Kubota KX040 (10k lbs) v KX057 (12k lbs) buying advice requested

[mountainrancher]

My nearby dealer has a KX040 sitting on the lot. I'm thinking about picking it up because I want to get started on some work despite my reservations at this time in the economy.

Chatting with the dealer, he got me thinking if I shouldn't wait for a KX057, which is a bigger machine for about $13k more. I need to do some demo and digging work that I can't do with a skid steer.

Can anyone give advice that's had experience with these 2 machines, or similar size machines, and the pros and cons. I've got a 14k dump trailer currently and would be moving the mini ex between 2 properties once in a while that are about 8 miles apart with a 3/4 ton. I accidentally overloaded the trailer to 21k pounds once while I was still figuring out weights and made the trip, so I'm not sure weight is the biggest concern because I can go slow on a usually vacant highway. What I'm trying to figure out is if I'm going to be regretting the smaller machine.

My uses are:
fixing some dams and putting in washed out overflows
fixing building drainage
installing culverts in creek crossings
demo of small buildings
cleaning up scrap metal (some heavy)
possibly moving some 1300-1800 lb haybales
moving pallets of feed & concrete in buildings
cleaning up logging roads with new tree growth and downed trees
digging water lines
pounding drill stem on hills/sidehills where I can't get to it with a skid steer
moving big limestone rocks (2x3x3 foot)
hanging the odd deer and elk up

Both properties are large, one is about 3 miles from end to end and there's about 900 acres of forest. Given, some work I want to do will require a full size excavator, so this is more to clean up around the buildings and old logging roads that have regrowth and downed trees and take care of stuff I wouldn't be hiring someone else to do and I can't get done with a skid steer. Plus some fencing that I can't do with a skid steer because it doesn't have the reach, clearing out chokecherry trees off the side of roads cut into steep hills, stuff like that. I'm currently sharing my skid steer with a business partner, but it's going to be mostly at his property and he's a PITA to deal with about it, so though I have access I'm trying not to use it much.

 

[Columbo]

I have time in a kx040, a kx080 and a full size excavator. If I were buying a new mini I would probably want the 057 but to me its increased capacity isn’t worth $13k. I’d use that money for attachments, a bigger equipment trailer or such. My 2 cents.

 

[MG84]

I’ve run Kubota kx 040-4’s and kx 121-3’s extensively and have quite a few hours on Tak tb260 and some time on a Case cx57c. The biggest place I notice the difference is on land clearing and stumping. The extra reach and breakout force is noticeable on the 6 ton machines. Same for the lift capacity, loading heavy logs and stumps is easier with the larger machines.

For ‘general’ use the difference isn’t as noticeable. Light clearing, grading, trenching, cleaning ditches, installing culverts, small demo etc is well within the capabilities of the kx040.

The transportation issue is the reason why the kx040 is so popular. Its big enough to do some meaningful work but also legal to haul on a 14k trailer behind a 1-ton pickup. You’ll be way overloaded with a kx057 on your dump trailer behind a 3/4 ton, I personally wouldn’t do it even on back roads. FWIW I tow the 6-ton mini’s with a F700 and an 11 ton pintle hitch trailer and you can tell its back there.

 

[mountainrancher]

I’ve run Kubota kx 040-4’s and kx 121-3’s extensively and have quite a few hours on Tak tb260 and some time on a Case cx57c. The biggest place I notice the difference is on land clearing and stumping. The extra reach and breakout force is noticeable on the 6 ton machines. Same for the lift capacity, loading heavy logs and stumps is easier with the larger machines.

For ‘general’ use the difference isn’t as noticeable. Light clearing, grading, trenching, cleaning ditches, installing culverts, small demo etc is well within the capabilities of the kx040.

The transportation issue is the reason why the kx040 is so popular. Its big enough to do some meaningful work but also legal to haul on a 14k trailer behind a 1-ton pickup. You’ll be way overloaded with a kx057 on your dump trailer behind a 3/4 ton, I personally wouldn’t do it even on back roads. FWIW I tow the 6-ton mini’s with a F700 and an 11 ton pintle hitch trailer and you can tell its back there.

The 121 is about a 9k machine, correct? So the tak tb260 is the most direct comparison to the Kubota 057?

I just went by a dealer and spent some time poking around the 040 and 057. The 057 is notably larger, and what I noticed is the blade sticks out farther forward, so if you were working on a slope and needed to reach, the 057 seems like it would be much more stable.

I didn't realize the kx 040 was so much more popular. I assume resale would be easier with it? I'm kind of giving thought to getting it, even though I think the 057 is a better fit for what I need, and getting a lot of the smaller work done, and if I run into problems then upgrade later.

