The "Chief" Thread place

[Flyin6]

Welp, I went and did it

I purchased an excavator!

I was planning to buy one for several years now, but I was always looking around the 12,000 to 30,000 pound range.

These midi to small sized Track Hoes are fairly popular with farmers, Landscapers, and just about everybody, and the price has oftentimes reflected it.

I really am needing one for the Hide to dig out a bunch of things so yesterday I spent almost all day looking on line and on Craigslist, then around 1900 I checked one more time, and this interesting Kobelco showed up...He had just posted it.

[Flyin6]

That is a 2001 Kobelco SK250LC Dynamic Acera with an optional long stick, aux low and high volume hydraulics to the front to run a thumb or a tree saw or things like that.

I checked it out thoroughly. The motor is quiet, and starts right up, and does not smoke at all. The interior looks really great, like closer to new than used. None of the many excavators I have looked at, including reconditioned units looked this good inside, and all this current owner did was to sweep it out.

This is NOT a little excavator! This is a 55,000 pound unit with a 54" bucket on the front. To say it is powerful is a gross understatement. You can punch right into limestone scale and just yank it right out. A 60 foot tree takes a couple minutes to push over...THis thing is no joke!

[Flyin6]

Check out the hours:

[TexasRedNeck]

Square D running??


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[EL TATE]

Ouch Tex!

[Flyin6]

That hobbs says 2800 hours!

Now I would not even begin to believe that, I mean 8000+ would be more believable, but then I got to really looking around. Now either the tracks have been changed or they are not worn much, consistent with a couple thousand hour machine. The pins are round, no wear I can see. The sprockets are maybe 90%. Both idler wheels are not pushed out very much at all, like they were almost new.
The boom pins have zero play. The turn-table has zero play. The boom to stick bushing has no play. The hydraulic coupler bushings have no play at all!

[Flyin6]

Square D running??


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SquareD won't dig holes and put a farm together!

[Flyin6]

Doors all work, the front glass pulls in and slides overhead, and all that works!

The Air Conditioner works like a champ, as do all the electronics

[Flyin6]

The bucket is a big one, I think a 54" unit and it has a hydraulic bucket coupler

[Flyin6]

The hydraulic pump is quiet and really big. I think it is something 105 liters/min flow rate (Could be wrong about that. THe owners manual is behind the seat, so I'll be all over that in short order!

[Flyin6]

Track grouser height is still there and I could see no significant undercarriage problems. It also pivot steers easily. I have found older units will turn a small arc instead of pivot steering as the pump or drive motors wear. THis unit does not do that.

[Flyin6]

The turntable or swing motor is huge!

[Flyin6]

The motor and coolers were dry, and relatively clean...much cleaner than most of the units I have looked at in the past

[Flyin6]

I'm not the only guy to have an out house in operation...although this one is not actually in operation

[Flyin6]

I saw it prior to cleanup, which it is getting right now. The gentleman selling it is a heavy equipment mechanic and wants to change the engine oil, then run a wrench over all the fittings and new lines he just installed, then pressure wash the whole thing

He bought this thing for a song. The previous owner hit a bridge with it, putting a dent into the boom. I looked at that dent. It is really insignificant, like no big deal at all. But the insurance company totaled it out, paying off the $50K+ owed on it. THey sold it to the guy who I bought it from last week. He replaced the damaged lines and went over it, then placed it up for sale last night five minutes before I called him. I purchased it for $25K delivered to my farm!

No kidding...

I honestly think I can operate this thing for the next few years, then sell it for the $25K I paid for it, only adding oil changes and fixing stuff that breaks. Renting a unit this size can be around $2K a week!

This was a smart buy I think...The owner and I both prayed over the deal before we agreed to it, and I just felt great about it.

Praise Jesus, Praise the Lord!

[moto123]

Wow, that sounds too good to be true.   

[Flyin6]

Wow, that sounds too good to be true.   

It does sound promising to be sure!

I think I'll get it hauled to the Farm, then work it one day to see how everything is functioning. After that, I'll get a professional cleaning crew to come in and pressure wash the thing with the chems to remove the grease residue, then sand it off, and paint it. I like my stuff pretty...just like my women ;-))

Just kidding... don't want to sound crude...But it was funny!

But being truthful, my wife is beautiful, and our three girls are all beautiful, and I definitely like them all, so in essence, I made a true statement!

[Flyin6]

YouTube vid of it being operated posted by the seller:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FN6l-ELk1g

[Nate]

dang!  nice score, if you need somebody to show you how to use that thing just let me know.....lol.  no wonder you haven't returned my call.....lol

[Farmer Jon]

You will really love it. We have dug out huge cottonwood trees with ours. You will pull the machine over before it runs out of power. Just watch out for coons in the engine compartment. They like to chew on the black rubber insoulation.

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[Sammconn]

Nice score Don!

I see one heck of a CARREP inbound...

[wyorunner]

Nice score Don!

I see one heck of a CARREP inbound...

