Looking for an excavator

[treemover]

Looking to buy 24-36K excavator, mid 90's model. Been thinking 160 or 490 deere. Any Ideas? general dirtwork, new home basements, light demo the uses I would have for it.

Thanks

[Scag48]

So either a 120 or 160 size would do you fine? 490D/E's and 590D's are really tough to beat, I know of 3 guys back home still running 590D's that say they are better balanced than the newer 160LC's but they're good machines as well. I'm going to put on my Cat hat here for a moment, the B series 312's were awesome hoes in their day and they run forever. I see tons of high hour 312's and 315's still plugging away, they just don't quit. Hitachi EX120's and 150's are essentially the same as a Deere, so that's an option as well. Kobelco SK150's aren't bad, I prefer the Mark IV's to the last Mark8 I ran. Komatsu I would recommend but only dash 6 models and newer, the dash 5's were alright but the dash 6's were a big improvement IMO. They run forever as well, I was in a dash 6 200 last summer that had 12,000 hours on it. Who knows how much had been done to it over the course of it's lifetime, but I would imagine the company I was working for would let get rid of it had it started costing them too much. With a fleet of over 50 excavators, I doubt they'd run something that was always needing work.

[bobcat_ron]

Deere/Hitachi's are going to be your best bet, they are the best used excavator you can get, hands down.
Cat's are a little bit iffy, some of the older B models were just plain jumpy, but others are good.
Stay away from the used Kobelco's made before 2005, they were prone to pump problems and boom fatigue failures.

[CAT powered]

I've got a Deere 490E and I love it. For my use it's a little small. I'm used to being able to boom up and load a triaxle rather than stick out, boom up. That's my own fault though. Not the machine's.

The only things that have gone on mine in the hundreds of hours I put on it have been

1: Injector Pump
2: Hydraulic hoses (operator error)
3: Tracks which we all know are wear items.

I also had it switched from goofball (Deere) controls to normal controls.

[ksss]

The Sumitomo excavators (CASE/LinkBelt) are strong excavators. Mine has held up well with over 8500 hours on it. I had the turbo replaced when I first bought it, since then it has been trouble free. There are a lot of the 90 series machines around here. They are also priced right.

The Hitachi machines of the mid 90's vintage had boom issues.

You can likely find a deal on about any machine you would want right now.

[CAT powered]

I'm a fan of the Link-Belts as well.

Before I got my 490E I had a Linkbelt LS2700 Series II that never gave me any real trouble. Except for the guy who owned the other half of it...

I take that back actually. The only issue I had with the Link-Belt was some a**hole getting into it and playing with the throttle knob and breaking the throttle knob. I used the manual throttle after that. (The little switch)

[Scag48]

Those older Link Belts are great, but man are they hard to find.

[CAT powered]

When my 96? Linkbelt got sold it had 7k hours, a busted out front windshield, and yellow primer peeking through on the boom. (original paint)

It sold for upwards of 30,000$

Keep in mind that was before the market went bust.

[Scag48]

Yeah, the older LS and Quantum hoes. They were solid machines, I never talked to anyone that had a Link Belt they didn't like. No doubt Sumitomo/Link Belt builds a decent machine. I really don't understand why they aren't more popular. The last Sumitomo machine I ran was a real Sumitomo from the late 80's, it was a buddy of mine's machine. 120 size, no frills, but he paid very little for it and made a bunch of money over the course of ownership.

[CAT powered]

They aren't more popular because they don't say Deere or CAT on the side.

Shh. They're one of the best kept secrets in the industry. Let's keep it that way.

NAH! Those Link-Belts are junk! :jester:

[treemover]

Hyundai 130 1995? just ran across nice shape needs motor work(4 cyl cummins) for 7k

[CAT powered]

I wouldn't drive a Hyundai car so I wouldn't own Hyundai equipment. That's just me. Someone else may have a different opinion.

Just think about this: Where is your nearest Hyundai dealership?

[mrusk]

I am thinking of selling my 1997 pc150 with 6k hours. I am in NJ. I'll cut u a good deal if u pay trucking.

[RockSet N' Grade]

mrusk..........share the story so we can all learn.........

[ksss]

They aren't more popular because they don't say Deere or CAT on the side.

Shh. They're one of the best kept secrets in the industry. Let's keep it that way.

NAH! Those Link-Belts are junk! :jester:

A lot of truth to that. The B series and X2 machines are cutting edge excavators, but the Quantam and 90 series excavators are money makers even now.

[mrusk]

mrusk..........share the story so we can all learn.........

There is no story. Business will be down this year. I can have the machine sit and generate no income. Or I could sell it and do something else with the money.