I appreciate the editing you did. When I first saw it was a 40 minute vid, I was afraid it was going to be 30 minutes of rambling and 15 of content. Thanks for making a good vid.
This is an extremely well-executed and honest presentation of personal experience that I needed since I have never operated a mini excavator. Thank you for discussing the points to be aware of while considering a purchase of this equipment.
Thank you! You saved me tons of research effort. This is an excellent resource and will serve as my guide when purchasing. I have a small farm with a limited budget and want to purchase something economical but reliable.
I've decided to buy one of these mini excavators and am taking my time to weigh the pros and cons of each machine as well. Thanks for making time to create this video, it will really help me as I'm looking to do similar things with my machine as I'm pushing 60 and want to start to work smarter, and not harder. haha
Thank you so much for this detailed review! I wish this existed 3 months ago when I bought mine. Not being able to get into the engine bay easily sucks.
My first and only experience with a mini excavator was a Takeuchi TB 235-2 that I rented to pioneer into my property, and build driveway and building pad. It didn't take me long to figure out what it could and couldn't do. Fell in love with the beast, I should've been born with one.
Yeah, this thing is really fun. I need to be careful, or I'll just dig up the whole place. One benefit of a rental, I suppose, is that you have to give it back. 😄
The best safety tip I’ve ever received is “lift it twice” once in your mind, once in reality. So rehears and think, try to notice what pit falls there are.
We considered one of these low-cost mini excavators - but ultimately decided we wanted a more traditional mini-ex. We spent a lot more money, but got a lot more machine with our Takeuchi.
It's just a matter of cost and understanding what the machine offers. I've got a Kubota excavator but I'm likely going to buy a Chinese mini skid steer. I can grab a brand new one at auction for under $5,000 whereas an equal bobcat or Kubota are over $50,000 in my area. The biggest thing to consider is: how handy are you? I've got the ability to machine parts through a friend if necessary, I know how to weld and have a welder, I do 3D CAD design as a hobby so I can design and fabricate my own repairs and upgrades, I know how to work on small engines and hydraulics etc. so for me, saving $50k or more is worth it all day.
My understanding was that the main advantage of a multi-spool pump is that it lets you run multiple functions more smoothly at the same time, e.g. moving the boom and stick together to pull grade.
Which is the reason that you want one with a three pump unit instead of a two.On a one pump, forget it as they do not work well together. On a two pump it is only marginally better. The three pump lets you use both traction pumps for movement and the attachment pump for the boom, stick, and bucket.
That's a good point. If I had a lathe, I'd be tempted to cut some chamfers on the spools for the track drive controls. Those are the only ones on mine that really seem impossible to ease into slowly enough to avoid jerky movement.
That feature would certainly be useful in some situations, but it didn't fit neatly enough into any one of the 9 categories that made the final cut for this video. I had to draw the line somewhere.
Word of advice, when loading and unloading, turn the machine and extend the arm and lower it in the direction you’re going on or off a trailer. If you do have a jerking maneuver like in this video, the arm will likely stop you from tipping over. It’s the safest way to load or unload these machines. Also, when shut off, operate all the levers to release the pressure on the rams. Your seals will thank you for it. Never leave the arm up in the air for long periods of time.
subscribed and liked. I would love to have one, but, well... I have a small tractor, having the controls by my side, for me, is paramount to using it. I suffer from chronic pain from muscles in my back. Having my arms out in front of me is 100% a deal killer. I sometimes forget this. I'd bought one with those controls out here. Now no way I would. Thanks I also wish someone would make a electric one. Replace the gas with a 10 hp electric and a 10kwh battery. If you did this you could make a mower head that ran off the battery and this would solve the problems of not enough hydraulic flow. Sure the run time might not be great. Not a large unit either, just enough to cut the brush back.
There are a couple of manufacturers making electric/ battery-powered mini excavators, but the battery power only drives the hydraulic pumps. All of the digging, crawling, and auxiliary functions are still powered by the hydraulics. It would be really nice to have one so quiet, but they are much more expensive than the gasoline powered versions. Thanks for watching, and welcome to the channel!