Interest rates are up. Privately one salesman that knew I wasn't going to buy from him said they have more inventory on the lot than they've had in a long time, which was of course obvious. But he also said a lot of his construction business is holding off due to the increase in interest rates slowing their business down. I smell deals coming, but I don't want to lose another summer to waiting for equipment prices to come down.

 

[MG84]

Yes the Tak tb260 is in the 6 ton class like the kx057. The kx121-3 and kx040-4 are basically the same machine, with some updates on the later. Open station, regular blade either weighs about, 9k. Add the cab, 6 way blade, steel under carriage, thumb, etc and the weight goes well over 10k. The kx040 is Kubota’s best selling model and if I’m not mistaken is the #1 selling mini ex of any brand, worldwide.

That being said, the rule of thumb with excavators is buy the biggest one you can a) afford and b) haul.

 

[PeterG]

I own three Takeuchi mini excavators, a 3,500 TB016, a 8,500lb TB240, and a 12,500 lb TB153FR.
You should be able to do all that you need to do with the KX040 as long as it has a thumb. You need a 12" digging bucket, a 2' digging bucket, and a 3-4' wide clean out bucket. The bigger machine would be great. But, I wouldn't tow it with your rig. And even with the smaller machine it's wise to know the following. To tow a 14GVW trailer you are suppose to have a class A CDL. A dump trailer has a weight typically of 6000lbs. That means the most weight you can put in the trailer is 8000lbs. What is the towing capacity of your truck, as you will likely be at 17,000 lbs with full fuel, a few buckets, and some equipment (such as a diesel transfer tank) in the back of your truck? It's not just going up hill, but downhill. Everyone on this forum loves air brakes.

 

[mountainrancher]

I own three Takeuchi mini excavators, a 3,500 TB016, a 8,500lb TB240, and a 12,500 lb TB153FR.
You should be able to do all that you need to do with the KX040 as long as it has a thumb. You need a 12" digging bucket, a 2' digging bucket, and a 3-4' wide clean out bucket. The bigger machine would be great. But, I wouldn't tow it with your rig. And even with the smaller machine it's wise to know the following. To tow a 14GVW trailer you are suppose to have a class A CDL. A dump trailer has a weight typically of 6000lbs. That means the most weight you can put in the trailer is 8000lbs. What is the towing capacity of your truck, as you will likely be at 17,000 lbs with full fuel, a few buckets, and some equipment (such as a diesel transfer tank) in the back of your truck? It's not just going up hill, but downhill. Everyone on this forum loves air brakes.

I'm not driving it to job sites, it would only be moved between properties once in a blue moon. So No fuel or extras, weight would be right at 15k lbs with the 040 or 17k lbs with the 057. Buckets could be hauled separately. No real hills to speak of between these properties. I may end up buying a trailer at some point because i need to haul materials in or logs out, but transport is only a very minor issue. If it was, i have a buddy with a one ton and equipment trailer, and a dump truck he tows his 10 ton excavator with.

We're all on the rancher permit here and haul hay on 1960s 2-ton trucks. Been doing that since i was 15. I'm sure they could try to bust us all for not having cdls, but the only guys i know that have them drive semis. I'm not hiring out.

Lots of inventory on the local lots right now compared to the past 2 years Looks like people are backing out of orders.

 

[Country_hick]

State laws vary. I have been told in California anything over 10,000 pounds needs a special license.

Federally the GVWR of truck and trailer can not exceed 26,000 pounds unless you have a Class A license and all the stuff that goes with it (RV's fall into a different category).

My 1997 dodge ton truck has a GVW of 10,500. I can haul a trailer of 15,500 pounds without a class A license but if the trailer had a 15,501 pound GVWR I would require a class A license.

From Memory the 1998.5 to 2002 dodge ton trucks had a GVWR of 11,000 so they could only haul a 15,000 GVWR trailer without a class A license. The actual weight of the truck and trailer is irrelevant as it is a GVWR paperwork game not a reality based issue. That is why some guys prefer the older trucks and some choose a 3/4 ton over a ton truck. Just a FYI to consider.

 

[MG84]

Also take a look at the U48 and U55. You may not need a zero tail swing machine but they spec out in between the models you are looking at and are priced pretty competitively. One other thing to note is the KX057 and U55 are equipped with larger buckets than the smaller machines, might be important if you are doing any volume of excavating.

 

[PeterG]

I think you'll be very happy with the smaller machine. And the smaller machine is still a serious size machine on any job site! I also do use on my TB240 with the buckets from my bigger TB153FR machine as MG84 suggest.

However, you have to get what you want. A nice advantage of the bigger machine in your case is that the thumb will grasp larger items, like huge logs. But the bigger thumb may not grab the small stuff easily. Plenty of operators like to grab the twigs on the ground.

 

[Joel59]

I thought it was federal law that said any trailer/equipment combo over 10,000 was class A cdl?

