which one?

[ricm]

whilst I do not have any earthmoving equipment, I have started to think about budget for an excavator so I've been keeping track of a few folk who have them.

It would seem that you get what you pay for - a friend got a KAT, but it was badly damaged in the post due to poor packaging and many parts missing. Some parts weren't good quality so he already had to buy a number of upgrades to get the thing working from the start. I'm not sure how much extra he had to spend but I figure it would have been a good proportion of the original price

Where I'm beginning to settle is to try to find a second hand premium brand model, even if it needs a bit of servicing. The basic parts are pretty robust and the things which cause leaks (O-rings, seals, hoses) don't seem to be so expensive to replace if you need to. So when I get round to it, I'll be looking at Premacon, Vario, THS Truckmodelle.

Having said of that, the best advice will come from the guys who have them....so I'll be watching this post for more qualified advice than mine!