Thanks. Now you're ready to start shopping. A mini excavator would come in really handy around your chicken and quail egg operation for, well...give me a minute...
Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing that information. That was a valve I saw while walking around an auction yard. It had no identifying marks. This sort of 3-way diverter valve is usually available on eBay, though.
Here is what to look at. A kabota 008 is around 26,000. If you are buy a cheap Chinese mini excavator. If you buy from a auction there is no warranty. You will have to do some inspection of the machines and may need to do some small repairs. Why you bought a cheaper machines. On the joysticks i say backhoe or excavator controls. I lurned backhoe controls. So thats what i preferre. Here is a gauge when buying a machines. The bigger the machines the faster the job gets done. The more it will cost. The smaller the machine. Will take longer to do a job. And the machines will cost less. On the 1ton weight of a mini excavator. It can be from around 1,800 to 2,1000 plus your weight. Best way to know is get it weighted your self. Then you know. Now day there are a ton of different companies making these machines. There is about 4 different body types.
Great viseo and I value many of your points for lurchasing this unit. May i ask some follow up. You kention you would have liked to known about the possabulity of having pedals for monovotkng. Have uou gound a simular model with pedals? How easy is it to temove amd teplace the shafts holding the canopies? I have a fixed carport i need to get under to reach a portion of my propertu. Lasrt one . How do you feeo this does digging on harder or dense soil? I found one of these in my area and highlu considering purchasing. You raised some great points. Thank you!
Thanks for the questions, and thanks for watching. I don't know of a specific model that has foot pedals and also has all the favorable features that are on the LH12R. The AGT H15, which is the yellow one that I sat on in the video when talking about pilot controls, has foot pedals, but that is a 1.5 ton unit and has many other differences as well. So, it really isn't similar. Most of the canopy supports I've seen have between 6 and 8 bolts, so they would be relatively easy to remove if you need to get it under a low carport. I have not tried to dig on heavy clay or hard packed soil. I suspect you would need to break up the soil with a ripper tooth before digging. Otherwise, the mini excavator will just raise up when you try to push the bucket into the hard ground.
On the "Piolet style" controls the foot pedals mover the entire boom left to right for getting in close to houses the two long bars run your tracks forward and back.
The pilot control option excavators that I've looked at, the foot pedals control the blade and aux, not the tracks. I haven't seen any units where the tracks are controlled via pedals. Has anyone seen this configuration?
I haven't yet found one of the low-cost mini excavators with track drive pedals, but higher end units like the Sany SY35U and the Bobcat E32, E35 and older 331 have the combined pedals with levers for tracking, to name a few.
Yes, we can operate both track control levers with one hand, which leaves the other hand free to do something else, such as slewing. The specific things I'd like to be able to do at the same time, though, are moving both tracks while keeping the bucket in contact with the ground to stabilize the machine, such as when descending a slope. That ideally means moving the stick and boom at the same time as you crawl along. Those controls are on two separate levers spaced far enough apart that they can not be operated with one hand. So, we are still short by one hand, even if running both tracks with a single hand. A set of foot pedals for the tracks would leave both hands free to run the stick and boom. In any case, my machine is sufficiently maneuverable without foot pedals, and I don't plan on switching to a pilot controlled machine. I definitely see an advantage in such a setup, though.
I'm not familiar with that specific model, but if it has pilot controls, that switch probably locks out the pilot control levers in case you bump the levers while getting into the seat.
I was lucky enough to buy a takeuchi tbo16 at a auction with 1200 hours very happy with it. 1.5 ton. Parts easy to get. Chinese is junk hard to parts, unstable ,poor resale.
I appreciate the editing you did. When I first saw it was a 40 minute vid, I was afraid it was going to be 30 minutes of rambling and 15 of content. Thanks for making a good vid.
Thanks for your feedback, and thanks for watching. I'm glad it exceeded expectations.
Hands down the best and most organized point by point review on these things. Thanks you very much
I appreciate the kind words, thanks for watching!
This is an extremely well-executed and honest presentation of personal experience that I needed since I have never operated a mini excavator. Thank you for discussing the points to be aware of while considering a purchase of this equipment.
