Chinese Mini Excavator - 1 Year On 

I looked at a chinese tractor at our local farm shop - the sales guy turned his nose up and said "not to bother" and go for this other one..... I walked out. The quality looked fine for me, I am not a full time farmer so a smaller machine (and cheaper) would have worked perfectly 👍🏻

Yes I know they change the name brand like every other day but what brand is it please?

@@JohnSmith-tz4on it was a Luzhong 304. 4x4 for the conditions here

@@d1v1s1onby0 thanks!

​@HomesteadingUncontained This is a product to do hard work, the Chinese wouldn't be stupid to use Chinesium for its core parts and used high quality materials and anyway they make very good quality products that we all use on a daily basis, this "Made in China is Crap" trope isn't true today.

Thank you so much Richard, really appreciate the support. ♥️

that mini ex is identicle kubota

Okay "richard", aka Ian's mom...

​@@michaelmactavish4445 Kubota is very good. Chinese is not good. It sucks.

@@leojunior7589 some there stuff is good

That's so interesting. I've had a similar experience. When I learned to sail years ago I learnt on a 14' dinghy. It was HARD! At first I was doing a dozen different things and trying to keep them all straight, to keep the boat on the air side of the water and sometimes as an added bonus to actually move forward. Then one day, after much practice, out of the blue, it happened. My body just got it. It all locked into muscle memory and from that point on I was doing only one thing- sailing, instinctually and without thought, just like we walk and run. Small dinghies are delicate, fickle and very SENSITIVE! Two inches of the tiller in the WRONG direction and you're swimming- especially in high winds. I had never sailed a big boat- like 30' or larger before that but I can now step onto the deck of any big sailboat and just trim everything and sail the damn thing- with confidence. Maybe not perfectly, but 95%. I can go years as a landlubber too and then step onto the deck of any sail boat and sail it. The muscle memory is always there. But people who have learned to sail on big boats cannot sail a dinghy. They go right into the drink. Come to think of it, learning to stick weld is the same. Must be a universal principle there! Humans can be so amazing and so stupid all at the same time!!! Heh.

Dead right Awesome Games, the truth at last.

I am going to have to try to rent a big machine just to see the difference. 😀

Althouh big machines are much more stable and don't require the blade, they're obviously much larger and require much better awareness of where you're swinging and how to use your mirrors. Most small machines don't stick out past their tracks and you can visually see around the whole machine but are more tippy and jittery

every machine is different, it doesnt matter if youre jumping between large and small or different brands. if you were used to jumping between a variety sizes models and brands of equipment you would know size doesnt matter. and ya the pipeline guys ive crossed paths with are pretty useless

No worries, we hadn't started the build then but now we are coming to the end of the garage workshop and about to start on the house. Plenty to think about.

You are a good man.

Thank you so much, much appreciated 💙

Beautiful comment!

Exactly Ken, the convenience of having it on hand is the key.

Cheers John 👍🏻

I think most people just assume these machines are for export only and they are not used in country...... I am very happy with it and would do it again anytime.

@@HomesteadingUncontained China can be GOOD.

Right on dude!! Cheers from Northern Arizona here... I want one!!!

I work on the railroad in the US, I've occasionally seen them use mini diggers for laying fiber lines along the rails. They use these lines for their safety system known as PTC, Positive Train Control. It's basically a GPS computer system on the train that detects when you're speeding or not slowing down for a signal in time and automatically stops the train. Necessary with how easily you can pass out at the wheel, but that's also why we have two man crews.

That is the way to go - organise your own shipping. I know for next time for sure.

What size machine did you buy? I am currently looking at 3.5 ton from multiple Chinese companies. One thing I found out by accident really, was that so many of those Chinese companies are actually just re-sellers. They put their decals on a machine that is made by one company for everybody.

@James cardy

@@t.p.9232 Mines a mini skid loader and yes multiple factories make the same or very similar product with different branding. They do vary slightly from each factory. I believe from what I've read is their government runs the factories.

nah, there is no such thing thing as export fees, only import fees.

