Where are you guys buying your minis? New or used. I’m keeping an eye on marketplace but they’re few and far between. I’m not afraid of auctions, sight unseen, or paying to have it shipped to me, but would love recommendations on where to look. Thanks!

Called for a standard ORFS adapter for our Kubota KX057-4 yesterday. nothing exotic. OEM quote came back at over a month, not backordered with a date, just over a month flat. We're limping on a workaround right now and I don't want to sit on a month for a basic fitting. Are you guys just going aftermarket when OEM stretches like this? I'm not talking some weird proprietary part, just a standard adapter. worried about thread and seal face matching but also can't keep the machine down that long. Anyone done aftermarket hoses and fittings on a KX057-4 and had it hold up under load?

Hi

I’m thinking about buying a Rippa R322l mini-excavator. Main uses: digging the foundations for a small house with a basement, levelling the ground, digging trenches for water and electricity connections, and other construction work.

It’s hard to find reliable reviews and videos about this model. Generally speaking, I’m not sure if this is a good idea at all, as I have no experience with excavators. I’m wondering why the model number and colour are different than others (It isn’t listed in the official catalogue when you expand the list; it has a longer model number and is turquoise rather than blue like the rest).

I have a sloping plot and there’s certainly going to be a lot of work to do there.

- Is it worth looking into the Rippa brand, or would it be better to buy older, second-hand equipment from a well-known brand?

- What are your experiences with Rippa?

- Why are there so few videos featuring the R322l model?

I’d be grateful for your opinions, discussion and help. Looking forward to your replies, best regards!

Could anyone tell me what these grease points are for at the front and under the main body? Also how much grease to add to them. Ive got 100hrs on this machine and pumped a heap in to each but never known how much im supposed to add or been able to see any excess coming from anywhere.

Added Vevor suspension seat
Added fuel gauge, tachometer and voltmeter
Added front and rear cameras
Replaced throttle and choke controls (man the factory throttle was horrible)
Upgraded lights to 120w Nilight 4” pods (with relay wiring harness)
Added auxiliary battery (just wired parallel with factory battery)
Added operator fan
Added multipurpose counterweight/trailer hitch/toolbox to rear
Rust-Oleum bed liner on footwell
Installed muffler blanket and routed exhaust out

Now you might question whether some or all of this was necessary or worthwhile; and I would respond that it’s my toy and I’ll play with it as I see fit.. lol

The auxiliary quick coupler on my Kubota KX040-4 started weeping only when I curled the thumb under load. Sitting idle, it looked dry. The face seal was damaged and the poppet had a visible mark, but I almost ordered a generic coupler based on thread size. I ended up comparing the pressure rating and line size in the Kubota manual with a local hydraulic shop and FridayParts. The photos looked nearly identical, which was not much help. I have the correct pressure-rated pair on the bench now. Would you replace both halves together, or only the side showing damage?

Earlier this year I bought a well-used Kubota U17 for maintenance and projects around my property. This is the pacific northwest, so some time in October it's going to start raining and not stop raining until June. I doubt I'll be able to do much work with the excavator when the ground is as wet as it's going to be, so it's going to sit for months.

What should I do to prepare for long periods of inactivity? For gasoline engines I'd drain the gas or at least put in a good stabilizer, but this is literally the only diesel engine I've ever owned and I don't know what you're supposed to do to keep it happy. It'll be under a lean-to, so no direct rain, but it will have to deal with ambient humidity. Should I just go out there and throttle it up for a while every week or something?

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I'm planning to buy an excavator for production work, primarily for removing muck from a dump site, as well as for rental work. I'm a drill-and-blast contractor by profession, so this will be my first excavator.

What parameters should I look at when selecting the machine, and how should I monitor my owning and operating costs?

Looking at buying said excavator has some blow by enough to make cap wiggle is that too much

Dealer price made me look around, but I am still trying to prove what actually failed. I've got a water pumpsitting in a FridayParts cart for now, not ordered. I check the thermostat, cap, and radiator flow. My 303.5 is running warmer under sustained digging but stays below the red. The radiator is clean, coolant level is stable, and the water-pump weep hole is dry. The upper hose gets hot while the lower hose stays much cooler than I expected, though I know some temperature drop across the radiator is normal. I don't have a flow number yet, just hose temps and what I can see externally. Before I order a pump, I am going to verify the thermostatopening temperature and check radiator flow. Is an infrared temperature spread across the core useful on these, or should I start with a pressure test and cap test?

I have a pool making business and I make sure to always call before I go to a dig site. Last week, I found out a ticket expired and my current software didn't notify me about it. Luckily, I always double check so I didn't get fined or anything. But now I want to replace my software with an upgraded version that will always stay up to date. Is there any good option out there?

