Excavator tips? A question about trackhoes.

[fantasymaker]

Im looking at tracked excavators to do some serious digging around the farm. I may use it to throw up about a mile of leve 8 feet tall and 12 feet wide at the top and Ill be digging another trench about the same size a half mile long,along with a ton of little jobs
Of course Id like to do this without spending tons of time working on it.
When Im done Id like to be able to easily resell the machine.
Ive been looking at machines in the 20,000 to 50,000 pound size and from $8000 to $20,000
Hints for what to look for?

[Pouncer]

It might turn out to be cheaper to lease one for a month or two. The machines in rental yards are typically fairly well maintained, and if you have an issue (hydraulics, whatever) then the repair bill is not yours. If you rent, you are responsible for fuel and not breaking the machine and that's about it. Plus you get a set amount of hours for each month too, and occasionally, no limits at all.

Shop it around, I would not drop that much into big iron since there is so much on the market right now. JMO.

[Pouncer]

PS. Hitachi's are the machines I see most on job sites I deliver to, because of their reliability and ease of operation.

[agmantoo]

I recently bought a Cat 312 that was a repo. I would have liked a Cat 320 but it exceeded my budget. Once you get above the weight range where it requires a road tractor and trailer to relocate the machine the price drops as compared to the capacity to do work. The machines that are most sought after are the ones that can be legally pulled by a tandem dump truck as there are more potential buyers so equipped. I have always thought that the larger machines are the ones that have the lowest cost of ownership for the amount of work done. As long as you are not going to be moving the machine a lot I would look for a larger machine in the 30,000 lb range or larger. These large machines also seem to have less hours on them. If you can find one reasonably priced it should do the task timely and in an affordable manner. If Obama get the projects underway to rebuild much of the road system in the country the price of the machines will soar. Hopefully I will have my work done and I will market my machine. Track hoes/excavators with less than 5000 hours should not give much trouble. They are much less prone to have mechanical trouble as compared to a track loader or a dozer. Brand should not have a lot of impact on performance but will influence sale price and replacement parts. I would stick with Cat, John Deere, Komatsu unless a bargain came along.

[silverbackMP]

deleted message. Suggested a big backhoe (case 580) then reread OP and read the leve chunk. A big trackhoe make much more sense.

[Darren]

Hitachi makes John Deere excavators. It's already been pointed out that leasing saves you the repair bills unless you're responsible for the damage. In the past I would have been leary of a $20,000 machine. If you have to replace the main hydraulic pump, you won't be happy. If you can watch the hours and take advantage of the depressed prices for equipment, you might get a real deal. From what I've heard equipment at the contractor's auctions is a real bargain if you;ve got the money and the ability to know a good machine when you see it.

[Ross]

I've run Deere and Komatsu, the Komatsu is a better machine IMO. Pay a mechanic familiar with track machines to check out the undercarrage, the rollers and chains have to be good, the pads less so if they're tight. Take your time buying a good machine, there should be a good selection these days!

[Old Vet]

You can rent one or buy one. It will take about a year to finish the levee. Working every day you may finish it in 11 month. This will give you some idea about the amount of earth you will have to move. You will be better using a dozer along with a track hoe or just a dozer if you can run them. Count in the fuel to run the equipment and you don't need to figure on repairs so the best thing will be to rent or hire it done.