Bought one of these to complete a few small projects around the farm. $4500 out the door. So far ive been impressed with it. Definitely more power than what the weight of the machine (1 ton) can handle. The nice thing is you can load it on a 3k single axle trailer and haul it around behind a SxS. Up next is a 140' french drain that I was quoted $5500 for. It will quickly pay for itself.

I was planning to sell it when finished with my work but may keep it because its so handy.



Ol dad

I've looked at those and wondered if those things could handle crawling down into ditches for beaver work dam busting.

Nice

careful on them skinnysheens.......
They roll easy

Dingo......

No need to crawl ! Just turn it sideways and it will slide down there like an egg in a Teflon pan !

Haven't really heard any bad things about them, for light stuff, I see a lot of lawn guys using them for water lines on the lawns.

What brand? How do you think it would handle digging up stumps?

These are powered by a 13.5 hp B&S motor. There are no electronics. Its basically a log splitter on tracks. Not much mechanical knowledge needed to work on them. There are a couple things you can do to them for under a few hundred dollars that will improve their performance and longevity. The hydraulics are strong enough to pull itself over. Its like operating any other machinery, you need to know how to use it correctly and know its limitations.

Most of the negative reviews that I have seen are from people who expect it to perform like a 4 ton machine. Its not that. Its a shovel on steroids. I look at these machines like this, I can spend 10 hours with a shovel or 1 hour with the mini. You're not digging ponds, swimming pools, or moving 2000 lbs with it, but if you have small jobs with tight spaces they are hard to beat. However, I was able to loft this telephone pole with it which was probably 700 or 800 lbs. I've seen guys pick engine blocks. Very useful for bucking firewood.

As far as quality goes, they are from China. But seem to be built relatively well for the price. I can buy 10 of these for the cost of a similar name brand machine. Most guys expect to get at least 400 to 500 hours from this engine. Similar to a lawn mower. So it should last me at least 8 to 10 years.....Hopefully.

There are several different name brands out there but the best that I can tell is they are all manufactured from one or two companies. Shipped to the US and then a company slaps their brand name on it. Mine is an FF Industries, FF12 model.

It will dig stumps but it takes some time. Depending on the size you have to start out 5 or 6 feet from the base to bust the roots first. A ripper comes in handy. They make an attachment for everything. Ripper, various buckets, augers, jack hammers, rakes, sickle mowers, you name it. They come with a fixed thumb, but I bought a hydraulic thumb for $300.

Warrior, it would probably work well for busting small dams. I say small because they only have about a 7' reach.

ol dad

I was thinking if you could change out the bucket for a splitter grab big rounds and spit them right over a trailer you could speed up , loading and splitting.

Power of hydraulics one of the most magical, mystical contraptions mankind has invented to date. Bordering on voodoo. What a dinky contraption like that can do thanks to hydraulics is mind boggling.

Ol Dad, did you purchase online or through a local dealer?

A local dealer off marketplace. I use the term "dealer" loosely. Most are just guys buying containers of them and selling from their house.

You can buy them from a Ritchie Brothers auction but I would be cautious. It seems a lot of those have problems. Most likely why they are sent to auction. Although most problems are easy to fix as there really isn't much to them mechanically.

ol' dad

Been thinking about one myself.

This guy's reviews, and modifications, on equipment, welders, dirt bikes, vehicles, etc is always enlightening.



Won't hotlink but can.click on.youtube link below.
He goes into differences among the low end ones, what to look for/ avoid

That reach is why I wonder. To get where it can reach it pretty much has to be in the ditch bottom and I can see myself burying one track deep, lol.

They got enough power to pull themselves out of the muck?

I can help with whaT NOT TO TRY............

Um yeah, that's definitely in my wheelhouse based on past experiences, lol.

For the guy that wants to once and a while do something I think you'd be far better off renting a machine for a day or two.
I recently rented a mini-ex. It was a JCB 35Z1, 7800lb machine.
Used it for pulling rocks and stumps from trails. We lift some rocks that were a good 2ft in dia.
I doubt the Chinesium machine could do it.
Cost was $325/day or $975/week.. Had a hydraulic thumb and cab. A very capable machine.
For $4000 I could rent a far superior machine that would get more work done for 12 to 28 days depending upon how long you rent it. Also I'd have no issues with repairs, maintenance or depreciation.

If I was set on buying I'm not buying from China.
You do realize that China is an enemy of American values and life?

Son-in-law #2 rented a Kato hoe and spent good bit of time on it,hated that tippy feeling thang the time.