Help needed on mini excavator purchase.

[Legdoc]

I am in the market for a new or slightly used mini excavator for ranch and construction projects which are numerous and reduce the never ending quest to obtain reliable temp labor. My schedule is sporadic and renting is not an option. I have a Case 580M , CTL with assortment of buckets, hydraulic auger, HD grapple and ag tractors. The list of uses are as follows:
Reduce the need for a shovel. At 60 my back is done.
Trenching to install utilities.
Dig and chamfer 12" wide foundation beams in heavily compacted soils.
Handle and load with a thumb downed trees, brush, and other debris some in uneven ground.
Install culverts.
Demo some old single story structures. Do landscaping work with a 36" tilt bucket.
Drill for posts and pilings.
Possibly dig my own grave! Just kidding, hopefully I'll be around a good 25+ years!
A cab is required due to the heat and Africanized Bees.
I want to stay with Kubota as all my equipment is that other than the 580M. I am considering the U-35 as it is also the largest unit available without going to a DPF which I want no part of. The local dealer is not an option but there are others within 90 miles. The 580 can handle any heavy digging but is simply too large to get in tight areas which are many. Also the ability to swing 360 degrees is a game changer. Your thoughts on this unit and the application is appreciated as there is not much info on it out there. I have the means to move this 4 ton machine easily.
Thank you in advance.

 

[John Canfield]

The Kubota mini-ex was on my short list when I was shopping for a new excavator. My Bobcat E42 (about 9500 pounds) has the Doosan engine (South Korea) and we don't need any stinking DEF. I have about 125 hours on it, quite happy so far. Bobcat has a tilt attachment for a grading bucket, I was quite tempted to buy that.

 

[OTG AuGres]

380 hours in my Bobcat e42 and just upgraded to new e50 R2 for a little more capacity. Very happy with my Bobcats. Kubota was on my short list when I bought my e42 back in 2017 but dealer support or lack thereof swayed me to Bobcat. Great Bobcat dealer in my area.

 

[Don.S]

We had a deere 35D that i put 3000 hours in. My boss bought a u55 this summer to replace it and i would not recommend it to anyone. The cab is very small and i always hit my legs with the controls. The balance on the machine is terrible. I tried a wacker neuson and takeuch i found them both far superior. Tried a G series deere too and didnt care for it much compared to the D but it was still better then the kubota.

 

[Legdoc]

Don, I appreciate your input. The new U35 has a re-designed larger cab. Do you think the balance issue is due to the zero turn design?
Thank you

 

[Don.S]

They say it is a new larger cab but i dont see how. We tested a u35 for a few days and the cab definitely felt smaller then the old kx121 i used. Yes i do think that is the reason. I tried a friends 040 and it felt a bit better but still tiny cab.and hitting my legs with the controls.
Also for some reason kubota did not center the pedals with the seat. It is also the only new machine i have used that you can see the ground through holes in the floor. I have lots more bad to say about it if you want.

 

[Legdoc]

If you have the time please elaborate as I don't want to make a mistake.

 

[Don.S]

I will go on just because i hate the machine so much. Because of the placement of the cup holder if you use a tall coffee travel mug the right control will hit it. My mug is 9.5 inch and is too tall. In very dusty conditions the fuel cap lets dust into the filler neck. The front window does not go up far enough so it makes the blind spot before the sun roof even bigger and is a pain for loading trucks. It has two alarms for movement and one is placed eight under the cab and if you remember i said there are holes in the floor. That alarm had to be unplugged because it was so loud inside. Our u55 doesn't reach the blade with the bucket so it makes cleaning up nicely off grass or asphalt a pain. Seat belt is always jabbing into ass had to bend it down.

 

[Catman75]

IMO after running several brands the Takeuchi lineup of minis seems to me to be the brand to best in terms of power cab space and overall reliability!!!

 

[KSSS]

I will go on just because i hate the machine so much. Because of the placement of the cup holder if you use a tall coffee travel mug the right control will hit it. My mug is 9.5 inch and is too tall. In very dusty conditions the fuel cap lets dust into the filler neck. The front window does not go up far enough so it makes the blind spot before the sun roof even bigger and is a pain for loading trucks. It has two alarms for movement and one is placed eight under the cab and if you remember i said there are holes in the floor. That alarm had to be unplugged because it was so loud inside. Our u55 doesn't reach the blade with the bucket so it makes cleaning up nicely off grass or asphalt a pain. Seat belt is always jabbing into ass had to bend it down.

I personally never have seen what others see in Kubota excavators. I will say based on reputation that Kubota mini excavators are durable. However, so is all of the big brands and many of the smaller scale brands. According to some numbers I saw, mini excavators across the board, have some of the lowest costs to run of any piece of dirt moving equipment. I have never owned a Kubota, I run them when comparing them against other machines is about my extent of it. So when I have run them, it is with 3-5 comparable machines side by side. I never thought that they dug any better, cycle times almost always slower, and the breakout typically is on the upper end, but depending on the model, not always. I will say that the hyds. always seem very smooth and predictable. The cabs are stark and while functional, I never found them that comfortable. They sell the most and are market leaders in many of the different weight classes so, clearly many buyers see, what I don't. Just one of those things, I have never quite understood. Not looking to fire up all the Kubota owners here, just expressing my thoughts.

 

[Don.S]

The old 121-3 was a great machine but it was also more expensive then most of its competitors. Now a kubota machine was the cheapest machine to buy and it shows. Kubota sells good around here because the dealer is close and they give good service other then that the machine does not have much else going for it. Thats my feeling on the few -4 series machines i have used.

 

[John Canfield]

IMO after running several brands the Takeuchi lineup of minis seems to me to be the brand to best in terms of power cab space and overall reliability!!!

The Tak would have been a top contender when I was mini-ex shopping, but the closest dealer is 80 miles away.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with my Bobcat E42 (130 hours), I recently had a diesel fuel leak after I topped off the fuel tank. Service came out and found the fuel sender on top of the tank was about a turn loose, so an easy fix (maybe until I'm out of warranty .) If it had to be replaced, that would be quite an involved job as it's right under part of the cab floor.

 

[KSSS]

I am a fan of Taki mini excavators. I bought my first one in 04 and have had 4 of them till now. I have an aging TB153 that I am waiting to replace, just under 5K hours. My 257 that I ordered is sitting in Port, and cant get out before the end of the year. I don't think I have spent 5K on keeping my Taki 6 ton excavators running since 04. This is on repairs, not wearables like tracks and so forth. They are super durable and powerful for their size. The new 257 has a Kubota engine, that is DPF. I am not happy about that. The Yanmar engines have been excellent, and I would rather stick to what I know works. Not sure why Taki went to Kubota, but personally I think that was a mistake. It didnt keep me from buying a new one, but I did let Taki know that I think that was a step backward.....not that my opinion means anything but, they need to hear it from someone.

 

[Zewnten]

If you have africanized bees I'm guessing you're in a pretty warm place. Customers u35's over heated a lot in Colorado summers, to the point we had to install Murphy switches, they swapped to a bright yellow brand I cant remember. Bobcat didn't have this issue nor did the deere/hitachi's