Cheers Will 👍🏻

Yes, very jealous of your low prices on everything - our lumber is about 5 times that of yours and then the heavy equipment...aaargh. But it is well worth the investment when building on your own. 👍🏻

@@HomesteadingUncontainedI’m sorry the liberals have ruined Europe and made everything so expensive. I don’t know how middle class people can even afford to live, let alone own a home, tractor, or mini excavator.

Shame the government is also thinking of adding massive import taxes for Chinese things soon. There's already talks of a 100% mark up for Chinese EVs because they're so destructively cheaper than even US gas cars.

@@Skylancer727 US government - the EU already have varying import duties. I wonder if they include tesla in that 😂

@@HomesteadingUncontained I mean we already have import duties, over 20%, but they are planning to raise them across the board.

sort of like buying from harbor freight

Yes, we have checked and double checks along the way. It is mine so you have to look after it.

Mine has always been to try to avoid Chinese products at all costs, as I don't like to support communism, our enemies, or companies and entire countries who could care less about trademarks, copyrights, or patents. Buy American whenever possible, get a warranty from a known company with tech support, support our own countries and workers, get the product I actually want straight out the box and not have to do repairs to make a brand new product function acceptably. To each their own though.

that mini ex has kubota diesel

The trick is knowing which category a product belongs to. There is "cheap crap to sell to stupid westerners", there's "we make this for western companies, so why not run the machines overtime and slap our logo on it" (with the variants "but use cheaper materials", "let's sell the rejects" and the well-loved "but design our own variant that only pretends to work" like those neat little 100 kWh powerbanks and 10 Exobyte thumb drives), there's "this was made for the locals, want one, too?", and there's even "original product for a worldwide market". Obviously, categories 1 and 2.3 are not what you want to buy, but they also are the best-known ones. This machine clearly belongs to the third category, so it will be built to a standard and quality level that Chinese customers will accept. Those levels are lower than what we are used to, but they are there---Chinese customers wouldn't buy these machines if they weren't working at all.

Haha, love your comment.... cheers Mark 👍🏻

the "made in usa" is made in china too...

Do you have steady suppliers you've had good experiences with? Or are you using an Alibaba type site?

Yeah not sure why people think Chinese stuff is total crap anymore when 90% of the things people say are great still came from China. You're $2K TV and your $1K smartphone both were primarily made in China. And even many car parts and lawn mowers were made there. There is still Chinese junk, but it does seem to be less common.

If they stuck a badge on it, no one would know the difference as most of the parts are built there anyway 🤣

Thank you so much Frank 👍🏻

500 for an hour to do what he did was actually really cheap. A lot of people or business' would charge upwards of a thousand for just that small job.

He did a job after for my son to dig out his septic tank, €200 for 30 mins.... but transporting and travel etc all adds up so we are pleased we found this guy.

Given the right job. Borrowed a 2.5t for a month. After a jerry can of diesel, i gave up... Got the bamboo out with a carjack, blocks, and a steel blade on the brushcutter. Did it again a few months later, had to repair the sump (someone ran over a stake?) so got to borrow it for a few weeks again. Got a stump grinder now. The right tool for the job!

Yeah, $500 is a steal, I won't move my machines for less than $1000...

@@smclynden Yep, moving heavy machinery is expensive. For 1 small job it may well not be feasible. In that case you may have to work out a way to aggregate several small jobs in the area. Otherwise it may get to the stage where your small machine (and a LOT of time and improvisation) might be the only choice. I once took three parts of a day to dig out a large tree with a toy blade on a very small FIAT ag dozer. The exhaust was the only thing sticking out of the hole by the time I could topple it. Filling the hole in was a piece of cake after that. With a large boulder field though it was easier just to cover them as a feature. In my younger days you would just have purchased a case of gelignite and blown the lot out in no time but those days are long gone! 😉

Cheers Joe, it is working great for me 👍🏻

Describes me perfectly! Where’s my remote?

Exactly my thoughts, cheers 👍

We really need higher import taxes on them.

