3T mini digger query

thierrys other hand

wonder if anyone else can help me?
i've been looking at mini digger / mini excavator for a while.
i have a flatbed lorry that can take 6ton on it so originally i was looking for something about 5-6 ton because i thought they would be able to do more work than a 3 ton machine.but there seems not to be a lot of 5-6t out there is there a big difference in what the bigger weight machine can do?
having said that i've just come across an ad for a nissan 3.5ton that seems fairly keen on price. but i can't seem to find out any more info on nissan excavators. on the arm of this one is written 027? any ideas
i've also seen the odd samsung at good prices but have been warned about the electrics-is this right?
so far i've heard to definatly stay clear of komatsu-shame lots of em about!!
any help would be much appreciated ,thanks

The Nutty M

I don't know why you've been warned to stay away from komatsu but each to their own.:)

The bigger the digger the more it will dig,beats the shovel anyways:D.Look at what you want the digger for,around narrow spaces getting in beside houses in estates a small digger is invaluable,if you are using it for your use on farms then the bigger the better,although a 20ton would be a bit of overkill.A 6tonne for instance is hard work cleaning drains because you dont have the reach across to the other side on big drains but very good for around yards clearing stuff.

I wouln't be at all certain on the 027 but usually manufacturers list the wet weight of the machine by these so I'd be going along the lines of 2.7 tonnes but i could be as far out as a lighthouse.

All the best with whatever you pick:)

Good luck with the purchase.

thierrys other hand

thanks for that info. i thought the 027 would stand for tonage but the advertiser lists it as 3.5t?? i've heard nothing about nissan machines good or bad so i really don't know!
is there any way to check out how worn the pumps are on machines?
thanks again

dunsandin

An awful lot of good machines use Nissan components - hitachis use a lot of nissan motors, and they are very good. I'd look at the nissan and judge it on its condition more so than the "brand" or size. If its not worn to death or done a lot of hammer work, it could be a real good buy. Its probably a 2.7 tonner though, a lot of lads think that what they have is bigger than it is in reality. Or so my missus keeps saying.

thierrys other hand

thanks for that . nissan worth a then, i'll try and see it next week.
just came across a jcb 803 recently. some people seem to love em others stay well clear but seen they might have an isuzu engine and i rate isuzu highly.
not sure if 2.7t is big enough/strong enough. i have been looking ideally for 5 or 6t machine but they don't seem to come up that much.
does anyone have experiance of what the different size machines and what they are capable of?
many thanks

dunsandin

Big difference between a 3t and a 6t Thierry. A sixer will feel, work and handle bigger. Think of a 3 as a mini with nos, and a sixer as a 12t without the reach. The ex60 is a great digger, I've had a few, and its a great, balanced workhorse. I also have a takeuchi 1/2 tonner, and its a great machine, but its a case of horses for courses. In a tight spot, the tak saves a lot of shovelling, but I'd hate to dig ditches with it. You need to really think out what you are going to do with the machine, and then go for the best you can afford. If you buy a second rate, worn machine, what you save on the purchase price will soon be eaten up by what you spend on repairs. Buy on condition, not on brand, reviews, or paintwork. A lot of lads actually CAN polish a turd out there.

me_right_one

Anyone ever have any dealings with Gaynors in Frenchpark? I called down there once, every second-hand machine he had was sparkling, like new they were. I was thinking to meself is that all he does with machines he takes in, or does he do a genuine overhaul and just sprays them up as a finishing touch?

thierrys other hand

thanks dunsandin, very good information there. is there any way to spot a shiney polished turd? i've bought a fair few cars and vans and can spot a few things there but don't really know where they hide the sticky bits on machines-apart from the obvious like sprockets and pipe work.
i'm thinking i could do with something slightly bigger than 3t but there seems to be more available in the 3t market at the min. and i'm in danger of always waiting for the exact right thing and never getting anything!! maybe its an idea to buy a 3t if i find one right and then sell it on for a 5-6t when one comes up.

kay 9

thierrys other hand wrote: »

thanks dunsandin, very good information there. is there any way to spot a shiney polished turd? i've bought a fair few cars and vans and can spot a few things there but don't really know where they hide the sticky bits on machines-apart from the obvious like sprockets and pipe work.
i'm thinking i could do with something slightly bigger than 3t but there seems to be more available in the 3t market at the min. and i'm in danger of always waiting for the exact right thing and never getting anything!! maybe its an idea to buy a 3t if i find one right and then sell it on for a 5-6t when one comes up.

