Complete Fluid Change on Vintage Mini Excavator 

Quick tip: Whenever you are draining oil out of something, always loosen the fill cap first, then the level cap and then the drain cap... If you drain your oil first and the your fill cap is stuck, you are stuck.

Great work.... Definitely needed to change the hydraulic oil. 2 suggestions ..... When you change all the filters date them with a permanent marker. It would have been nice to see when the last time it was serviced, And order that shocket you need now, so next time you will have it.

To make it easier to get the drain plugs where you want them on the final drives rotate the cab so that the bucket is 180° to the blade, then this gives you the opportunity to lift the whole machine off the ground using blade and bucket as jacks so you can rotate your tracks freely without moving the machine all over the place. This is also good for forwarding and reversing the tracks when you get gravel and debris caught up and jamming up the under carriage.

2 comments 1) The Yanmar 3 cyl Diesels are very nice little engines - we have a a JD 1050 compact Utility tractor which is going on its 4th decade of life. Granted it's a garage queen as it only has 1500 hours on it. Ours has a turbo - 40 hp. The air cleaner is quite efficient ( I just got to your changing of that filter). The one item we have as a chronic issue - due to the frequency of shut down / start up is the internal contactor in the starter. There is a thick washer which over time gets pitted on the surface. I'm pretty sure that it just wort of rotates itself around a bit with the normal vibrations of use etc, but, eventually you can reach a point where you have to dig it out and just flatten the pitted surface in order to get reliable starting back - based on the age/hours on yours it may have led a similar life, or, you may start using in a similar way start up - run for a bit - shut down as you have to get off the machine and do something manual down around the dangerous bits while out in the woods alone ... where shutting it off is the safest practice ... so in what otherwise be a 2 or 3 start cycle day you could have 10 - 30 start cycles ... or if you don't want it to just sit idling to save fuel / emissions etc. 2) If you had any reservations about the condition of the oil in the main drive wheels - replace it again after say 10 or 20 hours of use so that the new stuff has had time to free up any crud in there and then you can flush that out (same goes for any other fluids in there that you were less than thrilled with)

There's satisfaction from changing all the serviceable parts and fluids. That old grease gun has more places to fill. Nice job and it will all pay back in the long run.

I'm retired now and I hope you can accept some advise for your first experience with the fluid changes in this video. Get the 1 1/4 to 2 inch socket set, you'll need them long term. Change all your fluids and filters within a month as there "is still a lot of crud in the systems of the machine " [ especially the gear oil and hydraulic systems] Keeping the fluids clean will make your machine last longer and run better.

The lever by your right foot is, I believe, the pattern change control. ISO and ase. Or more commonly referred to as backhoe and excavator control patterns. Also referred to as John Deere and caterpillar control patterns. But do not get backhoe and excavator controls mixed up. Backhoe controls are between your knees. Excavator controls are by your sides. But the patterns can be changed on most machines nowadays.

Grease, grease, grease! Love how you respect your equipment.

Hi, I have one of these machines myself. There’s not much that I can’t tell you about these of the RAM seals replaced pinion gears on the slug in the whole lot they’re good little machine, there’s one thing I found you need to have the foam around the radiator as well as it could overheat I put a brand-new radiator in was still overheating with the farm around. It solved the problem. Regards, Steven

I have replaced lots of truck spring bushings so hope this helps. To remove bushing first thing I do is cut them in 2 places with saws all then they hammer them out easier. clean the inside, round sanding disc in drill works good. I use a threaded one inch all thread with steel plates top an on bushing, economy press. Good luck, I do lubricate bushing an receiving area.

I use sawdust from the mill and table saw in the shop area to catch and hold spills oil coolant etc. Also summer time add water to sawdust throw on floor helps lower the dust helps clean when sweeping. The left overs can burn

Don't forget to grease all the grease fittings!! Great video!

Nice video. Watched it with pleasure. Hello from Ukraine. I'm sitting without electricity and I hope when we win I will try to find the small excavator as you have (or smaller) and I will try to do the best to be on the same level as you have) Glory to Ukraine!