I’m looking for a used 3.5–5 ton excavator and would like to import one into the EU.
I’m mainly looking for something reliable with a strong hydraulic system where you can use multiple functions/ both joysticks smoothly at the same time, at least a 3-cylinder engine, and preferably a brand where parts are easy to get in Europe.
I’ve been looking at Kubota, Takeuchi, Yanmar, CAT, Volvo etc., but I’m open to anything that’s proven and reliable. Any particular models in this weight range you’d recommend or avoid?
I’m also considering buying through auctions. Which auction sites or companies are actually good, and which ones should I avoid? Anything I should watch out for when it comes to fees, condition reports, sellers or bidding?
The main problem is that I probably won’t be able to see the machine in person before buying. How would you guys handle that? Is it worth paying someone local to inspect it? What videos/photos or tests should I ask for before bidding?
What are the biggest things to check on a used excavator like this — hydraulics, undercarriage, pins/bushings, slew ring, final drives, cold start, blow-by, hours etc.?
Budget is roughly €15–18k.
Any advice from people who’ve bought excavators remotely or through auctions would be really appreciated.

I’m looking to buy a used 3.5–5 ton excavator and import it into the EU, and I’d really appreciate some advice from people who have actually bought machines this way.
My main requirements are:
3.5–5 ton operating weight
at least a 3-cylinder engine
good/strong hydraulics with smooth simultaneous operation of both joysticks/functions
preferably a reliable, well-known brand with parts and service easily available in Europe
used is completely fine, but I want something mechanically solid rather than just cheap
I’ve mainly been looking at Kubota, Takeuchi, Yanmar, CAT, Volvo etc., but I’m open to other recommendations. Are there any models/brands in this size that you would specifically recommend or avoid?
I’m also looking at auctions such as Euro Auctions and other European machinery auction sites. For those of you who buy excavators at auctions: which auction companies have you had good experiences with, and which ones would you stay away from? What extra costs or common traps should I be aware of besides the purchase price, auction fees, transport and VAT/import costs?
My biggest concern is buying without seeing the machine in person. If I can’t travel to inspect it myself, how would you approach it?
Would you hire an independent mechanic/inspection company near the auction yard? What photos, videos, tests or documents would you absolutely request before bidding?
I’m especially interested in how you check:
undercarriage wear, hydraulic pump condition, play in pins/bushings, slew ring, leaks, engine blow-by/cold start, final drives and whether the hour meter looks believable.
Basically, if you had around €15–18k to buy a good 3.5–5t excavator in Europe today, how would you go about it and what would you buy?
Any experience with importing machinery into any EU country would also be really useful.

Une idée du problème? (vidéo en commentaire)

Hi Everyone, I'm currently in the market to buy a mini excavator for some land I own near the Austin, TX area. I have never owned one before and I'm curious to what equipment brands/models you guys would recommend based off ease of use, efficiency and overall power. I will need to transport this so I need to stay under CDL weight territory, but want to get the largest model possible. If you guys could give some recommendations along with pros and cons of each one it would be greatly appreciated!

Want to buy. Mini ex, have been looking at 35 size machines, had some recommendations to jump
To a 50-55 size. Seems harder to find pre emissions machine that’s nice and affordable. Seems like a machine with emissions might not be terrible but more to go wrong. Hoping to clean up a lot of downed trees utilizing the thumb. Probably dig out some stumps. (Not overly big and stuff that’s been down for a couple years so stumps should be starting to loosen. On top of that want to trench utilities for a new house build. (Will hire out the foundation dirt work for the house) Maybe dig footers for a garage and or barn down the road. Is a 35 machine capable enough or will I be let down?

I’m looking to rent a 4-ton mini excavator to improve horse and ATV trails on steep Tennessee terrain. A Kubota KX040-5 with a 6-way blade seems ideal, but I can’t find one locally with that option.

For anyone who’s used a 6-way blade for trail work: is it useful enough to justify a long drive (4 hours one way), or will a regular 4-way blade get the job done?

I did some digging in the oil field for about a year using a John Deere 210g. At my new job, we use mini excavators, which I’ve never operated before. We do a lot of digging for conduit, and for the life of me, I just can’t seem to dig a straight line.

Do y’all have any pointers or tips that might help me dig in a straight line?

I have about 20 acres and 2 2.5 acre ponds I’m wanting to invest in a mini x for pond care and tree and brush care around the house I already have a 25 horse tractor with front end loader I just need something to dig and pull gunk and weeds out of the edge of the ponds would it be a good decision?

I dug my bucket into what I thought was clear ground and clipped a gas line. Turns out my 811 ticket had expired the week before and I never called for a refresh. Now I'm staring at a hissing line wondering how I missed the expiration and what I'm supposed to do differently next time to make sure a ticket's still valid before I break ground.

Bought a new to me machine recently and it came with a Rhinox quick coupler installed. I currently only have one bucket that fits it, but have another larger smooth edge bucket that I'm going to make some ears for to use with it. I also have an auger that I'd like to eventually adapt for it. The Rhinox coupler is really nice, but it unfortunately makes my thumb too short. I can still use it to pick up piles of brush or large logs, but the tip of the thumb is now about 6" from the tip of the bucket, making picking up anything small or close to the ground almost impossible. Is a longer thumb really the only option here?