What 8T digger to buy?

[Dave177]

Hi all,

looking at buying a 8t excavator in the new year and looking for some input as to the machines to avoid or seek out. Looking to spend around the £20 K mark so machines are likely to be around 10 years old. The machine will be used with a selector/demo grab for burning up on scrub jobs and moving timber in the woods, some ride building and possibly in the future being fitted with a tree shear or smaller harvester head.

 

So far the wish list comprises of:

Zero tail,

Piped for aux hydraulics at the head, preferably with controls on the joystick instead of foot pedal

Steel tracks

Low hours and operator owned machine

 

I have used some of the newer kubotas and didn't really rate them but that could have just been the hire machines we had. I like the look of the JCB JZ70 as they look to have a much stronger boom design than he 8080 etc however happy to be proved wrong on that.

[dig-dug-dan]

Never compare machines using hired ones. Many unscrupulous hire people turn the hydraulic pumps down so you dont get as much power from them, which can give a false impresion as to how good they should be!!

[roseyweb]

Plant Machinery, Construction Equipment, Excavators, Heavy Plant Sales - Sandhill Plant

 

We use 8 toners a lot and my choice would be between the takuchi and kubota

[briquette_seller]

Neuson are well worth a look.

I have a 75z3 and I think its brilliant.

 

Its a 2008 model, and never missed a beat.

Loads of power, came with auxiliary hydraulics as standard.

 

Tracks pretty quick, and you would struggle to find a machine to out shove it with the blade.

[IVECOKID]

Look up Cautrac.com will give a idea of price of used machine ,also a neuson dealer too .

 

Ste

[LGP Eddie]

Never compare machines using hired ones. Many unscrupulous hire people turn the hydraulic pumps down so you dont get as much power from them, which can give a false impresion as to how good they should be!!

 

More truth in this 'Urban Myth' than many people would give it credit for?

 

I had a demo of a Komatsu 118mr (11 tonner) direct from a large hire company when looking to replace the Kubota.

From the word go it was obvious something just wasn't right, and my old Kubota would make a fool of it. It showed all the traits of having the pressures altered to give it an easy life.

I asked for a factory fresh demo machine or even just to try one in their yard, but Komatsu were surprised to hear what I was saying and did nothing to satisfy my suspicions.

Upon a bit of asking about, I was assured from a number of very reliable sources it goes on in many large fleets, with a few reasons behind it all.

The obvious one is to give the machine an easier life, but one example was if they can make the machines say 15% less efficient, then that's 15% more the customer would need to hire it?

 

I do know the old school way of just altering the throttle cable not to give full travel for maximum revs goes on, and is easily checked.

 

 

With regard to the actual machine to look for within your budget, it would be a really hard choice, as your spec includes a lot in reality that will be hard pressed to come together in one actual machine?

 

Steel Tracks are rare, but even rarer with a proper zero swing machine?

 

A full setup of Auxiliary Hydraulics is something that some manufacturers still struggle with now? Neuson are exceptional in what they can offer (3 dual acting auxiliary plus case drain!), Kubota have done it as standard for an age now, but Volvo, Komatsu, Cat, Case and Takeuchi can all be suitably specced or equipped from new, but very rare on used machines.

 

Zero tail can be a myth? Check to see that the machine hasn't just actually been made a good chunk wider in the track frame to compensate for the lack of tailswing, and can end up being pretty much the same width in reality.

Models can have very cramped cabs with doors you need to put butter on to get in, plus curved windows/frames that are ultra expensive to repair.

 

You make a good point that is in the Plant Operator world just as contentious as the Stihl/Husky debate, in terms of Fixed or Swing Boom?

The jury will be out forever on this, but here's my own take.

 

Swing Booms are not to be feared if properly maintained as they are more than strong enough for the job.

You gain extra reach, plus a lot more ability to work around obstacles and obviously dig trenches etc offset to the tracks.

The machine will obviously be slightly less stable and some perceive to have less lifting power, but I'm not totally convinced by this myself.