I have a competitive twin to your unit. It was made by Yanmar under the John Deere model 15. The seized lever you refer to is a lockout that locks the car-body to the track unit. Some below say it is for transport and it can be used for that but it seems you have a hydraulic cylinder on the side of your boom. That offsets the stick so that you can dig parallel to a foundation or such. When the lever is down the cab assembly won't rotate so it won't collide with the building next to it. There should be another lever that switches the hydraulic routing from the swing motor to that hydraulic side cylinder for offset operation. Mine was also seized. Heat hammer and penetrating oil.

Put your bushings and king pin in your freezer for a few days before you install them. The freezing with cause them to shrink making it easier to get them in place.

Nice work Sandy. With as many hours as that machine has been used it’s nice to reset the maintenance clock on all fluids and filters. Very thorough job. Good luck with the next steps!

That sure did need a service, nice job Sandy!👍🏻

Thanks to you I went back out and found the drain plug on Takeuchi TB016. Id removed 2 what I thought were drain plugs cos they were underneath... but nowt came out. Found it but it's as big as yours, same size as top but no way to get drum underneath so will have to pump it out. Good luck with your work. Subbed..

I not gonna be an armchair mechanic, no! The only thing I'd say is next time you do maintenance, use the exc boom to lift the machine up onto some big blocks in each corner, under the sprockets. That'll make drainage of fluids easier and a little less bending over for you Otherwise, I say nice work! Doing this PM is good for the machine, good for your piece of mind and good for familiarizing yourself with your equipment. Win, win, win! Best from the NEK VT

Hi Sandy! That little guy ought to be especially useful. Someone may have already mentioned this, but you might consider dating your filters for future reference. I must confess, I had my doubts about the Cresent wrench improvisation, but you made it work. Man alive, that hydraulic fluid looked more like puss than something out of a machine.

I needed a big socket once. Bought a Silverline 21 piece set 633663 3/4" drive, metric 19-50mm. Got it for one job, one socket, under 100 some yrs ago. Cheap as chips if you consider the number of times I'd have had to call someone in or buy other sockets.

Enjoy your new to you excavator. Guessing some heat will be your friend to removing the pin and bushings. Also something that I've learned over the years, when changing oil in any gearbox, always make sure your fill plug and level plug will loosen before you drain your oil.

The best thing you can do with any used vehicle when purchased, change all the fluids and know where you are at. Years ago I needed a socket or wrench to change a trailer ball. It wasn't much more to buy the "monster sized" socket set at Princess Auto that was on sale. I can't believe how many times over the years it has come in handy. Watch for it when it goes on sale.

I do believe what you are calling a leaver is you house lock pin, it should lift up off a rest and drop down in to the frame to keep the house from swinging when in transport, if you look under the house you will see what resembles a tube sticking up, there should be one on front & one on the back near the turret base, that is what the lock pin drops into.

If you have a leaky track drive, you can fill it half way up with John Deere cornhead grease. That's what I did with one of the drives on my Bobcat 320. It will void any warranty you have on the machine but something in there is better than nothing. Very little burnt oil came out of mine when I got the machine.

Always, always use the right tool for the right job! Always!

Nice new Excavator Sandy, I must say, I have never seen someone use two Crescent wrenches to remove a bolt, but it worked in your favor. You might consider writing the hours of machine use and date on the Oil and Transmission filters so you won't forget when they were last changed, just a suggestion.

That's funny, when I first drained the hydraulic fluid on my TB015 I cut the head off a huge crescent wrench, welded a smaller socket to the face of it to get the drain plug out.

Good commentary on the process

Oh man, Sandy that feeling of running out of containers when draining fluid..............gives you the same feeling as about to soil yer britches after a saucy burrito lunch.

