Mini excavator questions

Old thread from 2007. I was starting my excavator homework. Here it is 2020 ...guess who still has not pulled the trigger? :D
Activly shopping but still have not found the one I want. Have an eye on a 2016 Kubota KX71-3 that sure would fit the bill. It's in Kentucky. Might go look at it next week if it's still available.
 
I did it. I found one and pulled the trigger. :D

Lookie what followed me home!!!!

I found one on Neil Messicks web site. A 2007 KX121-3 with 4k hours. But priced in the neighborhood of what I could spend. Neil never got back with me but, in the mean time, I found this 2017 Kubota KX033-4 with only 530 hours for about the same price as Messicks had on theirs. It is 10 years newer with a lot less hours plus it has the thumb, and quick attach for buckets. Just a 24" bucket came with it.

Rained all day here but brought her home from northeast Ohio. 4 hour drive.

Ready for some seat time now.
 

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Hey Doc.....I just saw this. Awesome buy. The KX-033 is just about the perfect excavator in my eyes. Very versatile size class and no DPF to worry about.
While I don't totally regret buying the backhoe for my B2620, after using it a few times I now know I should have put that money towards an ex.

Don't get me wrong, the backhoe is still WAY better than shoveling, but with the shorter reach of a small hoe you spend as much time repositioning as you do digging. I have a U27 next on my list. It has the same motor as my tractor and my RTV.
I'd love a KX-033 but just a bit more than I want to spend for a new one.

As per your question.....you won't have any big maintenance issues. Just make sure you don't ignore your final drive oil changes. They only take a couple quarts of oil, and a Kubota rep once told me at a dealer show he can't believe how many people ruin $2500 to $4000 final drives because they ignore the oil changes.

Other than that, keep your tight pivot turns to a minimum and your tracks and under carriage will last a lot longer. Just be smart with your moves.

I don't have a lot of experience in a mini ex, but I run a 330 Cat at work.
 
I would sure like to have one of these mini s for cleaning up limbs and fence rows. It will be another year before I can handle one but oh how I could use it around here. I found a less that 300 hr K33 but it was in the mid 40's . I don't want to buy someone else's problems so want a like new machine. Bil has a massive Cat track hoe( a 300 series ) but it is just too huge . He getting a new Cat skid steer this month for the farm so it will be up to me for this.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by final drive oil changes ...is that the one that is the round piece near the rear of the tracks?

And the pivot turns ....do you mean turning one track one way and the other the other way?
 
I know what you mean Bordercollie. The hours are low.....but why? Could be good, maybe they decided they wanted a bigger machine? But with these new emission motors.....it could be a lemon. Or an operator induced lemon, LOL
But I am like that also.....I like new so I can service it and operate it from new. I see far too many threads in the Kubota tractor forums of people using shop vacs on the filler holes so they can change filters without losing oil. You pay upwards of 20 grand minimum and you skimp on a $100 pail of oil during break in????????
The U27 would be a perfect fit for me. The price is bearable and like I said, same engine as my B and RTV so I just have to stock all the same filters at home. I always keep 3 complete oil and filter changes at home just so I don't have to run to dealer before I can do anything.

Yes Doc. The big gear sprocket motors that turn the tracks. They have about a quart or so in each on these small shovels. A couple quarts of oil is cheaper than $2500 to 4 grand Canadian, LOL

I just mean basically plan out your travels Doc. The less you can drag and skid the tracks the longer they are going to last.

I'm waiting on a new excavator at the mine at work at. Coming in June. The 330 I'm running now needs an undercarriage rebuild and it's $70,000 here.
 
Good thoughts ItBmine . I need to look at that U27. Doc ,there are several utubes on changing the final drive on the minis. One guys name is Andrew Camarata . The final drive change is at the 6 :00 mark
 
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Thanks ItBeMine and BC. :tiphat:
I did not know those were called final drives ....I was aware of changing oil in them every engine oil change, but didn't know the name.
I'll also watch the video ...might just learn something. :D
 
So, what gear oil SAE-90 would you use for the final drive?
I use synthetic and have seen advantages for my boat and car with synthetic oil.
But, I do not use the excavator near as much as the cars or boats.
Synthetic is 75-140 when sae 90 is recommended (Mobil 1 or royal purple) $20 per quart.
STP conventional gear oil is SAE 80 / 90 and a gallon for the same price as a quart of the synthetic.
Changing this oil every years as recommended I'm thinking conventional will work fine. Last year I put 30 hours on the machine. Kubota recommends you change the final drive oil every 500 hours or once a year.
I will not come close to 500 hours so I'm thinking I go conventional. Your thoughts please.
 
Well, I'm not going to say one way is better than the other. I will say I use synthetic engine oil in my diesel's for the sole reason of they spin over far easier in the winter cold. I don't do it to extend drain intervals. I use conventional oil in my gas pickup.

And I only have small machines like my B series tractor, the RTV and antique tractors, so for the small amounts of oil they use, I just do seasonal changes on the engines and yearly on the trans, axles and hydraulics, just because they would go through a few summer heat/winter cold cycles before I ever got the hours.

Now if my capacities were more than a 5 gallon pail of oil, I might run the hours out more because it would get costly.

And even in stuff where Kubota approves gear oil OR UDT, I run all UDT in my stuff because where I live I have more cold weather than hot weather.
 
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