Let's pray the carrep is a constructive one, as that thing will sure cause some "damage" (read progress) to ponds, houses, and well anything that gets in the way.

No idea about anything on it but sure looks like good machine.

Don what color? You should go with the tan that all mrap and matv and we'll all sorts of vehicles our military runs!!!! Then you have the old green on Old Sarge, and new tan on new.....whatever it will be designated as!

[TexasRedNeck]

 
Good score Don


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[Flyin6]

You will really love it. We have dug out huge cottonwood trees with ours. You will pull the machine over before it runs out of power. Just watch out for coons in the engine compartment. They like to chew on the black rubber insoulation.

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You own a 250??

I was a bit concerned about getting a machine that big...

[Farmer Jon]

You will really love it. We have dug out huge cottonwood trees with ours. You will pull the machine over before it runs out of power. Just watch out for coons in the engine compartment. They like to chew on the black rubber insoulation.

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You own a 250??

I was a bit concerned about getting a machine that big...

We have a kobelco 210 sk. We have torn apart concrete hog sheds. Leveled an old grove of trees and dug more holes than I can count. Our neighbor has the same machine we do and he loves his too. You got a good machine there.

 Go to a kobelco dealer to get filters. Kobelco was in with case IH for a while and then split back off. The Case dealer had a hard time figuring out what filter fit what because they changed all the numbers. Write down your serial number and the Kobelco dealer can decipher everything.

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[Flyin6]

Nice score Don!

I see one heck of a CARREP inbound...

Let's pray the carrep is a constructive one, as that thing will sure cause some "damage" (read progress) to ponds, houses, and well anything that gets in the way.

No idea about anything on it but sure looks like good machine.

Don what color? You should go with the tan that all mrap and matv and we'll all sorts of vehicles our military runs!!!! Then you have the old green on Old Sarge, and new tan on new.....whatever it will be designated as!

It's called "Chief"

Will have a W4 bar affixed to the side of it in the future sometime!

[Flyin6]

You will really love it. We have dug out huge cottonwood trees with ours. You will pull the machine over before it runs out of power. Just watch out for coons in the engine compartment. They like to chew on the black rubber insoulation.

Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk

You own a 250??

I was a bit concerned about getting a machine that big...

We have a kobelco 210 sk. We have torn apart concrete hog sheds. Leveled an old grove of trees and dug more holes than I can count. Our neighbor has the same machine we do and he loves his too. You got a good machine there.

 Go to a kobelco dealer to get filters. Kobelco was in with case IH for a while and then split back off. The Case dealer had a hard time figuring out what filter fit what because they changed all the numbers. Write down your serial number and the Kobelco dealer can decipher everything.

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Good advice, Thanks!

Just so happens the Case dealer that rebuilt Sarge is also a Kobelco dealer!

And Larry, Richard, Jon, and the rest of the crew there are just great. I'll go to them for everything for sure.

[cudakidd53]

Great write-up and story - obviously HIS hand is in this; gotta love a deal you both prayed over!

[Wilbur]

Good score seems like (I know less than nothing abt heavy equip but your description of its wear seemed to make sense). I am sure the dirt will be flying (or trees, or rocks, or small liberal's cars) in no time.

[Farmer Jon]

The only drawback I can see is there is no thumb. It looks like it had one at one time. Even a stationary one makes a world of difference picking stuff up. Especially logs and big chunks of concrete. In your case boulders and the aforementioned liberals cars.

[cruizng]

Very nice score Don! I include myself in the CARREP fans and this should help with that exponentially! 

[Bear9350]

Is Chief go to make a stop a the dealership to be looked over before heading to the farm or do you figure it is good to go?

[Flyin6]

Is Chief go to make a stop a the dealership to be looked over before heading to the farm or do you figure it is good to go?

I looked it over fairly well. I suspect several hydraulic lines, one hard line and half dozen flex lines, but I plan to replace them in the fall when the work season slows. I get one "Shipping" on this machine included in the purchase price. If I spend that going to the dealership, then I'll be on tab for $700-$1000 to get it shipped to the farm afterward.

The thing looks pretty solid so far, so I think the best option is to get it farmside and put it to work. After 40-50 hours, I'll know a lot more about it and be able to develop a plan to address any issues I find.

I already know that one day I will strip off all those questionable lines and take them to the hydraulic shop. When they are re-created, I'll reinstall on another day and have that one in the bank.

With machinery of this quality/heavy-"dutiness" it is either hard broke (Drive out) and too expensive to fix or it just runs. A machine like this is meant to do very heavy work like scraping our a mountainside for eight hours a day, everyday. Retiring them to a farm essentially is the equivalent of placing them into a time capsule. The work is not as hard and they barely get uses comparatively speaking. They end up lasting in relatively good condition for the remainder of the farmers lifetime.

For all those reasons, I think the better answer is to just get it "Home" and put it to work.

[Flyin6]

Very nice score Don! I include myself in the CARREP fans and this should help with that exponentially! 

