Is now the right time to buy a new compact excavator?
While our OEM experts were naturally enthusiastic about buying new, they did offer these pointers on when and how to take the plunge.
Dan Collins of Kobelco says 10,000 hours is about the point when repair costs dictate replacement, but given the typical annual hours on a compact excavator, it can take a long time to accrue that many hours.
“The broken booms and sticks and cracked frames that we saw 20 years ago are long gone," he says. "Newer machines are more robust, and most of them probably have hours remaining. But they lack the features and technology of the latest machines, and that’s a serious shortcoming.”
He says that in this extremely competitive market, manufacturers race to add features to stand out, and the customer benefits.
The SK75R-7 (shown) and SK85CS-7 are the next generation of mid-size compact excavators from Kobelco. Digging speeds have increased 37% over previous models, resulting in cycle time reductions of 15%. Engine power output is increased 28%. Both have 70 horsepower. Operating weights are 18,700 pounds for the SK75R-7 and 20,100 pounds for the SK85CS-7.Kobelco