Check it thouroughly, the undercarriage for excessive play, the tracks, sprockets and idlers for wear. Make sure the electrics weren't tampered with because they are a pain to get right if anyone was F**king with them. Oh, and make sure of no cracks in the boom and if there is it's not so serious, any welder worth his salt can repair it;)

dunsandin

As above, plus look for clean fluids and lack of leaks - mangy oils mean mangy pumps. And ancient chinese proverb say watch out for a smoky engine with roaring pumps, if its been run low on oil, pump rebuild will soon follow.

thierrys other hand

good things to look out for there.
does anyone know much about jcb 803 plus ?
ideally i'd buy jap or korean but the prices of the jcb's seem tempting.
many thanks

dunsandin

Can't comment on reliability of the jcb 803's, but I drove one once on a small job and I hated it, just personal taste really, but I found it to be a hoppy fecker, was farily fast, but just too spindly feeling for my liking. Someone else may come on and rave about them, but I prefer the Jap scrap, and Takeuchi or Hitachi especially. The 3t yanmars are also good simple machines and well able to dig. I also like... ah what the hell, I like anything with tracks and a bucket, but Takkis are my fave.

Edit-whats the issue with the Komatsu? Anyone I know who runs them raves about them, If I were looking for a bigger machine, I would have them up in my top three. Is there somthing I've missed on that score? One guy I know with a quarry has a 21 ton komatsu with 18000 hrs up, and bad as it looks, it still runs like a top.

thierrys other hand

whats wrong with komatsu--don't know is the honest answer.a few people warned me off them but after learning a bit more some people rate them a lot so i'll be looking at them too!!

dunsandin

sound thierry.ds

thierrys other hand

...just realised where i saw that Komatsu was one to stay away from-an earlier thread on boards.ie!! there seemed to be a couple of people saying it. I've also learnt that there are a few bad eggs out there who will try rob your money over the phone.
just to let people know so they don't get caught.
two scams i've come across:
1)the machine is in another location e.g. france near the cherbourg ferry terminal. its passed all tests and can be delivered. there is a special company that the seller says eBay or other web sites recommendshold. this company holds money in a transition account until the vehicle is delivered and then if the customer is happy he can release the cash to the seller.
Sounds like no one would go for it,when its written like that.but you'd be surprised with their explanation and the slow build up they do.
2)(and this is just a toe rags trick-almost caught me out too!!) The item is miles away. (i'm irish but in england at the min) In this case the machine was in inverness. i was near southampton. the machine is advertised at a price that makes sense because of the location. Good price if your prepared to travel but not too good to work up a suspicion.
Rang up to speak to very convincing person who described the machine well. Said i would go up to look but because its such a long way i needed an assurance he wouldn't sell while i was on the way.
the seller then says he was messed around the day before by someone saying they would come but didn't so could i put 100quid deposit in bank account just to prove i was on the way.sounds reasonable.
I'm a bit suspicious at the best of times so i "google earthed" the post code sure enough there was a plant salest company exactly where he said.Then i rang him again to get directions because i know inverness so i wanted to see how well he knew it.all checked out.
but then i rang the plant hire company from google earth sfter getting their number out of the phone book.
-They didn't know the man and only the day before had had a Low Loader that came all the way from london to pick up a few machines he'd pre bought!!!
Its a mugs trick-nearly let ya drive 960miles for 100quid profit to them.

