You can't find used hitachi equipment. That tells me one thing. Your right they are faster but that's cause they are geared higher. Put a hitachi and komatsu on a slope and the komatsu will swing a heavier load. This is with the older machines (90s models, EXs and what not).
Excavators
- Thread starter WolfLMM
- Start date
You can't find used hitachi equipment. That tells me one thing. Your right they are faster but that's cause they are geared higher. Put a hitachi and komatsu on a slope and the komatsu will swing a heavier load. This is with the older machines (90s models, EXs and what not).
We've got a komatsu PC200. Its a 94 model with the 95hp engine. We got it cheap and have had to replace and fix a lot of components. Over all it does good for what we use it for. Just lacking a little in the power dept.
My dream is to have 330 Cat though. Cats equipment is built to last.
My dream is to have 330 Cat though. Cats equipment is built to last.
Last edited:
My only problem with CAT stuff is when they do break they are expensive. The old adage at work is cat stands for Cant Afford This
I am trying one out!! I will see how it compares to the Hitachi 240 we had out last week. Price wise Hitachi and Cat seem to be the most expensive machines.
Travis, the swing drive on my 96 ex200 cost me 3500 to rebuild (I R&R it as well), if that was a cat machine how do you think it would compare?? (All seals and one sleeve. All other hard parts were good)
I rebuilt a swing drive the other day and I belive the bearings alone were around 2000 thats not including seals and labor
How about a Bucyrus Erie?
They built one called Ursa Major back in the 90s that really digs...
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/35751-mega-excavators-dragline-excavators-video.htm
They built one called Ursa Major back in the 90s that really digs...
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/35751-mega-excavators-dragline-excavators-video.htm
KOMATSU HANDS DOWN I have ten years experience as an equipment mechanic and I have seen the komatsu's run longer with less problems than any other excavator I worked on. Most Komatsu eqipment is fitted with one size inline six Cummins or another. I have worked on Caterpillar ,Kobelco, Mitsubishi, Daewoo(junk), Hitachi, Linkbelt, Kubota, Case, Komatsu and maybe some others I have missed.
I know what you mean on Cat being expensive. Our D6 D model had to have the tranny pulled out to replace one o-ring around the input yolk and it cost around 4k for that trip. But it was money well spent.
I know what you mean on Cat being expensive. Our D6 D model had to have the tranny pulled out to replace one o-ring around the input yolk and it cost around 4k for that trip. But it was money well spent.
But as we say, big iron big money. And you have to pay to play.
But as we say, big iron big money. And you have to pay to play.
Finally something I can post about
I would have to say that they all are only as good as the guys working on them. I have tuned a 5230 CAT Shovel to dig circles around a Hitachi EX3600, But I had stay on top of it, neglect her and she would eat your lunch.
A few years ago JD & Hitachi had the best excavators, but Cat has really stepped up there game lately.
Each to there own I guess, working Field Service here in Alaska has shown me that they all will break, but who is going to be able to support you with parts & service? Thats the brand I would be all over.
Caterpillar is more money, but there machines were designed to be rebuilt over and over.
I would have to say that they all are only as good as the guys working on them. I have tuned a 5230 CAT Shovel to dig circles around a Hitachi EX3600, But I had stay on top of it, neglect her and she would eat your lunch.
A few years ago JD & Hitachi had the best excavators, but Cat has really stepped up there game lately.
Each to there own I guess, working Field Service here in Alaska has shown me that they all will break, but who is going to be able to support you with parts & service? Thats the brand I would be all over.
Caterpillar is more money, but there machines were designed to be rebuilt over and over.
X2. CAT kinda fell off after it's huge success with the 320, 330, and 340's in the 90's early 2000's. But lately they have made a comeback. And customer service IS a big factor in what people buy. And from my experience, cost for most things are close to the same between CAT and it's major competition. Difference seems to be parts availability for the most part.
well i have no operating experience with excavators bnut we get a lot done at our place.
Our excavatror(and one of my sponsors) had as Komatsu that was baby blue and all of the warning labels and such were written in japanese, i know he liked it but he needed to upgrade. The thing i thought was cool was that when you were standing by it you couldnt hear it idling, and when he bumped it to full throttle it was still very quiet.
He now has two volvos. And im a volvo fan myself ever since we bought or L60E payloader.
The biggest advantage they have ios fuel consumption, dont know about the excavators but our L60E sips 1.6gph of fuel on average over the last 6,000 hours. The same size CAT uses over 3. So we didnt care how much nicer the cat may be to run, using half the fuel is the selling point. I do like running our volvo though. I got some funny looks this summer when I missed a driveway i was supposed to plow and swerved into the other lane and starting heading back down the road at 30mph in reverse.
service is also great, and reasonably priced.
Our excavatror(and one of my sponsors) had as Komatsu that was baby blue and all of the warning labels and such were written in japanese, i know he liked it but he needed to upgrade. The thing i thought was cool was that when you were standing by it you couldnt hear it idling, and when he bumped it to full throttle it was still very quiet.
He now has two volvos. And im a volvo fan myself ever since we bought or L60E payloader.
The biggest advantage they have ios fuel consumption, dont know about the excavators but our L60E sips 1.6gph of fuel on average over the last 6,000 hours. The same size CAT uses over 3. So we didnt care how much nicer the cat may be to run, using half the fuel is the selling point. I do like running our volvo though. I got some funny looks this summer when I missed a driveway i was supposed to plow and swerved into the other lane and starting heading back down the road at 30mph in reverse.
service is also great, and reasonably priced.
Here's some pretty cool big digger pics. The first one is a 155 CY bucket we hauled from a Marion 8900 dragline. Third largest ever built. The second one is a picture of Dad and the 5561 Marion shovel we disassembled back in 1982. The last one is a picture of my Dodge gasser next to a Cat 5230, probably 10-12 years ago.
Last edited:
haven run one in a while but grew up around em. Worked in a couple shops partial to deers and cat