@@MrXelaim a new Ford truck loaded is 135,000 dollars, the one I use is 24 years old, cost 19,000$ new ,screw your import taxes. Buy Chinese all day long. China rules. Biden lies all day every day.

Buy them used in Canada save the 25--% tariff

I have stripped it to the chassis since having it and it went back together perfectly, so every lighted up and the construction is what I would expect to see on any machine. So I am happy with it. 👍🏻

Hi, I am interested in ordering an excavator but having difficulty finding information on costs importing to the US. Do you have any recommended links? Thanks!

Thanks Doug, I do try to ignore them but it can be difficult

Cheers Mike, much appreciated

I am searching all the time for a small Skid Steer - all the cheap ones here are SCAMs and I have started reporting them. But if I could find a real one, I would take it in a second for sure 👍🏻

It's all about expectation and the convenience of owning the machine - you tend to look after them more and it will do 10 times the work you can do so it has to be better. 😀

Exactly, if you never try you never know - I am pretty happy with it.

I agree but so many say the opposite. I turn it down until it runs nicely then leave it there. Until I need to run the tracks and then it is full throttle........3km/hr.🐌

Great news - they are very useful for sure.

Go to a dealer and sit in the seat first.

It is coming, 1st time this week I felt comfortable and smooth. So it is coming.

I think how this works out depends largely on who's involved. Some folks get stuff to work for them and some are just menaces. I see those menaces in the comments here. It's junk! Yeah after you're done with it I'm sure it is.

No worries Alec, it is proving better than expected for sure.

Hi Mike, we keep stopping and thinking the same....we do love it though 👍🏻

You eat an elephant one bite at a time. You stick with it and you can do anything. It just may take a while.

Would be interested in hearing your experience 👍

@@HomesteadingUncontained shandong bun is very famous.

Pfff, that is expensive Tax.... I thought 20% was tough.

No problem - I am still very happy with the machine and the company I bought it from.

👍🏻

No problem, enjoy doing it 👍🏻

Cheers Jeff. Until you have experienced these machines then they shouldn't pass judgement - they do what they were intended to and I was looking at the loaders and mini skid steers......they look pretty useful.

@@HomesteadingUncontained I have a little skidsteer and it is so handy, it’s not a giant dozer, but I don’t need a dozer! I am quite intrigued by these small escalators , I think it would compliment my little skidsteer!

I was the same, I chatted to quite a few people who had already done it - plus researched the Alibaba payment system which was secure and reliable....

I've seen a LOT of hit and miss on these video's. Definitely a do your homework moment.

China is like anywhere else when it comes to international trade, there will be people who will try to scam you, especially if you have no middle man to give you some insurances.

在中国这样的机器很多，800~20000人民币之间。

@@user-xe1gd7yt8z Exactly, they are not just made for export. 👍🏻

Thank you so much Frederick.

It is all about getting used to it - I am 80% there now I think...... but then I have a gap in using it and have to to learn again 🤪

Curious what you bought, and how much you paid "landed" here to Canada. Also if it's doing well and holding up.

@@berettaboi got a little over a ton machine. Briggs and strat engine. Got the cab. Bunch of attachments. Most of the attachments haven’t used yet. Eventually I will. Got about a little over 100 hours on it. Holding up pretty good. Only issue is the one track side the tension rod is seized. Need to take it apart more to fix but haven’t taken the time to do that yet. It is what it is. It’s not a fancy 100k machine so it has its limitations. Do a lot of trenching for drainage and running underground power lines. Landed when freight prices were higher at 9k cdn approx with fees and taxes. Highly recommend spending the extra like I did and get the cab.

Ritchie Bros auctions always has a bunch of these at their consignment sales. They sell for around d $5000 CAD and then you don't have to worry about shipping and importing

@@HogBoss850 good call if there is indeed a couple there. There's always some on FB marketplace and other resale sites, but they are reselling at a higher cost than you can order it for...

That is great, I hope it all works out. Who did you deal with from the supplier.