Sorry about the long winded explanations but i'm not too good at the words and its worth people knowing these tricks.

all the best.
p.s. back to the subject bearing in mind i would prefer a 4-5t machine but would prob settle on 3t is 2.7 going too far down from my original want?
seen a few hanix/nissans about recently anyone rate em?
thanks and all the best

thierrys other hand

Hello again,
does anybody know anything about yanmar 3t mini excavators?
i heard they're ok but can't see many for sale,is this cause they're not too good and don't last?

dunsandin

Hi Thierry - them yanmars are a great machine, I had an older 3 ton for years-had kubota engine and never saw a spanner apart from servicing. Mate has a hire company and had them for years and swore by them, he only recently switched to all takeuchi as he went a bit more upmarket-and thats the issue, the yanmars are regarded as being a bit down-market, but theres great stuff in em and they are grand to drive. Hide their hours very very well though, so check carefully any claims of "low hours", or "the clock stopped, but only recently", yeah, like 1992 recent. Good, simple machines.

thierrys other hand

Thanks for that dunsandin. rang a couple times to have a look at that yanmar and didn't get a great feeling about it (the person selling it)it prob might have been grand but i have a thing about going with these things,specially when its not entirely up my street! might have a Case CX to look at over weekend. One web site recons they run on yanmar engines.

jocotty

Hi,

do any of ye know anything about the mistubishi 3t mini digger? looking at buying one now?

Jo

macadam

jocotty wrote: »

Hi,

do any of ye know anything about the mistubishi 3t mini digger? looking at buying one now?

Jo

I have the Terex TC29 with the Mitsubishi engine, good engine little on the thirsty side but plenty of power, no problem loading an 8 wheeler with the Terex.

2pack

my friend has a wee jcb 3ton 803 digger for sale now that he is finished with it.
thinks it 98/99 with 4 buckets, 4000 hrs...its tight little digger with 2 new rubber tracks fitted in july last. engine is sweet, fully serviced...
however the plastic at the back is broke(in at battery) as some fecker tried to steal it.
Thinks he has to get 6000 for it and talking about sticking it up on Donedeal

Farls

I have a Takeuchi TB125 I bought a few years ago after some excellent advice on this very forum, you can search the history.

I can't recommend the machine enough, I've done all kinds of works with it from cleaning drains, opening drains, putting in land drains, taking down hedges, tree stump removal, making lawns, cleaning out yards/sheds, lifting concrete pipes into drains, levelling stone around houses, foundations for sheds/house extensions, digging out for tanks, driving posts for fences.....you name it and we've used the digger for it.

Fantastic machine and can't fault it...like I was told here it's like an extension of your hands and I've driven a few machines since but would only look at Takeuchi or Yanmar now.

holystungun9

Farls wrote: »

I have a Takeuchi TB125 I bought a few years ago after some excellent advice on this very forum, you can search the history.

I can't recommend the machine enough, I've done all kinds of works with it from cleaning drains, opening drains, putting in land drains, taking down hedges, tree stump removal, making lawns, cleaning out yards/sheds, lifting concrete pipes into drains, levelling stone around houses, foundations for sheds/house extensions, digging out for tanks, driving posts for fences.....you name it and we've used the digger for it.

Fantastic machine and can't fault it...like I was told here it's like an extension of your hands and I've driven a few machines since but would only look at Takeuchi or Yanmar now.

I second the TB125. There must be loads of them around the country. KWS sold lots of them and Chadwick's Hire used them in their fleet.

jocotty

hi,

anyone know where id get a user's manual for a 3t mitsubishi mini digger - 1999reg ?

Jo

enricoh

someone was asking about gaynors in frenchpark, we dealt with them for a 12ton years ago and were very happy with it. have an old yanmar 2.5t this years and it still motoring grand

jocotty

macadam wrote: »

I have the Terex TC29 with the Mitsubishi engine, good engine little on the thirsty side but plenty of power, no problem loading an 8 wheeler with the Terex.

Thanks for that. Do you know where I'd get a head gasket for mine . . . . Mitsi engine. Can't seem to get one anywhere

macadam

Try these guys, https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.montanaplant.com%2F&ei=J8t_U73XHsrn7Abb2oBY&usg=AFQjCNFf-r0wdsx6M4nIx1e960vTiRBIdg&sig2=Vl1RTjyWBrA3TstYrotafA&bvm=bv.67720277,d.ZGU

Let me know how you get on...