 

[Country_hick]

I thought it was federal law that said any trailer/equipment combo over 10,000 was class A cdl?

Federal law requirement is anything over 26,000 pounds GVWR needs a class A license. State laws vary. I have been told California requires a class A for anything over 10,000 pounds.

What sucks is the newer 1/2 to 1 ton trucks have higher GVWR ratings which means they cannot tow as large a GVWR trailer as the older trucks legally could without a class A license.

 

[MG84]

What kind of 2-ton trucks do you have? If they are in decent shape they would probably be safer for hauling a 6-ton excavator than a 3/4 ton pickup and dump trailer. Either set one up with a pintle hitch and proper trailer or if they have a decent flat bed just haul it on the truck. Build a loading ramp at each property and away you go. Even an older F600 or C60 will easily haul 12000lbs.

 

[MG84]

I own three Takeuchi mini excavators, a 3,500 TB016, a 8,500lb TB240, and a 12,500 lb TB153FR.

I don't want to get this thread too far off topic, but which of the three is the most used? Most profitable? Best ROI?

 

[mountainrancher]

What kind of 2-ton trucks do you have? If they are in decent shape they would probably be safer for hauling a 6-ton excavator than a 3/4 ton pickup and dump trailer. Either set one up with a pintle hitch and proper trailer or if they have a decent flat bed just haul it on the truck. Build a loading ramp at each property and away you go. Even an older F600 or C60 will easily haul 12000lbs.

Honestly I don't even know if they still have model numbers on them, lemme look. They're just old 2 tons that have flat beds on them that I use for hauling round bales. I've been cutting out use on them because they aren't well maintained anymore, and I started switching to hay hikers on the tractor. I had brakes fail on one going down a hill loaded full of hay. Worse comes to worse, I guess, I could hook the trailer up behind a tractor too, they get run back and forth between properties a few times a year. It would take me about an hour or so to make the short drive, but that's reasonable for as seldom as it happens.

Federal law requirement is anything over 26,000 pounds GVWR needs a class A license. State laws vary. I have been told California requires a class A for anything over 10,000 pounds.

What sucks is the newer 1/2 to 1 ton trucks have higher GVWR ratings which means they cannot tow as large a GVWR trailer as the older trucks legally could without a class A license.

I'm way under that. Think you guys are in a much different situation than me. I don't see law enforcement in my area unless I call in a game warden, so what's legal isn't really an issue. I mean I regularly run cows down this road on an ATV. So the worry about brakes and getting into an accident is more of a worry of an animal bouncing off my grill guard than anything else.

I think you'll be very happy with the smaller machine. And the smaller machine is still a serious size machine on any job site! I also do use on my TB240 with the buckets from my bigger TB153FR machine as MG84 suggest.

However, you have to get what you want. A nice advantage of the bigger machine in your case is that the thumb will grasp larger items, like huge logs. But the bigger thumb may not grab the small stuff easily. Plenty of operators like to grab the twigs on the ground.

I'm sending the young ones out to pick up twigs Really I need the machine for things I can't lift, I'm not clearing areas where twigs matter, I'd be dealing with full size pine trees, or pulling out smaller trees. It might be more difficult with the small regrowth trees though.

 

[BC Placer gold]

In my opinion the extra weight, width, and most importantly the reach of the KX-057 is significant. When handling trees, brush etc. a larger machine also keeps the material further from the cab/operator (safer). We purchased a KX-040 new in 2017; at that time the KX-057 was $28k more (Canadian dollars)….so we went with the 040.

 

[PeterG]

I don't want to get this thread too far off topic, but which of the three is the most used? Most profitable? Best ROI?

I use the TB240 the most. It does 90 percent of all the work I do. The big advantage of the bigger machine is that with the bigger thumb I can pick up some larger diameter logs and rocks. Not a weight issue, just bigger grip. Also, if I have to load my bigger dump truck, it can reach up and over better. The TB153FR boom design is also helpful. But for just digging, loading, and using the thumb, the TB240 is just fine.

Comes down to money. If you have the money, go bigger. But the big machine can sometimes be just a bit big (like, so to lift up that elk you need a 12,000 lb machine? Something my wife would say). I also like how the TB240 (and smaller machines) performs in its speed, smoothness, and finesse.

 

[Acoals]

The only times you will regret the bigger machine is when you buy it and when you haul it.

 

[KSSS]

One of my favorite sayings for situations such as this. "A lot can always do a little, but a little can never do a lot."

 

[Country_hick]

The only times you will regret the bigger machine is when you buy it and when you haul it.

and when you pay for repairs on the bigger machine with the bigger more expensive parts.

If federal rules did not limit the size of machine that can be hauled without a special license and paperwork many people would want a 6-7 ton machine.