Cheers - if you know what you need it for then it works perfectly - we now know what we can and cannot do and are really happy with it 👍🏻

Cheers, no problem 👍🏻

Yes, it does that, stick some headphones on and enjoy the day 😀

That was one of the big reasons for buying it - we could just about afford this one but a known brand was way out of our budget - exactly right. Thanks Steve.

​@@HomesteadingUncontained Like you said in the video your usage is very light. Why spend mega bucks on a name brand for it to spend the majority of its life resting in the garage?

Yeah jcb micro .8 ton, 15-20k my chinavator (08) 5k

Thanks Harry, means a lot 👍🏻

Cheers. 👍

Thank you. It is working great for me.

Exactly - we would used to dig everything by hand 25 years ago...but now it would kill me. I started finishing up with a shovel and thought why, just get back on the digger and finish up....so much easier and allows for more projects that you would just dismiss if done by hand.

Thanks, much appreciated. Hope to get up to above 100 hours by the time I start on the house.

I am quite into watching excavators now - did a lot of research before I even went down this path….👍

No problem, just fixed wiring issue but it i still going strong on our recent footings dig.

Thanks Simon - it has helped us a lot and is still doing so - I just dug another drainage ditching in 10 mins which would have taken hours with a shovel (well Julie hours with a shovel 🤣)

@@HomesteadingUncontained Yep, luckily Eastern machinery has been rising in quality as that of the average Western woman's value as a draughthorse has been declining! 😜😁

Cheers Aidan, much appreciated 👍🏻

Merci beaucoup 👍🏻

In hindsight now the machine is on site, I could have done with a bigger machine but budget at the time and as you mention, getting to site, I ended up with the smaller machine - still works great, but I woudl like the stability the 1.8T has (plus the cab) 😉

Yes when they rang up and said I needed a forklift to unload !! a little panic set in 🙂

Thank you Lutz, some comments you cannot believe and reply want to reply but it is just not worth it....👍🏻

haha, for me it is normal......but when I see the big guys lounging in their arm chairs shifting tonnes of material, I do think, they are not looking scared 🤣

Cheers Bill 👍🏻

If we see a cheap price here in Europe then it is definitely a scam.

No sponsor although in hindsight.....damn 🤪

I am going to check out the seat, I am not sure I have much adjustment, maybe drill out and reposition.

Thanks ☺️

Totally agree, the people I have worked with on this were absolutely great. And if I can help them with sales I will (I am not affiliated to them at all).

I think I would do that next time. Hope all is well with the machine.

Just sock away $30 per hour in a "fund" dedicated to finding and buying another tractor to be the immediately available replacement for this one in anticipation of a serious breakdown occuring. You need your tractor every day....

@@JohnSmith-yv6eq That's not a silly idea. But luckily tractors (provided they are used within their capabilities and properly serviced) are way more long-lived that the average family car. I have a toy FIAT dozer made in 1962 (and a spare in the shed for parts if ever needed) plus a couple of 50 to 60 year old Massey Ferguson tractors as well. All ready to go if their owner can crawl up on them still. 😉

Cheers Royce, really appreciate it. Only listen to your self and it will work (hopefully)

Great news Holly, I hope it all works out for you, just be patient 👍🏻

Cheers Stu, can't wait to get the Thumb...it is on the high seas as I type.

Cheers , much appreciated.

Exactly right Dave 👍🏻

I think it's ridiculous to label people who critique Chinese excavators as haters...... also ridiculous to say unless you have owned one you have no basis to have an opinion. Following your logic no one should have an opinion about anything they are not familiar with first hand........ an armchair sports fan can often have a much deeper understanding of a sport than a professional sports man ....... I would never buy one of those Chinese mini diggers..... I've watched enough videos about them to make an informed opinion .....