You can swing the boom across the front of the cab and curl the bucket and boom up tight so that you can swing the body to easily drain the hydraulic oil between the tracks. As long as you are the center of your bay, you shouldn't have any issues. About 20 years ago now I used a tiny Nissan excavator, even smaller than yours , to dig in a oil separation drain pit, drain lines, toilet lines, shower drain line, and water lines inside a 30x30 9' tall interior with a 30x12 attached carport that we enclosed. We hauled the whole unit on the back of a tilt deck trailer about 2 o'clock in the morning, We had a guy on the roof with a fiberglass pole easing overhead lines. We had to remove and replace the front fence of the yard. It took the town a week to find the garage and they were mad we never applied for a building permit. We never built it, we just were storing it, lol. I think my old boss finally finished storing it a year ago, I'll have to phone him up and ask if he's storing it at someone else's yard, lmao. The next time you change the hydraulic filter, crack the filter loose and spin it down so there is the tiniest air gap, then drain the hydraulic oil. The suction will partially empty the filter for you.

Hey Sandy! Great video! It’s was nice enjoying the Saturday morning coffee with you out in the shop! Just one small comment an you probably already done this off camera perhaps, was just to recheck the engine oil level after you’ve started, where the engine had the chance to fill the system and oil filter :) yes I would say next time around now that you’ve done this first round of maintenance that next time will be a bit easier and you’ll have some extra tricks up your sleeve. I was on the edge of my seat when you were looking for another bucket lol, good thing you were able to get that plug back in, but then again.. got thinking to that you have a rubber floor and it could have came in handy in that situation if ya couldn’t catch it 🥴 I guess also I would suggest (again you probably do this as well) is just keep a log in your new manual of dates when you done certain work to it or any other notable things that you want to document, also write down the part numbers that you used as will be handy for reordering :). I’m one to do this and it sure helps me going back trying to recall things 👍. Anyways I enjoyed this vid Sandy and the new toy is coming along, an looking forward to the next repairs on the king pin an bushings! Don’t forget, we gotta get a cup holder put in there for sludge for ya! 😎. Anyways hope all is going well Sandy! Love the channel and will see you on the next one! Take care! Andrew from NB :)

I have a tb-015 little newer than yours. Make sure you periodically check the oil drain plug on the engine. They tend to loosen up and drip from vibration. Also the plastic radiator tanks like to crack, I put an aluminum one from Amazon on mine just had to drill a couple holes in the mounting bracket. Also for that mystery lever. You should flip it up/down and operate the blade. I have a lever that changes the blade circuit to operate the expandable tracks. If it's not that it may be a turntable lock for transport. That locks the swing function straight in a line so the machine won't spin on a trailer

If you have trouble with power to the tracks/blade but not the arms or rotation, the issue likely lies in the swivel joint. Will save you tons of hours scratching your head as to why. It's likely broken seals in the swivel joint and is a very very large job as you have to unhook and cap like 20+ lines just to remove it to replace seals. It's something that needs doing eventually in all of those old excavators but once done will make your machine work and run like a new one.

I have a little XN08 Rhinoceros. I use to put logs on my HM 122. A lot of guys dig and operate machine with the push blade planted in front of machine. I always plant the blade behind machine to give a more stable footprint. If you find the machine tipping and rocking a lot while using it, give it a try. Thank you for you videos, you helped me get to gettin with my new mill.

My husband thinks that lever locks the turn table for transport perhaps . He says to soak with penetrating oil and work it around. Thanks Sandy. …you will have fun with that little machine.

This give ya a new meaning to sludge

You’ve got yourself a nice machine to help around the woodlot.

One trick I found to control drain and fill hydraulic tanks is to use a drill powered oil/water pump. Home Depot. They are less than $10 and can be coupled to brass faucet hose to barb. Use clear tube and zip tie the tubes to threaded rod to keep a straight pick up tube. You can pump either direction ( flip pump around) to empty and refill from pails without taking the whole top off. Can empty and fill 5 gallons in less than 10 minutes. I will take drain plug out for last drips. Ultimate control for no over fill and keep the area clean without accidental grit in the tank. I use an orange pail to keep the dedicated setup in.

Hi Sandy. You made that old machine happy again. Great job. I love it. I see someone already mentioned getting undercarriage in the air with the blade and bucket. That might have helped as well in getting you better access to the hydraulic drain with a little rotation. You may have done this and I didn't see it but...if you can let the machine sit for while, there's probably a drain plug in the bottom of that fuel tank. Let the water and any other bad stuff settle out to the bottom, then drain a out a pint or so. Have a look see what may have been floating around in there.