The big drawback will come possibly in machines at around the age/hours you'll be looking in that you can get a lot of visual play there. Note the word "visual", in that when you stand and look you will always see movement, but this doesn't necessarily translate into anything really perceptible when operating?

All machines have some visual movement, but it doesn't really impact operation unless you're a really ham fisted operator, or it's obviously really gone past it.

To repair the Kingpost will require specialist Line Boring and will be a reasonably costly operation. I'm fairly certain that Kubota still remain the only ones who properly bush theirs making it a simple repair.

 

A fixed boom will take away a chunk of reach, but obviously provide a very balanced machine, that will lift/carry more in some situations.

The fixed boom is obviously simpler to maintain, but it will need maintenance, as the pin/bush here won't last forever too.

 

I'd take a swing boom all day long, and steer clear of the Takeuchi fancy 'FR' arrangement unless you really need it, as this has a lot of pivot points to wear.

 

If you could possibly up the budget a little it will open a fair few doors for you?

 

Kubota KX080-3 came in an original Dash 3 version, but these are best avoided for the later Alpha version which rightly is much sought after and commands top money.

 

The Hitachi ZX85US-3 is will probably suit you very well and is a great bit of kit plus available in both Boom versions.

It probably won't have two auxiliary circuits though.

 

The Volvo ECR88 is a slightly Marmite machine, but plenty have great success with Volvo kit, and you may just drop on one with the Auxiliaries fitted.

 

The Takeuchi is out, unless you want the FR version and I wouldn't personally, but if you have tight jobs there's no substitute for it.

 

CAT may provide the solution in the 308c and nothing much wrong with these, plus both Boom versions available.

 

 

It's really just a case of getting out there and trying yourself, plus taking into account who's local that can back you up well.

 

If you find a few machines you narrow it down to then you can gain more opinions on them specifically.

 

A few out there?

 

 

Proctor Plant Sales :: Plant & Equipment

 

Volvo ECR88 PLUS Engcon scotland united kingdom Midi excavators 7t - 12t, Price: £32,500, Year of manufacture: 2010 - Mascus UK

 

HITACHI ZAXIS 85 USBLC-3 - Woodbridge Plant Ltd

 

 

 

Eddie.

[sjs5060]

A case mite be worth a try? The cx75 is a fairly solid zero swinger. And there's a few ex environmet agency machines knockin about with extra pipe work on.

I don't think you'll struggle to find somethin for 20k. Proctor plant sales usually have a selection of tidy 8 tonners.

 

Ste

[Jonny69]

One problem I think is finding one on steel tracks. Also, does anyone make a true zero swing 8 ton, don't think I've ever seen one

 

At £20k for an 8 ton digger you may be buying a world of trouble. I have driven quite a few 8 ton hire machines which would still be worth 25-30k and they were mostly knackered with 2000+ hard hours of demolition and pecker use.

 

The cats are mostly on rubber over steel and have pretty good auxillary flow.

 

If I was buying it would be the Kubota or the cat however that would be a new machine.

 

Caterpillar 308CCR Excavator mini digger dumper | eBay

 

The 300hour old kubota -4 I had for a week late last year was superb. I ran it on 1/3rd revs for a week pushing over trees and scraping up to a burn pile. It used no fuel was incredibly smooth and powerful.

 

I quite like the Volvo, but it is a 9 ton machine and not as smooth as the kubota, however the ones I have used run well except the lack of tracking torque, which I put down to it being a hire machine, no idea what the auxillary flow would be like for attachments.

[Dave177]

Thanks for the detailed responses guys, especially for your very long post Eddie.

 

I am aware that my budget makes the search for machines a bit limiting however I have already looked at a few that don't seem too beaten up.

 

If I were to get a machine with aux controls on the foot pedals is it possible to convert to using a rocker switch/ roller on the joysticks, similar to in a forwarder for sensible money or it is out of the question.

 

I like the Cat 308ccr, it seems like you get quite a lot of machine for your money with one of those, has anyone driven one on a regular basis?