Purchasing first TLB and need advice

[magnus spencer]

hi everyone, i am guessing that like the Ford vs Chevy argument, there is no obvious winner in these questions.

regardless, i am in over my head and about to spend my life savings on a machine that i know very little about. i would appreciate some guidance.
i have a homestead on a very remote island off the coast of portugal, so reliability is a priority for me. if this machine breaks, i will need to ship it by sea freight to a mechanic to be repaired.

the machines that i have found available are the KOMATSU WB93R-8 and the JCB 3CX M55 Evolution. They have similiar specs, but the Komatsu offers a 3 year warranty over the JCB 1 year warranty.

just looking at them, i get the idea it is like a Toyota vs Jaguar....and I would opt for the toyota in that case because parts are more accesable and less expensive and the average mechanic knows how to fix them.

Thanks for the kind input and suggestions.

 

[Vetech63]

Do you have any equipment distributor on this island? I'm not fond of either of your choices to be honest.

 

[JL Sargent]

Welcome to the forum Magnus. You might consider buying from the closest dealer/distributor to your location. Just how remote are you? Got any neighbors with equipment? Maybe you could rent?

 

[Willie B]

I've only ever bought used heavy equipment. Probably a different group of choices where you live. I have had bad experiences with John Deere parts & service. Case, on the other hand has been excellent.

 

[Compression-Ignition]

Ship the machine? I think you are looking at this the wrong way. You should probably be working your deal to include a reduced cost of having one of their mechanics come to you.

 

[CM1995]

Komatsu still makes a backhoe?

 

[Tinkerer]

Yes
But not in the US as far as I know.
And that isn't very far.

 

[magnus spencer]

hi everyone, thanks for the responses.
there are no local distributors on our island. there are about 3 functional machines on the island and none of them are available to the public. if you are curious, i live on Flores Island of the Azores. 3500 population and declining. there are a handful of people who have some experience with these machines, but no formal training. hence, why i am springing for a new machine instead of used with issues.
there may be other dealers in the Azores. I had Komatsu and JCB recommended to me, so I started there. there is a Komatsu dealer on another island in the Azores that includes transportation. The JCB is on the continent and I have to pay transport and insurance, and higher taxes.

 

[JL Sargent]

This is remote! Literally smack in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

[magnus spencer]

View attachment 305824

This is remote! Literally smack in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

i like my privacy. ;-)

 

[magnus spencer]

There is a CAT dealer on the larger island also. I have not enquired from them yet, as I heard it was difficult to get parts in the EU from CAT.

 

[Willie B]

There is a CAT dealer on the larger island also. I have not enquired from them yet, as I heard it was difficult to get parts in the EU from CAT.

That would come as a surprise. Cat is worldwide renowned for parts distribution.

 

[CM1995]

There is a CAT dealer on the larger island also. I have not enquired from them yet, as I heard it was difficult to get parts in the EU from CAT.

How hard will it be to get parts from a brand that doesn't have a dealer on the island?

 

[Welder Dave]

Who said Cat would be hard to get parts for? You should make a deal that for any warranty work the dealer comes to your island or pays to ship your machine back and forth if necessary.

 

[magnus spencer]

How hard will it be to get parts from a brand that doesn't have a dealer on the island?

there is no dealer on our island, but there are some on the larger islands of the Azores. Alternatively, they would be in Continental Portugal with a higher tax rate and longer distance for help.

 

[skyking1]

What I would do is contact the Cat dealer and the Komatsu dealer and see what they would do for you, for field service. Do not contact the sales staff.
Call the outside service desk at each location.

 

[Welder Dave]

JCB is a lot more popular in Europe but if they use specific hyd. fittings getting replacement hoses could be a pain. Part of the deal on a new machine should include common maintenance items and maybe some things like the most commonly replaced hoses. Komatsu isn't very well known for backhoes so going with Cat is likely the best bet.

 

[JL Sargent]

Magnus, off topic, but you seem to know the English language well. Do most people speak English so well there? If I came to visit, would I be able to order dinner at a restaurant for example? Just curious.

 

[magnus spencer]

Magnus, off topic, but you seem to know the English language well. Do most people speak English so well there? If I came to visit, would I be able to order dinner at a restaurant for example? Just curious.

English is my first language. i moved to Flores in 2007 to restore an abandoned homestead and stone house. 3 kids and a divorce later, my project has expanded considerably.
On Flores, not many people speak english, but on the larger islands most do. on Terciera there is an American Air Base, so everyone speaks english. on Flores in the 1970s there was a French radar station, so there are quite a few French speakers from the last generation.

 

[magnus spencer]

How hard will it be to get parts from a brand that doesn't have a dealer on the island?

most things can be shipped. under 5kg is airmail and over 5kg is ocean freight. it is the subsequent installation that concerns me. i am not great at mechanics. i am a gardener and arborist, part time builder.