Thanks for that feedback! I'm glad you found it useful.
Thank you! You saved me tons of research effort. This is an excellent resource and will serve as my guide when purchasing. I have a small farm with a limited budget and want to purchase something economical but reliable.
You're welcome! I'm glad it was helpful.
Thank you. Well done. Extremely important information for anyone considering this type purchase.
You bet, hope it helps people make an informed decision!
Great review, it will 100% be used to select my next purchase!
Thanks! Feedback like that makes it worth the effort.
Yep, by far the best info on purchasing a mini excavator. Thank you for making the video. Great info.
You're welcome! I'm glad it was helpful.
Great video all the newbies should watch it. Well done!
Thank you, and thanks for watching.
I've decided to buy one of these mini excavators and am taking my time to weigh the pros and cons of each machine as well. Thanks for making time to create this video, it will really help me as I'm looking to do similar things with my machine as I'm pushing 60 and want to start to work smarter, and not harder. haha
Glad I could help. Thanks for watching!
Great video- thank you so much for taking the time to post this!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for this detailed review! I wish this existed 3 months ago when I bought mine. Not being able to get into the engine bay easily sucks.
I'm glad it was helpful, though a bit late for you. Thanks for watching.
A lot of very useful information! All good considerations when shopping!
Glad it was helpful!
It might be small but its faster than a shovel good job 👍👍👍👍👍
That's a fact!
My first and only experience with a mini excavator was a Takeuchi TB 235-2 that I rented to pioneer into my property, and build driveway and building pad. It didn't take me long to figure out what it could and couldn't do. Fell in love with the beast, I should've been born with one.
Yeah, this thing is really fun. I need to be careful, or I'll just dig up the whole place. One benefit of a rental, I suppose, is that you have to give it back. 😄
Excellent video. This would be a very helpful video for someone that is in the market for one of these machines.
I really appreciate that feedback. It makes the effort of creating this video seem very worthwhile. Thanks for watching!
👍👍Excellent advice.
Glad you think so!
Excellent!!!
Thanks for watching!
Oh! Man! You had me at the firewood!!!!
Yeah, I think that one activity is going to account for the bulk of the hours I put on this thing.
I'm looking at these now to replace my tow-able trencher. Very informative. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
This was helpful, thank you
So glad! Thanks for watching.
The best safety tip I’ve ever received is “lift it twice” once in your mind, once in reality. So rehears and think, try to notice what pit falls there are.
Thanks for sharing that tip.
On the straights and flats keep boom up close in its trave position boom out and low when on sketchy ground ,hills,you can crab walk them ,and all.
I appreciate your insights. You are certainly further along the learning curve than I am.
We considered one of these low-cost mini excavators - but ultimately decided we wanted a more traditional mini-ex. We spent a lot more money, but got a lot more machine with our Takeuchi.
That's cool. May it serve you well for years to come. Stay safe.
It's just a matter of cost and understanding what the machine offers. I've got a Kubota excavator but I'm likely going to buy a Chinese mini skid steer. I can grab a brand new one at auction for under $5,000 whereas an equal bobcat or Kubota are over $50,000 in my area.
The biggest thing to consider is: how handy are you? I've got the ability to machine parts through a friend if necessary, I know how to weld and have a welder, I do 3D CAD design as a hobby so I can design and fabricate my own repairs and upgrades, I know how to work on small engines and hydraulics etc. so for me, saving $50k or more is worth it all day.
@@kylequinn1963what auction are u talking about
@@Joshua-ex8sxGovPlanet, probably
My understanding was that the main advantage of a multi-spool pump is that it lets you run multiple functions more smoothly at the same time, e.g. moving the boom and stick together to pull grade.
Thanks for that insight, and thanks for watching.
Which is the reason that you want one with a three pump unit instead of a two.On a one pump, forget it as they do not work well together. On a two pump it is only marginally better. The three pump lets you use both traction pumps for movement and the attachment pump for the boom, stick, and bucket.
Very well done! Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
One thing most of the cheaper ones don't have is proper spool valves with feathering. That is something for accurate work you really do need.