@@deosiewilson732 I did not say you had no basis to have an opinion, I tried to put across the point that only those with experience may offer "valuable input" over and above what has already been said in the reviews. Of course one may have an opinion without owning one though I fail to see how watching youtube videos would give one a "deeper understanding" than those who actually use these machines in real life, I think that's a ludicrous assertion that fails on many levels but also fails to take into account the many and varied factors involved when people buy cheap machines which is the entire context in which this video exists - the opinions of the owner "1 year on" OF USE, not of watching it on a video. All that aside, I did not label all who make critiques as haters, there are those who see problems with Chinavators who do not act as haters and those who do, there is a nuanced distinction that perhaps you did not appreciate. Most of the "haters" who have spat venom and bile on this thread have not attempted to make reasoned analyses but merely make commentary based on anti China prejudice or some misguided notion that everyone can choose between buying a cheap Chinavator or an expensive name brand where, in fact, for many people it's buy a cheap Chinavator or buy no digger at all. The only real point for or against one on post-purchase-review then becomes one of does/did it do the job you purchased it to do.........

It all comes with experience, and I didn't have any when I bought it - now I woudl have ticked that option straight away.

Exactly, if this was my trade then I would have invested more but for the homeowner who is the only person this will effect if it breakdown then it is perfect.

No problem, still going strong and I have recently had a mini skid from them too which is fantastic.

Thank you so much Antony - I hope it goes OK for the mini excavator. There seems to be a lot of importers in Australia so you may get one locally.

@@HomesteadingUncontained Yep, a lot importers as you rightly point out, but sadly they charge the Earth, hence your great idea of importing from the OEM. 🙂👍🏻

That is a pain but if you can keep up the repairs it is always in the shed for the next dig...😉

Thank you so much - I really like the machine as it was a risk buying it but either way I will say if there is anything wrong...😀

If you rely on it for the business it is worth the extra. Cannot risk a breakdown on a job. Me, I can just wheel it into the garage and cry for a few hours.. 🤪

@@HomesteadingUncontained Mine is used only around my property so when it breaks down I will also be crying LOL

Yeah 6 acres is big for this little machine. I am ok o my build site. I think I would trailer it with the tractor around the land.

@@HomesteadingUncontained it would be much quicker to load it on a trailer, take it to the other end of the property and unload it, instead of driving it...

Thanks for the advice, I will do that at the end of the season. Thanks

a tiny hho cell would keep the combustion chamber squeeky clean and give a little more running time per tank, ive pulled down old engines that had a hho cell on them, it amazes me how clean the piston, head and valves are youd swear the engine had never been used.

@@closertothetruth9209 lol, no free lunch. You'd get less energy per tank.

@@ctrlaltdebug well weve used hho since 1978 wouldnt still be using it if we didnt get better fuel economy, ive always got atleast 20% better economy currently i get 30% in a 4 litre bf ute , as you know hho is a powder keg its "nothing" like the burn of "pure" hydrogen, it takes stuff all of that gas to facilititate a more complete burn of fuel and air before the exhaust valve opens, as you know alot of unburnt fuel leaves the combustion chamber , with a Decent hho cell you definitely get more power and economy, i laugh everytime someone rattles on about the law of thermodynamics yet completely ignoring the fact much of the exhaust leaving the combustion chamber has significant unburnt fuel i dont care what anyone says i know it works, my cells typically produce 2 litres per minute yeh theres aditional load on the engine via the alternator however the 4 stroke engine owing to its design has poor effeciency the small amount of hho per combustion really helps, and not all cells are the same, carbon cells, stainless plate cells in a magnetic field etc go nuts making gas , cells with no neutral plates go nuts making gas, you need a heat exchanger or heat sink to keep it cool though, however believe what you want, i wouldnt waste my time building cells and giving them to family members if they didnt work, however sometimes you need a device to trick the computer from pouring more fuel into the engine due to the O2 sensors reaction to burnt hho. in my ute i went from 11.5 litres for 100kms to 8.3 litres to 100km heavily laten with endless mechsnical tools. check out gavin knox hho his cells make real gas check his credentials what his qualifications are , a guy like that is not into scamming people his cells are helping people, expensive though theyre patented. people these days all they do is find fault and never get to see how good some things can be "IF" done properly. there are too many scam artists out there with pathetic hho cells and very poorly installed . i dont sell my cells theyre gifts , as my brother has learnt his 80 series now gets 25% better economy , has better power towing and going up hills at first you think its all bs until you drive for a long while you realise your getting more kms to the tank . you can build your own , using stainless sheet metal, cut into squares , having a positve and negative plate either side of 4 or 5 neutral plates all with a 2mm space between , you can do that a few times in a row kinda like a lead acid battery divided into 6 segments, stainless threaded rod, epdm rubber sheet,etc its very easy but damned hard to drill LOL. it does work , believe it or not it doesnt change the fact they can work done right. gavin knoxx cells give you 40% better economy on cars but his cells make huge gas for the watts he stumbled upon a very good design, a very efficient design, primemovers 25% by memory. if you check some parts of the world hho cells are mandatory on heavy agricultural machinery, why would they do that if it doesnt work. even seen stanley meyer or the documentary gashole. they buried alot of good tech and buried people.

