Advice please

[jenko]

Hi ladies and gents. I’m looking for approximately 30 t digger for some pretty hard digging in central Queensland highlands gold fields. With a budget of around $100 to $120k. I’d like a Cat however it’s very limited in what available with below 10,000 hours and that’s not old and what looks like flogged out. I’m currently looking at a 2013 JCB JS290LC with 6,300 hours or a 2012 Kobelco SK350lc-8 with 6,000 both around the $100k mark. Would appreciate any feedback back on those two diggers, reliability, maintenance and repair cost, over all life expectancy. Or should I just keep looking for a Cat and save some more coin? Or anything other diggers I should be looking at.. Thanks legends

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[CM1995]

Welcome to the Forums jenko! Glad to have you.

Personally I have no experience with either brands other than running a Kobelco a time or 2. I'm a Cat guy but gotta make the budget work regardless.

The JCB does have a hydro QC which depending on what you are planning on doing with the machine can be as handy as a shirt pocket.

 

[jenko]

Thanks for the welcome and advice

 

[Tones]

What about a Hitachi!

Used 2008 Hitachi ZX350LCH-3 Excavator (1155957)

Buy Used 2008 Hitachi ZX350LCH-3 2008 Hitachi Zx350lch 3 for sale by International Earthmoving Equipment Solutions Pty Ltd - MUCHEA. <1155957>

www.machines4u.com.au

In WA though and service available where you are, Rocky, Emerald and McKay.
And welcome aboard.

 

[jenko]

I got a price for a 30 T excavator from Newcastle to Clermont was $10,000 quote from Brisbane to Clermont was around $5,000 so I was hoping to get them in our around Queensland to put more money into the machine and not freight. I’m thinking from WA would cost a fortune and I’m thinking the less hours the better so more hours I can put on the machine.

 

[Tones]

With the machine price and transport from WA would fit your budget. Apparently freight from WA isn't/ wasn't to badly priced, lots of trucks leave there empty.

 

[Lagwagon]

Don't even think about buying and hauling a machine from WA to QLD. For starters, machines are more expensive here due to mining, then transport will set you back about 25k. You should easily be able to find a machine in QLD, I see a LOT at auctions online for less than those two. If your set on one of them, definitely the Kobelco and it DOES have a quick hitch.

 

[BC Placer gold]

One thing also to consider is buckets. We often have to rip deeply into highly fractured bedrock so a robust fairly narrow bucket (relative to machine size is useful). In our case we have a 34" heavy duty BC built dig bucket; keep good teeth on it and you will have less stress overall on the pins/bushing at the bucket/stick end.

This is on a 21ton machine.

Rare to ever see JCB here. Have been around a smaller Kobelco (115) and it was a nice machine and had Isuzu power...

Dealers/parts/access to mine site? all factors to consider.

Good luck!

 

[jenko]

Don't even think about buying and hauling a machine from WA to QLD. For starters, machines are more expensive here due to mining, then transport will set you back about 25k. You should easily be able to find a machine in QLD, I see a LOT at auctions online for less than those two. If your set on one of them, definitely the Kobelco and it DOES have a quick hitch.

Cheers and if it’s close enough for me I’ll go and have a look at it first. My nephew is a diesel fitter he’s happy to come for a look. He’s only worked in bigger mines across Australia so hasn’t worked on JCB’s or Kobelco’s unfortunately

 

[jenko]

One thing also to consider is buckets. We often have to rip deeply into highly fractured bedrock so a robust fairly narrow bucket (relative to machine size is useful). In our case we have a 34" heavy duty BC built dig bucket; keep good teeth on it and you will have less stress overall on the pins/bushing at the bucket/stick end.

This is on a 21ton machine.

Rare to ever see JCB here. Have been around a smaller Kobelco (115) and it was a nice machine and had Isuzu power...

Dealers/parts/access to mine site? all factors to consider.

Good luck.

The only feedback I have for a Kobelco here from another gold miner was that they were expensive to use however he wouldn’t elaborate on it. Researching them they are very fuel efficient so I’ll have to get some idea on maintenance items to see what they are like. Hopefully someone here knows these machines. What machine do you use?

 

[BC Placer gold]

We are using a Hyundai 210-7. It is a pretty basic unit; Cummins 5.9 12v mechanical, Kawasaki pumps etc.