New category: CARREP-Ext

Definition: Carnage external to the machine inducing it

Example: Machine is moving along in a civilized manner and comes across two parked Prius's. Machine proceeds to pulverize said embarrassments without receiving so much as a scratch in the paint, then proceeds on in a civilized manner.

Standard category of CARREP still represents damage to said machine

Example: Machine is busily mangling previous example prius girly-man cars when the bucket comes in contact with the 400 pound bomb sitting in the back seat of jihadist prius #2. In this case there would be both a CARREP, and a CARREP-ext

Concerning the previous example, there may even be a DOM-R (Death of Machine report) 8-0

[Flyin6]

The only drawback I can see is there is no thumb. It looks like it had one at one time. Even a stationary one makes a world of difference picking stuff up. Especially logs and big chunks of concrete. In your case boulders and the aforementioned liberals cars.

Not so fast Grasshopper!

It is plumbed for a hydro thumb.
He threw in a cylinder that will mount right up. I just have to find a thumb that would fit a 250 machine. He had a thumb for a 120 and a 200, and one for a bigger Cat, a 345 I think. It was too big and probably weighed several thousand pounds intelf.

I can score a used one for around $800 I'm told, then I'd only have to run two lines and I'd be cookin' with bacon grease!

[JR]

Very nice score Don. Meant to be it looks like.

I was thinking the same thing on the thumb. Plus with the long reach you can do anything now.

As a thought with all the toys you have, why not get a hose machine? Think of all the down time you could save and even make hoses for a few locals to offset the cost.

It needs a set of eyes on the bucket though. Something like that at least, what color you thinking?

[dave945]

Excavator looks great, I can think of several projects something like that would come in handy 

[Flyin6]

Very nice score Don. Meant to be it looks like.

I was thinking the same thing on the thumb. Plus with the long reach you can do anything now.

As a thought with all the toys you have, why not get a hose machine? Think of all the down time you could save and even make hoses for a few locals to offset the cost.

It needs a set of eyes on the bucket though. Something like that at least, what color you thinking?

On the thumb: I have a free cylinder which I would have repacked @ $300
Then I'd have to find a thumb that matched up with the bucket somewhat for $800-$1200

The seller just called me about a mechanical thumb he located. A seller he knows in Indiana has two weld on mechanical thumbs that fit my machine. The larger of the two costs $1500. Add on maybe $400 to cut off the old one, then weld on the new one and I'm looking at being thumbed up for just under $2K

Looking at one of the first jobs for Chief, is digging out and enlarging the pond. To do that involves the removal of 20-30 trees. I can grub around them and dig them out easily enough, or with a thumb, just pull them out of the ground like a big weed (Easier)

I think I'm leaning toward getting the thumb, then having a welder come to the farm to weld on the new thumb.

Next issue: Fuel...This thing takes 97 gallons to fill up!. It has maybe 10 gallons in the tank right now.

[Flyin6]

Excavator looks great, I can think of several projects something like that would come in handy 

I'm going underground man!

[dave945]

How long would it take you to drive it over to my new place in Williamstown?   

[KensAuto]

Nice Don. congrats!!

[Sammconn]

How long would it take you to drive it over to my new place in Williamstown?   

Now that right there is funny...

[JR]

Have them fill it on the way over,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Bob Smith]

I am betting off road diesel in your storage tank is sounding better all the time.

[Flyin6]

How long would it take you to drive it over to my new place in Williamstown?   

Years

[Flyin6]

Have them fill it on the way over,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I asked

No-Go

Permitted (Wide) load.

Has to comply with rules...no stops for things like gas

[Flyin6]

I am betting off road diesel in your storage tank is sounding better all the time.

Well...No one wants to come in and fill it for a reasonable cost. Best I have found so far is 1.90/gal once I complete a mountain of paperwork

[Bob Smith]

I am betting off road diesel in your storage tank is sounding better all the time.

Well...No one wants to come in and fill it for a reasonable cost. Best I have found so far is 1.90/gal once I complete a mountain of paperwork

Just get busy on the paperwork, it is just big brother making sure you really need the stuff.  That my friend is a whole bunch of 5 gal. cans. Maybe find a guy with a fuel cell in the back of his truck to come fill it for you.  Until you get the paperwork finished, draw a permit for the tank, and the inspection to be sure you really need it etc. a fuel cell most likely your best option.

[BobbyB]

So you bought an Excavator, and have decried that is shall be named "Chief" and expect it to do work.. Now I might have been a lowly grunt, but EVERY Warrant Officer ever seen (reportedly there are Warrants in most duty stations) in the Military avoid work at all costs... so by Military logic you'll get Chief to the farm, and it will soon disappear due to some reason or another... only to re-appear after work has been completed.

[dave945]

Have them fill it on the way over,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I asked

No-Go

Permitted (Wide) load.

Has to comply with rules...no stops for things like gas

Have you checked with the seller, he might know someone with a diesel tank in the back of their truck that could fill it before it leaves his place.