfortable in terms of foot control and seat placement and trying to turn the seat to use the backhoe. Assuming it was setup correctly by the rental company, the routing of the hoses was absolutely nuts. I had one fail while I was using the machine because it was crushed between the mechanical stop for the backhoe. It also used a lot of fuel so I was constantly filling the thing. I don't own a kubota so I don't have a dog in that fight, but I've rented them a lot (B21 and L35). They really do everything well as a TLB. Be happy you own one and don't ever look back, at least not at Terramite.

 

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Mark.

I had heard little or nothing of Terramite on this forum so there was a big blank. They have great specs so I thought this question would have some purpose.

Thank you for the information. I had some feeling there was a short coming of some sort but not sure what it would be.

Yes, I still would like a bit more power per pound- maybe somewhere between Terramite and Kubota models would be attractive. Is it a strong built unit that needs some cleaning up or is it a high spec unit that is poorly conceived?

Thanks again.
BTW- I do feel happy about my L48- just had to ask.

 

[MarkLeininger]

I would say it's an example of seat of the pants engineering, and how that approach falls short in the face of more sophisticated manufacturing techniques and analytical engineering analysis.

 

[gray]

Hi Mark.

I just visited the Allman equipment site. They also have a small TLB that runs just under 5000lbs. It has some close specs the the Terramite? I do understand your comments about the engineering and the edge the smaller companies are on.

I do know that the L48 could handle 20% or so more lift loads than it is rated for. It would be great to have that extra. I would not want to damage any parts but everything on the unit is much heavier built than either of the smaller machines mentioned.

Just dreaming out loud.