I would say slightly 'crude' in the controls compared to Hitachi/Cat but.... pre-emissions and has been very reliable for the last 9 years we have owned it. Our sites are very remote/steep and impossible to get a full sized service truck into so we basically have to do all our own repairs.

We are a small operation (just my wife & I) so feed a double screen/shaker deck at 20y/hour with a Deere 50D mini. This season we are hoping to increase the feed rate to 40y/hour so just (2 days ago) picked up an old Hitachi EX100-1. Really like the Isuzu engines... have lots of hours on the ZX120/ZX 135's.

 

[DM&RDBulldog]

I ended up with two JCB JS370 machines when I was in a pinch for equipment. Little bigger than the one you're looking at but most likely very similar in function and build. My guys liked them a lot for the clearing work I put them on. The machines only logged maybe 1,000hrs each before I traded them in for larger machines that I needed more. We had no issues with either of them and they were already used with 3-4k hours when I bought them. I did entertain keeping them and trading in my more used same size machines but I got what I paid for them in trade so off they went no fault of their own.

No experience at all with Kobelco to share.

 

[jenko]

We are using a Hyundai 210-7. It is a pretty basic unit; Cummins 5.9 12v mechanical, Kawasaki pumps etc.

I would say slightly 'crude' in the controls compared to Hitachi/Cat but.... pre-emissions and has been very reliable for the last 9 years we have owned it. Our sites are very remote/steep and impossible to get a full sized service truck into so we basically have to do all our own repairs.

We are a small operation (just my wife & I) so feed a double screen/shaker deck at 20y/hour with a Deere 50D mini. This season we are hoping to increase the feed rate to 40y/hour so just (2 days ago) picked up an old Hitachi EX100-1. Really like the Isuzu engines... have lots of hours on the ZX120/ZX 135's.

Awesome, good luck with it all! We will be scrapping and detecting nuggets. Then washing the wash where we find the nuggets. We still have to sort out what wash plant we will have if we build it or buy one it’s very limited & expensive to get one in Australia. We are thinking 30 to 50 tons per hour probably a trommel on wheels or a slide. We are just a bit unsure of the access to water and the amount we we’ll have available .

 

[Joe H]

Is there a site where you two post about gold mining?

Something I know zero about other than I once almost bought an old mine in Utah when I lived there. Kinda dodgy looking and full of bats & water. My wife dissuaded me from that mistake.

And I'm now about 50 miles north of Oro Grande New Mexico which has a lot of old mines.

Joe H

 

[Tones]

Is heap leach still allowed? There used to lots of them in that area.

 

[jenko]

Is heap leach still allowed? There used to lots of them in that area.

Not here in Queensland

 

[dayexco]

We are using a Hyundai 210-7. It is a pretty basic unit; Cummins 5.9 12v mechanical, Kawasaki pumps etc.

I would say slightly 'crude' in the controls compared to Hitachi/Cat but.... pre-emissions and has been very reliable for the last 9 years we have owned it. Our sites are very remote/steep and impossible to get a full sized service truck into so we basically have to do all our own repairs.

We are a small operation (just my wife & I) so feed a double screen/shaker deck at 20y/hour with a Deere 50D mini. This season we are hoping to increase the feed rate to 40y/hour so just (2 days ago) picked up an old Hitachi EX100-1. Really like the Isuzu engines... have lots of hours on the ZX120/ZX 135's.

i had the same machine, wonderful finish machine. it's what we dug all our basements with. also had a 210b case, that was the hot rod, could really throw some dirt. had a 690e i bought new that we kept as backup. damn hard to beat that old girl. always ready to go.

 

[Columbo]

Is there a site where you two post about gold mining?

Something I know zero about other than I once almost bought an old mine in Utah when I lived there. Kinda dodgy looking and full of bats & water. My wife dissuaded me from that mistake.

And I'm now about 50 miles north of Oro Grande New Mexico which has a lot of old mines.

Joe H

Not to derail the thread, but I’d love to see you guys, @BC Placer gold and @jenko, start a gold mining thread with your operations and adventures.

 

[jenko]

I’m only starting out in commercial gold mining. However I used to make a few YouTube videos on prospecting in the area I’ll be commercially mining https://youtube.com/@jenkosgoldadventures?si=ZhK3w24mVpGkdY9v

 

[jenko]

Even working on a logo this is what come up with so far