Would you buy a KX41

[Steppenwolfe]

Ain't that the truth. Wise of you to get the machine sooner than later, you only live once, and a life lived with no excavator, is almost like a life lived with no tractor. It's doable, but again, you only live once.

I bought a new pickup last summer, declining $14,000 in googaws (leather, chrome, nav system, emblems, etc) appx. the cost of my excavator (which I had bought a few months before).

I will dig a couple ponds near the driveway, hadn't occurred to me that it would increase my property value but you're right. And a few more ATV trails, so the ATVs & dirtbikes don't dust up the driveway. Actually I will have my kids dig the ponds, because I think creating something beautiful, at an early age, will do them well in life. That's the value I'm looking at now, not thinking of selling the property.

I here you... Strange how land can feel like it is part of you. Not to mention the wellness of taking care of it, like raising a child. Can't wait for the new 3 ton " baby " excavator...

 

[ultrarunner]

I have a buddy with a KX121 (9,000lb), he tows it with a dually pickup. He loves that machine, he claims he will take it to the grave with him. He's only 55 and plans to live a long time. He is a professional excavator operator (and instructor too). His opinion of the 121 makes me want one but realistically I can do what I want with the KX41. My wants may change over time though...

Do any of the small excavators come with a 6 way blade option.

There is an owner operator around her with a blade runner excavator that he bought specially because of the 6 way blade... very big unit and his small bucket is one yard...

 

[Sodo]

KX-121 has 6way blade option.

 

[ultrarunner]

Looks like a real sweet excavator... now, if I just had 50k in the kitty I could get serious.

A 6 way blade can really spoil a person.

I bought my JD110 TLB from a father son underground contracting company... they were selling off their TLBs for skid steers and min excavators and both transport in a heavy duty dump trailer... said the mini ex and skid steer are unbeatable as far as production.

 

[Sodo]

Theres a KX91 (7,000 lb, 2,000 hrs) in WA craigslist for $21,800 (no 6-way blades for that price!). One thing to remember about mini-excavators they travel so slow its almost faster to use a trailer than drive it 1/2 mile.

 

[ultrarunner]

Having had a D3 dozer for 17 years it kind of spoiled me towards a 6-way blade if I made the jump...

Someday, when/if I ever make it back the Olympia I have 17 acres that could benefit from a few trails and other projects... I'm afraid the tires on my little BX are ill suited to the forest duff... the Deere 110 would be costly to move from the SF Bay Area as would the Deere 350c dozer I'm partners with my brother.

The cab is a nice feature because Olympia does seem to get a fair amount of precipitation...

 

[Sodo]

I'd sure like to have a dozer for a few hours,,,, but yeah the transport. In the transport time alone, not to mention the cost, and other people's time, I could get a ways in on the project with a mini-ex and a little tractor….

Ya know sometimes when you decline to run whatcha brung the equipment you already invested in can devalue.

Must be difficult having eqpt 1000 miles away from the job.

 

[ultrarunner]

It is... when I needed my good stihl saw it was in Olympia... last time up I working the gravel drive with a wheelbarrow.

Having the equipment you need and needing what you have.

One thing is Western Washington sure is pretty... hard to leave and I can see why all manor of tractors are more in demand there than here...

I live in an area with 9 million people and not a single Kubota dealer in several counties... oh the shame!

How far away are you from Olympia?

 

[David Devuono]

Probably have 3-4 solid days of digging and another 2-3 days of drilling and cracking rocks. I might have to say uncle on this one and rent a bigger excavator. I am impressed by how much work the KX41 will do but I don't have two weeks of vacation to spend on this. I try to crack the rocks into 3-4000 lb blocks so I can drag them away with my Massey 165 farm tractor. I am looking at renting a 17K Excavator but unsure if it will be enough. On top of that I have 50 more trees to take down and logs to remove for firewood and if big enough for my sawmill.

 

[ultrarunner]

The age old question of cost vs time...

A big machine with room to utilize it is the way to go if time is at a premium...

Quite a project you have taken on...