Thanks, Pat. A missed opportunity, as I already bought a new Kubota U17-3. It has a very good servicibility rating, and as I plan to use it on the farm for the next 20-25 years if I’m lucky, and it should be trouble free. After several days operating it, digging and fixing washouts on our rice field perimeter road, I am learning its limitations. I prefer a 3.5 to 4 ton excavator minimum, like a KX-33 or Takeuchi DB235, but they’re too wide to run into some of the places between trees and such. The U17-3 is just 1.7 tons, and has limited digging force and lifting ability. It is all it can do to lift our 6 disc and walk with it to move it around! If you put the blade down, it does better. Now I see why Kubota doesn’t offer bigger buckets. Kubota booms seem weaker to me than Takeuchi’s, so I’ll have to be careful crowding. My elder brother managed to twist even a Takeuchi boom by digging too aggressively and crowding at the same time—and like my Dad, he was a pro. He was used to much bigger rigs, though.
You sound experienced. What area do you live? We might enjoy getting together and talking. We’re near Rattanaburi.
(See image 9091) Excavator is now building its own parking place as an extension of our carport. The QCon block is for another project.
