Looking to put chase an excavator 10-14 tonnes to dig out and do the ground around the house and also to clean up around the farm. From looking on dodgy deal I’ve decided to go with a Hitachi a so recon that they will hold their value best. Just wondering what is the difference between all the different model no.s eg 120-1 or 120-5 or a ex135 or an ex135ur. Also is ther a difference ones that are Hitachi or Fiat Hitachi (with the blue FH on the boom)
Thanks
Dash 1 and dash 5 are the best of them. Dash one had little or no electrics and had twin gear pumps. Dash 5 has twin piston pumps. Dash 2 and 3 have single piston pumps. The only problem with the single pump is if you're in bad ground and get into bother you can't put down the arm and track at the same time. The dash 2 had a bad setup for the electric throttle which could give niggly bother but generally aren't too bad.
As said before rust is an issue on earlier ones. Cab on our uh02 isn't hectic.
Dash 5 will be north of 22k but a good dash 1 or 2 could be picked up for around the 15k mark. Dash 2 were the first with servo levers I believe so they're nicer to drive than a dash 1.
Try and get one on 2ft 6 pads. Keep you up in bad ground.
If you're moving a 120 regular you need a good low loader and a tractor North of 6 tons to be legal. Hence, an ex100 may suit better.
Personally I like the 6 ton digger cause they're easy to move around and a lot more economical on fuel. Hard beat the power of a larger digger but they will be significantly harder on fuel.
Ur is the zero tail swing model. Great on a building site but for making drains they tend to bow a bit in the front so I wouldn't be mad about one for farm use.
Anything older than a dash 1, uh etc are also a good basic machine but I will say its getting harder and harder to get parts for them. I've had to change filter housings and stuff on ours cause some of them are no longer served. If the dealer has a few of them on the shelf I tend to buy them all cause the response I usually get is "We won't be ordering them again"
Usual things to check out, have a look at the chains, and see its tracking alright. One with buckets is not to be sneezed at. You wouldn't find spending another few thousand on 120 buckets.
Fiat Hitachi have iveco engines, 100 120 and uh have isuzu engines. Ex 60 have a sweet little Nissan unit.
Common problem is the filter in the bottom of the tank is rarely cleaned or changed. They get blocked up and as a consequence they have no power.
Make sure the oil isn't gone milky. Moisture ingress can be an issue.
That's all I can think of for the minute.