Fantastic video! Something satisfying about working on your own equipment. Recently acquired a 2013 Polaris Sportsman 500 and learning how to change all the fluids. Thank you to the University of RU-vid for having a platform for regular folks like Sandy teaching regular folks like me how to be self sufficient rock stars! So looking forward to the next video! Take care. 👏✌😁

Great job Sandy, you did good, maintenance is pretty straight forward when you have common sense skills! Looking forward to seeing the next video! ✌🏼❤️🙏🏼

Nice video. I think the lever changes the speed of the orbital motor. I have a similar size/era of machine but it is a Kubota and that is what the lever does. The lever was also locked up for me, so I needed to disassemble and clean it thoroughly.

It’s a good idea to write on all your new filters the month and year in paint marker that way a glance you know when last changed

Nice little unit

Sandy a little rule is to write the Machine hours on all filters when changed that way its easier at a glance to see when your service time is coming up

That engine purrs like a kitten.

I stole a 1ltre measuring cup from the wife, stays in my shop now ,very handy

i think the lever is to lock the cab from swinging around when transporting the machine and if you have problems installing the swing bushing put the in freezer to shrink them a little drop in let thaw Tiet

That's probably a control pattern change lever. You could change is from SAE controls to backhoe controls. It changes which lever does what. If you are used to the controls leave it be

A good practice is to write the date & hours on any filter when you change it... Great Vid ;)

Maintained machinery lasts and operates better well done.

Yep, whatever works. (i.e. the Crescent wrench (AKA: "Adjustable Metric") with another, similar wrench to turn that hydraulic oil plug. Watch some videos on operating small mini's, for tips on climbing/descending hills, working on side slopes, and using the boom, arm and bucket to pull you along when the crawlers aren't moving you. Also, how to cross ditches. You're going to find that excavator is even more fun than your sawmill!! Hahahaha........... welcome to the club! OH, besides lubing all the zirks before you use the machine, find the zirk where you pump grease to tighten the crawlers. You DON'T want to throw one of those!

Hi Sandy! off topic? We are coming into a food crises! You aught to stock up! When you put in your king pins when you take out the old bushings get a welding rod and lay a bead around the inside of the bushings your trying to get out when it cools they will fall out! then heat up your new bushings with a propane torch take it to the point of just before bluing of the steel and they will go in easy let cool and then re~assemble. New seat would be nice too!

Hey, I'm an operator too so I thought I'd drop by and leave a comment.

Great Video, Kinda wish you would have checked the fuel tank for the source of the rust in the filters...would have been a pain to clean it out but I suppose you will find out after running it a while and checking the filters to see how bad the rust problem is. Looking forward to the next vids!

Great video sandy,that machine will be glad it found you for its new owner.

You should use a tag to wipe out the filter housing. The fins make the air spin so that it uses the entire filter evenly.

Hi Sandy if you have any problems getting the bushings out you can weld beads on the inside to shrink then. keeping the tracks ajusted help from losing a track. At least it dose with mine. Have fun you will wonder how you ever got along with out it.

The initial recommendation is too late since you have started and moved the machine but with the hydraulic oil looking that bad, it might have been a good idea to remove the hose ends from the retraction side of the cylinders, to try to get as much of the old oil out as possible (you pushed most of the oil out of the "extension" side of the cylinders, but the opposite sides still would have had quite a bit of nasty oil in them. Now, depending on the cost and amount of hydraulic oil the machine takes, you may want to change the oil again soon, plus check/rinse the hydraulic oil filters in clean hydraulic oil (that stuff looked pretty nasty and it is now mixed with your new clean oil). I wouldn't think that was normally necessary during a routine change, but that fluid seemed quite "used". Just my opinion though, not sure if others will/would share it. You certainly doing the right stuff though for that machine so it will last for you, have a good one!!

Howdy Sandy- you’ve about got your new buggy ready to go. I’m anxious to see how you change the king pin. Someone else commented on the RU-vid University being very helpful. I agree with that. Was able to save a pretty good chunk of money doing a fix on my old work truck. Love watching your videos because you don’t put on any false airs. I like a channel like that. Keep up the good work. Have a great weekend. God bless

One smart cookie Sandy. Change everything at the beginning and you will know where you stand.