That's a good point. If I had a lathe, I'd be tempted to cut some chamfers on the spools for the track drive controls. Those are the only ones on mine that really seem impossible to ease into slowly enough to avoid jerky movement.
@@thePFOchannel Some videos I have seen show the rotate motor also has that problem which is why some add a relief valve on them.
@gravelydon7072 Yes, in fact, that is one potential use of a cushion valve that I mentioned in this particular video, at about the 20:32 mark.
Did i miss it or didnt you mention a swinging boom? Thats something to consider if you need to work close to something, like a wall or a fence.
That feature would certainly be useful in some situations, but it didn't fit neatly enough into any one of the 9 categories that made the final cut for this video. I had to draw the line somewhere.
Great video!
I'm glad you liked it!
Deff safety first,I know to make sure I have control of that boom it's your saft net .
No doubt!
Word of advice, when loading and unloading, turn the machine and extend the arm and lower it in the direction you’re going on or off a trailer. If you do have a jerking maneuver like in this video, the arm will likely stop you from tipping over. It’s the safest way to load or unload these machines. Also, when shut off, operate all the levers to release the pressure on the rams. Your seals will thank you for it. Never leave the arm up in the air for long periods of time.
Thanks for the advice, and thanks for watching!
subscribed and liked.
I would love to have one, but, well...
I have a small tractor, having the controls by my side, for me, is paramount to using it. I suffer from chronic pain from muscles in my back. Having my arms out in front of me is 100% a deal killer.
I sometimes forget this.
I'd bought one with those controls out here.
Now no way I would.
Thanks
I also wish someone would make a electric one. Replace the gas with a 10 hp electric and a 10kwh battery. If you did this you could make a mower head that ran off the battery and this would solve the problems of not enough hydraulic flow. Sure the run time might not be great. Not a large unit either, just enough to cut the brush back.
There are a couple of manufacturers making electric/ battery-powered mini excavators, but the battery power only drives the hydraulic pumps. All of the digging, crawling, and auxiliary functions are still powered by the hydraulics. It would be really nice to have one so quiet, but they are much more expensive than the gasoline powered versions. Thanks for watching, and welcome to the channel!
Very informative
Thank you
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.
Good info thanks
Thanks for watching!
Great info!
Thanks. Now you're ready to start shopping. A mini excavator would come in really handy around your chicken and quail egg operation for, well...give me a minute...
Even though i bought a QH12R, i still admire this model. Just seems nicely put together.
When it comes down to it, though, they all dig!
@@thePFOchannel I like how they incorporate the cooler in that model of yours. Mine (with no cooler) could cook a breakfast omelet lol
It is amazing how much heat is produced under that seat.
Great video !
Thanks!
Very informative video. 👍
Glad you think so! Thanks for watching.
Deff a nice roll cage you have mine is not it's tubular
I agree, but I hope we neither get to test them!
I have that same machine minus the hydro cooler
I've heard they are not too hard to add on, but I'm glad I don't have to find out.
Could you list the make and model of the diverter valve in this video?
On the boom for the auxiliary thumb
Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing that information. That was a valve I saw while walking around an auction yard. It had no identifying marks. This sort of 3-way diverter valve is usually available on eBay, though.
Thank you
Nice video
Here is what to look at. A kabota 008 is around 26,000. If you are buy a cheap Chinese mini excavator. If you buy from a auction there is no warranty. You will have to do some inspection of the machines and may need to do some small repairs. Why you bought a cheaper machines. On the joysticks i say backhoe or excavator controls. I lurned backhoe controls. So thats what i preferre.
Here is a gauge when buying a machines. The bigger the machines the faster the job gets done. The more it will cost. The smaller the machine. Will take longer to do a job. And the machines will cost less.
On the 1ton weight of a mini excavator. It can be from around 1,800 to 2,1000 plus your weight. Best way to know is get it weighted your self. Then you know.
Now day there are a ton of different companies making these machines. There is about 4 different body types.
Thanks for the summary, and thanks for watching.
Great viseo and I value many of your points for lurchasing this unit. May i ask some follow up.
You kention you would have liked to known about the possabulity of having pedals for monovotkng. Have uou gound a simular model with pedals?
