1.5 ton mini diggers

[william127]

We are looking to buy a 1.5 ton digger, we have a budget of about 4k, i know this is bottom end but so was all the rest of our machinery and we havnt done too bad so far.so:

Does anyone in the south east have one for sale?

How many hours would be considered too high?

What do people think of various makes? From reading on hear jcbs are comsidered underpowered, everything else seems well regarded? We have hired jcbs, kubotas, and tachouchis(spelling?), and have a yanmar on hire at the moment, all have seemed perfectly good to me.

 

Thanks, william.

[Matthew Storrs]

Takeuchi, Kubota and Hitachi are all good machines but I think your unlikely to get one for 4k. Jcb minis are incredibly gutless.

To be honest, you won't go far wrong with any of the big names. I haven't seen many 1.5tonners for 4k that look like they have many days left in them but keep looking, I'm sure something will come up. Peljob (now Volvo) can be seen around for good money, haven't heard there's much wrong with them either, but never had a go on one.

Hours- under 3500 would be preferable but I'd go on the condition of it personally, how sloppy it all is.

For the record, iv had two Takeuchis myself and really love them- they do hold their value though (which is bad for you!)

[william127]

I do like the takeuchis, have seen your ones on the arb diggers thread.

I learnt to dig with a peljob when i was 6! What you say about the all the big ones being similar seems to be what iv read on other threads.

If we cant get one for our budget we will keep hireing, wont be the end of the world but just seems like money down the drain. Thanks.

[Matthew Storrs]

The thing about minis is they hold their value like no ones buisness- particularly the 1.5ton category. Buy one, use it for 3 or 4 years, and I reckon you'll save a lot over hiring if you hire regularly. I know hiring them if reletively cheap, but I just get fed up with the hassle of it.

[Matthew Storrs]

Out of interest, how often are you hiring? And more importantly how many jobs do you struggle with because your trying to save hiring a machine, ie if the machine was available to you any day you wanted as owning one is, how many days a week/month would you have it on site.

 

The saying cheapest man on the job couldn't be truer. I have my digger (3 tonner) out with me most days now.

[LGP Eddie]

Just look out for a tidy Pel Job EB12.4 which evolved when bought out by Volvo into the EC15 in the grey/yellow colours which is the model you should get for your budget?

These were for quite sometime the absolute benchmark of 1.5 tonners and completely bombproof!

 

They can be had for handy money and a tidy one should handle anything you can throw at it.

 

Eddie

[william127]

How often do we hire one? Too often, maybe one week a month, we currently have one booked for a months hire.

Im sure if we owned one we would use it even more, i can think of several upcoming or just done jobs that we could use one on but it wouldnt be worth hireing one for.

[niftysteve]

bobcat not bad machines either i have a ec10 micro digger powerful for its size

[SteveA]

How often do we hire one? Too often, maybe one week a month, we currently have one booked for a months hire.

Im sure if we owned one we would use it even more, i can think of several upcoming or just done jobs that we could use one on but it wouldnt be worth hireing one for.

 

Think you've answered your own question there. With an extra 2k to 3k you could probably find an okay Takeuchi TB016. They are very popular so you'd need to be on the case!

[IVECOKID]

Save up more dosh for Takeuchi TB016 ,great machine ,we run a TB016, TB 023 and no problems ,

Also run a Kobelco SK20SR ZERO SWING great machine for tight jobs.

 

 

Ste

Edited March 10, 2014 by IVECOKID
great machine