What to buy??

[sthomps]

I was thinking about buying an excavator for working around our farm. Is there some machines that I should stay away from? I had been looking at a Koehring 466 that was in the area, but the owner wants to keep it now. I don't want to spend a whole lot, so I'm thinking that an older machine like that Koehring are what I may have to get. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Countryboy]

Welcome to HEF sthomps! :drinkup

 

[bigblueox]

IF IT'S NOT A CAT ITS A DOG! no seriously at least you can find parts for them and find people that have worked on them before. I can't talk much though i have a Poclain( lets see u find parts for it!)

 

[Ford LT-9000]

I would stick with the common brands - John Deere Hitachi and Cat you can find older models of all 3 of these brands easily and still get parts for them.

If you found a 590 or 690 Deere or a old EX150 or EX200 sized machines I don't know Cat so I can't say what size.

You get those old off brand machines from the 60s and 70s your taking a chance buying them. Brands like Drott,Bantam,P&H,Poclain,Warner Swaysey,Koehring,JSW. There are many other ones out there.

The old UH Hitachi are okay there are quite afew of them still around or they are here.

 

[ror76a]

I would not be afraid of a Koehring. I still run a couple of "off brand" Unit excavators (rarely on jobs, mostly truck loading in pits) and they have been good machines for me. One we have owned since new, and like anything else if they have been taken care of they are no more trublesome than a Cat, Hitachi, ect. As for parts most of these off brands use standard parts for example my Units have detroit engines and common hydralic componets. There are still sources for the uncommon parts for many of these less common brands, it just depends on how hard you have to look for them. You can get parts for a Cat or Hitachi easier, but they will cost quite a bit more in most cases. That said the Cat, Hitachi, Komatsu & others are very good machines, but I would not thow stones at a Koehring, Unit, or the other "off brands" - they were as good or some better in there day most even before Cat, Komatsu, or Hitachi were around. After all the dirt doesn't care what brand machine is moving it.

 

[sthomps]

Thanks

Thanks for the help everyone. The Koehring that I was looking at also had a Detroit in it. I was excited about buying that 466 when I first saw it. I just talked to the owner the other day. I guess he has another one in a pit that is the same, so he wants to keep it. Anyone looking for manuals for a 466 koehring let me know, I bought a set off of e-bay when I thought I had a chance to buy it.

 

[dayexco]

I would stick with the common brands - John Deere Hitachi and Cat you can find older models of all 3 of these brands easily and still get parts for them.

If you found a 590 or 690 Deere or a old EX150 or EX200 sized machines I don't know Cat so I can't say what size.

You get those old off brand machines from the 60s and 70s your taking a chance buying them. Brands like Drott,Bantam,P&H,Poclain,Warner Swaysey,Koehring,JSW. There are many other ones out there.

The old UH Hitachi are okay there are quite afew of them still around or they are here.

those old "off brands"....as slow and obsolete as they are today, typically ran a detroit diesel, vickers or commercial shearing pump/valving, about every farm store sold cylinder kits for them....for their era, they were great machinery, and for the hobbyist today if you're slightly mechanically inclined....would be able to keep them up and running

 

[Ford LT-9000]

The big problems with those old machines is the under carriage. We have a few of them old clunkers kicking around and once the undercarriage goes the machine is junk. Some of those old Koehrings used a crawler crane style undercarriage and they don't crawl worth a darn. I know where you can get one cheap.

The old Hitachi UHs and Cat 235s are the most common for us out here for guys with acreage that want to clear with. The guys with more money will buy a EX-200.

A old UH014 its about a 300 sized machine that belonged to a contractor in the area got 6500.00 dollars for it. The machine had a rebuilt engine in it but the rest of the machine was tired but worked. I used the machine a little to try it out. Definatly old but would work good digging in a pit.

 

[CascadeScaper]

I like newer machines, but there's something to be said about running "junk". For some reason, it seems a little appealing. Kinda like driving an older truck I guess, you could have a new one, but if it's getting the job done reasonably well you have the last laugh.

 

[sthomps]

Where to Buy?

Hay LT-9000. I was out in B.C a couple of years ago for my sister in-laws wedding. I took this photo at the house we stayed at in Golden. Its a UH-181. I would love to get a machine like you were discribing, but shipping across the country might drive the cost up. I live about an hours drive north of Detroit, MI. Anyone know of a cheaper machine closerto where I live? I've been looking on E-bay, but buying a machine from photo's is hard. I have bought cars on there, but they were a lot cheaper than even a cheap(Junk) excavator.

 

[sthomps]

Photo didn't work

Sorry. try this site. http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa93/1970mach01/

 

[Countryboy]

Try this and see if it helps.

Posting Pictures

 

[Ford LT-9000]

Keep searching you will find something. I would try find a machine with newer style controls. The older UH machine Hitachi's had yankem sticks which is probably not really something you want.

Just have the cash ready so when you find the good deal you can go for it.

Shipping a excavator from here to Ontario wouldn't be cost prohibbitive. I would search Manitoba or even Saskatchewan.

 

[sthomps]

Pictures

Thanks countryboy for the link. I'll try that the next time. I really didn't want the computer to get the best of me last night, so I resorted to putting a link on, so I could sleep.

 

[ror76a]

Hey, I am located about 2 1/2 hours north of Detroit, but on the Michigan side. I have a UH083 Hitachi, and a 235 Cat, but I am not willing to part with either of them yet. I might be able to be talked out of one of the Units though, if you are interested.

 

[sthomps]

Really

Ror76, how far are you from Port Huron? I'm a 30min drive from there, only in Ontario. The big question is(if you decide to sell), is how much you would be looking to get for one of your machines? Thanks for the info.

 

[sthomps]

Yankem Sticks

LT-9000 was saying that the older UH machine Hitachi's had yankem sticks. I was just wondering what are Yankem Sticks?

 

[ongrademike]

For your application I would look for the old cat 2 series excavators like some one mentioned before.Cat parts are readily available. These machines are heavy and strong and have no electronics to worry about. So they can be fixed old school with out computer diagnostics. If You start messing around with old foreign machines and everyone knows how costly parts can be.:usa

 

[sthomps]

what year?

Ongrademike: You said to stay with the older 2 series cats, around what year did they start using electronics on most machines? When they started using electronics did they also raise the line pressure, or did that happen at different times?

 

[RKO]

Yankem Sticks

LT-9000 was saying that the older UH machine Hitachi's had yankem sticks. I was just wondering what are Yankem Sticks?

Yakem Sticks is referring to older excavators that did not have pilot control or, if they did have pilot control they had long levers that you had to use for the Hydr. functions. Not bad if you are not going to put 12 hours a day in the machine, 0r are young and strong.