better add one thing if you ever do play around witth hho use EXTREME caution its seriously explosive and burns faster than anything, you need bubblers and genuine tested and proven hho flashback arrestors such as the hho gas technology flash back arrestors, actaleyene arrestors DO NOT work.

We try, thanks for your positive comment 👍

Cheers James, I was worried about it getting in the way, but it will be removable (they are very light on this machine). 👍🏻

I have watched your review of the E08. I also own the e10, it seems to me that the e08 is a cheaper machine, it cost less, but it's also has less quality in the build.

That is a shame - I will check out the review, but do tell them specially now their company is under a lot of spotlights at the moment with these videos.

@@OlesMusic Happy to hear that your machine is of higher quality. Yes, my NM-08 machine was the cheapest I could find so it stands to reason that it isn't as good.

It is about a months rent here in France, so I now have it for the next few years while I build my house.....slowly 😀

Cheers - everyone needs a mini excavator 😀

Cheers for watching 😀

Also have you thought of getting a grab bucket instead of a thumb?

Looking back a grab bucket would have been nice, I have the hydraulic point for it. But, again, the cheapest option at the moment was the thumb.

Thank you so much, means a lot 💙

Cheers Gene, much appreciated 👍🏻

I gave mine to Julie 👍🏻

Cheers Derek. Just makes me admire the pro operators even more when they effortlessly move these machines around. I will get there one day 😀

South Korean is not China, South Korean stuff is quality stuff

Cheers Jon, totally agree.

But I bet a lot of the parts are sourced from china.

@@HomesteadingUncontained you mean from Japan

@@apb2081 man you from the 80s? cus thats when a lot from Japan. future is now old man

No problem - if it breaks down I will make sure everyone knows but so far it is doing really well.

Thought of a backhoe but it would not be suitable for my site - plus it was a similar price to this. But it works for the jobs I am doing (build my house)

Cheers Steven, I will look into them but it might damage my new garage floor 🤣

Thanks Eric, it mainly me (Julie) - I an is just here for the ride 🤣 I suppose we don't like getting others to do our work so we just get on with it...is tiring though. 💗

Chinese spy

Yes, that is a good price - the importers here in France have them at around €9k. 👍🏻

Thanks for the kind words 🙏

thank you so much Richard, really appreciate it ♥️

Cheers Robby, exactly, it is very cost effective.

Thank you so much, glad it has helped. 👍🏻

BTW, in my case I was mostly raising the level to create the terraces, so for the most part I didn't need to do much cutting into the slope, but instead was mostly distributing topsoil and "Breeze" that had been delivered to the site.

Totally agree, the Skid Steer would move so much more and level much better and I have been searching for one for ages. I gave up with the mini digger and got a guy in to do the site levelling but for all the footings drainage ditches and landscaping the mini digger has been invaluable. I do have something coming over soon which I am looking forward to 😀

totally agree, the mini digger is a little too small for levelling large areas, the front blade is pathetic.🤣

Exactly right - it is in the garage when ever you need it 👍🏻