Good Chinese companies to buy mini excavator?

[BC Placer gold]

My brother does propane tank/system installs and frequently rents a Kubota K008 to trench yard lines from the tank to the house in tight access areas. If they are short enough and easy going you can dig them by hand, but even that tiny excavator is 3-4 times faster than hand digging. He's looking to buy one (Kubota) and I'm trying to get him to step up to a 1.7t but he insists it won't fit where he needs.

Our little 007 did a lot of trenching, it was really tippy though (noticed the new 008’s have the expanding undercarriage).

I would greatly prefer the 1.7t if space constraints work, they are pretty nice little diggers with pilot controls (the old wobble sticks on the 007 meant you had to lean forward on your seat)…not comfortable.

 

[CM1995]

Are you volunteering.?

Just about spit my watered down ice cold American beer on the screen!

 

[Birken Vogt]

Seems like it'd be easier to use a shovel?

Are you volunteering.?

It might be OK to hand dig until you hit a large rock and have to back up, go around, feel around, etc. and that is where the little mini shines. He does plenty of hand digging around facilities too, but usually there is a machine dug trench nearby to push the dirt into. Lifting dirt out of the trench is more than half the work.

He has a couple of weiner dogs he brings as mascots. They are little and dig, he has a little machine that digs.

 

[BC Placer gold]

I know I sure couldn’t have dug by hand through the glacial till we have here. 300’ long trenches for power/water. Getting depth for water (5’) was at max for machine so took some time. Couldn’t afford to hire it out so used what we had.…

 

[skyking1]

Our little 007 did a lot of trenching, it was really tippy though (noticed the new 008’s have the expanding undercarriage).

I would greatly prefer the 1.7t if space constraints work, they are pretty nice little diggers with pilot controls (the old wobble sticks on the 007 meant you had to lean forward on your seat)…not comfortable.

That JD 17 has expanding UC too.
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It was none too secure with the tracks in. I put some cribbing down to sneak around the obstruction while crossing those cut outs.
It feels fine with them out.