Show us your Arb Diggers please.

[LGP Eddie]

21 minutes ago, donnk said:

the high spec 3 tonner with dual circuits is 23k then however much the tilty is. and you get 3 years warranty and zero hours.

 

better investment than any ISA sub 3 tonners.

You have to compare like for like. It’s not a towable version, it’s a full fat machine three tonne machine with a Tiltrotator and basic control system. It genuinely would be 40k plus new.

Plenty of life left in it and remember all the Tilty will transfer to the next base machine no problem.

It’s clearly from someone who knows their stuff and not a self drive fleet, so hours aren’t that scary.

It doesn’t have to be bargain basement money, the season is on for a lot of guys and there’s money to be made with that.

Seems a lot of love for the towable machines, people forget how many guys have ditched Transits and Double Cabs to go for a bit more capacity now in other forms.

[donnk]

the kubota can be towed legally with buckets on the pickup.

 

alumax trailer is 500kg, machine is 2.99!

[scbk]

Just to take this thread to the other end of the scale, here's my wee machine. Small and light enough to be carried in the back of a transit

 

I got it a few months ago, involved a road trip crossing 2 borders as the machine was in Wales.

 

She's a bit tatty, but should do me a turn. Pulling out a chain link fence with her today.

[william127]

Lovely little digger

also at the small end, I have come up with a tidy way to store my buckets- an IBC, cut down. Easily stores my rake, tooth, muck bucket and 4 buckets, with room for more. The digger should easily be able to pick the whole lot up, and it cost absolutely nothing

[JimE]

4 minutes ago, william127 said:

Lovely little digger

also at the small end, I have come up with a tidy way to store my buckets- an IBC, cut down. Easily stores my rake, tooth, muck bucket and 4 buckets, with room for more. The digger should easily be able to pick the whole lot up, and it cost absolutely nothing

 

maybe you can put some hooks on it so you can pick it up and carry it with your blade?

[william127]

Just now, JimE said:

maybe you can put some hooks on it so you can pick it up and carry it with your blade?

Good idea, I already have a van vault with hooks like that, and a steel frame platform so why not this as well!

[JimE]

Yeah thats the thing!

I've been meaning to make up something similar

[richy_B]

gents, I am pondering getting a 5 ton machine. Not sure if it'll replace or go alongside my 1.7t komatsu mini. I'd like to run a tilt bucket, grab and perhaps a small flail head. Budget will be around £18k ex VAT. What would you be looking at? I fancy a U48 but they seem to be fairly old and high hours for my price range.

[Matthew Storrs]

1 hour ago, richy_B said:

gents, I am pondering getting a 5 ton machine. Not sure if it'll replace or go alongside my 1.7t komatsu mini. I'd like to run a tilt bucket, grab and perhaps a small flail head. Budget will be around £18k ex VAT. What would you be looking at? I fancy a U48 but they seem to be fairly old and high hours for my price range.

Are you going to be towing this with the Same? Last year I was looking at purchasing a bigger machine, still am but I tried a Kubota kx121-3 which is a genuine 4 tonner with conventional tail swing. I thought it was a really nice size myself- it felt nearer a 5 ton really but not too much of a lump to tow around with attachments etc if your planning on using your tractor.

the drawback is there doesn’t seem to be masses for sale used.

[richy_B]

Are you going to be towing this with the Same? Last year I was looking at purchasing a bigger machine, still am but I tried a Kubota kx121-3 which is a genuine 4 tonner with conventional tail swing. I thought it was a really nice size myself- it felt nearer a 5 ton really but not too much of a lump to tow around with attachments etc if your planning on using your tractor.

the drawback is there doesn’t seem to be masses for sale used.

Exactly this. I feel there is a bit of a niche for a 5 ton machine for me. I have lots of one or two day jobs where a 4-6ton machine would be brilliant. Ive found that to hire them anything over 2.5t machines have sizeable delivery/collection costs (best I have had is £75 each way) and they do a minimum of 3 day hire. Plus there is time lost waiting for a machine to arrive etc. So to do the 2 day job I've got 3 days of hire costs and £150 transport costs - around £300 cost additional. If i could find a hire place who would let me collect and just pay a day rate Id be better off but understandably a hire firm isn't necessarily interested in little cheap jobs like this.

 

There is the argument of savings the jobs up and doing 2 in a week but it just doesn't seem to happen like that.

 

I have got on well with my komatsu so I am looking st the pc45 and 55. The 121-3 seems 'more' common.