How easy is it to temove amd teplace the shafts holding the canopies? I have a fixed carport i need to get under to reach a portion of my propertu.
Lasrt one . How do you feeo this does digging on harder or dense soil?
I found one of these in my area and highlu considering purchasing. You raised some great points. Thank you!
Thanks for the questions, and thanks for watching.
I don't know of a specific model that has foot pedals and also has all the favorable features that are on the LH12R. The AGT H15, which is the yellow one that I sat on in the video when talking about pilot controls, has foot pedals, but that is a 1.5 ton unit and has many other differences as well. So, it really isn't similar.
Most of the canopy supports I've seen have between 6 and 8 bolts, so they would be relatively easy to remove if you need to get it under a low carport.
I have not tried to dig on heavy clay or hard packed soil. I suspect you would need to break up the soil with a ripper tooth before digging. Otherwise, the mini excavator will just raise up when you try to push the bucket into the hard ground.
@@thePFOchannel thanks for getting back to me. Appreciate the information.
Informative thank you Will
Glad it was helpful!
Thankyou sir 🙏
Glad you found it helpful.
I’m 26 years old. Great video
Thanks, and welcome to the channel! That looks like a nice David Clark headset in your profile Pic. Are you a pilot?
Do all these one ton machines roll like that on a incline???
I don't know. I've only driven this one.
On the "Piolet style" controls the foot pedals mover the entire boom left to right for getting in close to houses the two long bars run your tracks forward and back.
That's one possible setup. There seems to be a wide variety of what the pedals control on the various brands that have them.
My machine is a top spec mini with all the features and quite good quality, it’s more like the expensive machines. UHI ume12p.
That looks like a great machine. Have fun and stay safe!
Thanks
You're welcome. Thanks for watching.
Great List. Sounds like you did a lot of research before you bought yours.
Thanks, and yes, I did.
Great info, but you should invest in a microphone, because the audio isn't great.
Thanks for the suggestion, and thanks for watching!
The pilot control option excavators that I've looked at, the foot pedals control the blade and aux, not the tracks. I haven't seen any units where the tracks are controlled via pedals. Has anyone seen this configuration?
I haven't yet found one of the low-cost mini excavators with track drive pedals, but higher end units like the Sany SY35U and the Bobcat E32, E35 and older 331 have the combined pedals with levers for tracking, to name a few.
I don’t see the point, I can use both drive levers with one hand if needed and slew with the other hand, they are very manoeuvrable
Yes, we can operate both track control levers with one hand, which leaves the other hand free to do something else, such as slewing. The specific things I'd like to be able to do at the same time, though, are moving both tracks while keeping the bucket in contact with the ground to stabilize the machine, such as when descending a slope. That ideally means moving the stick and boom at the same time as you crawl along. Those controls are on two separate levers spaced far enough apart that they can not be operated with one hand. So, we are still short by one hand, even if running both tracks with a single hand. A set of foot pedals for the tracks would leave both hands free to run the stick and boom. In any case, my machine is sufficiently maneuverable without foot pedals, and I don't plan on switching to a pilot controlled machine. I definitely see an advantage in such a setup, though.
I just bought an AGT LS15R. It has a lock/unlock switch on it next to the cooling fan and light switches. Any idea what this is for?
I'm not familiar with that specific model, but if it has pilot controls, that switch probably locks out the pilot control levers in case you bump the levers while getting into the seat.
I was lucky enough to buy a takeuchi tbo16 at a auction with 1200 hours very happy with it. 1.5 ton. Parts easy to get. Chinese is junk hard to parts, unstable ,poor resale.
I'm glad you got a good deal on a solid machine!
Excellent guide. But buy a microphone 😂
Thanks! Yeah, a microphone is the first upgrade on the list when this endeavor starts earning its keep.
sound quality made this impossible to watch even with the hearing aid in. just fyi
Thanks. Sorry it didn't work out for you.
Nothing wrong with the sound quality, replace your batteries.
Use closed caption my friend 😂
Just stay away from NUOMAN, and all the other brands are within standard
I've never run across that brand. It sounds like there's a story there?