Thanks Sandy. I bet that A&P Tomato can is the oldest thing in Your Shop .HAAHAHAHA See if a nice Comfy Boat seat will fit the Mini ? Mike M.

That lever could be for a swing locking pin used during transport.

Real good start looks like a sold little digger. The only advise is get your self a case of brake clean and look into putting a thumb on it would make life so much easier

I own a very similar mini. The stuck lever is high/low speed hydraulics. you will likely never use it. You can just idle the engine down to move slower. I spent hours freeing mine up, just to never use it.

Good job on the maintenance. It would be best if you rechecked the oil level on the final drives; when you fill them that fast, it's pouring out at the level way before the whole level is loaded like water taking the easy route first. ☝

Sandy, get in the habit of writing the date and hours on your filters, Good Luck!

Hey don't forget to recheck your motor oil after you start the motor from changing the oil

When you tackle the king pin have a good helper and some way to lift the boom either your tractor bucket or a hoist. . good luck.

Sandy you did a great job now it’s going to run better for you 😊

Awesome content sir!!! Learned a lot about milling from you!

Great job on the maintenance!

If the hydraulic plugs do not have rubber seals, you may weld 3/4 nuts on them, then use your 3/4 socket to remove them, thank you for your videos!

An inexpensive Princess Auto 3/4" drive socket set will handle all your larger bolts

Great job Sandy

Hey Sandy, Thanks for the content. Bought a 130Max on the XL trailer, largely because of your channel. Got tired of the log scales and the lack of precision. I’ve retrofitted a Wixey table saw fence readout to my saw and it makes milling faster and more accurate. Send me your address and I’ll send you the required brackets as I made an extra set. Thanks again

It is always good to do all the regular maintenance oil grease filters when you purchase a pieces of machinery onless it come with a maintenance Manuel that tell you when things were done like right now Sandy I will suggest that you get something like a logging book just for your mini excavator so you look at your paper 6 to 8 months from now and you will know where you are at and what needs to be done so you can check the amount of hours you have done and see what needs it ready to be done have a great day

Looks to me you getting her up in shape to start working soon and will be glad to see that. Sure it will not disappoint you with the work she will do Great video Sandy

Nice video Sandy. I had a tractor with a yanmar engine. Very reliable. Start easy even in cold weather.

Looks like fun! And I hear you on the larger sockets. Grainger has a couple small sets that go as big as 60mm, but they are ridiculously expensive. So I watch the garage sales, estate auctions, antique shops. So far no luck.

Looks like you are gonna have some fun and cleaning up your land at the same time....awesome..... :)

Good grief, don't confuse the sludge! 😆

You will have to change the oil one more time after running everything for a while. Lots of old oil still in the cylinders. 🙂

When cleaning filters off you should blow from the inside out. This will get the filters cleaner. You can't even clean filters with a firecraker. Video on RU-vid. ,😃

Stop it for a minute to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and a very safe Christmas from 11:48 of West Virginia

Just if you want you can take the hydralic oil from hydralic system (the old oil) as coaler oil to chainsaw, maybe not the most klimate friendly thing but for sure it’s works good. Great video as always

I’ve never seen excavator tracks extend out. But, you should be able to tell by the frame the tracks are mounted on.

good job you need to check and see where water is getting in hydra oil on my tractor it was coming in at the lever boots. take care, be safe and well.

I would think the lever thats somewhat frozen may be pattern select?Changes the fuction of each pilot control stick to the desired control fuction.There are 2 styles that i know of,cat and deere,or ISO and SAE.Also that small fuel filter may be your fuel-water seperator that should be drained once in a great while,thats where the rust and particulate scale will be coming from by not draining off and letting water sit in there for long periods.

Too nice of a shirt for this job!

For the digger 15w40 is ok. For the tractor i would probably use 10w40 during the winter. Check with the manual for the kioti . It probably gets just as cold in Canada as here in Norway.

The vintage A&P can is a hoot! And maybe ramps for a better working height for all that underneath work - a couple of thick wide boards would work (but where the heck are you gonna find THEM? 😂🤣😂)

Brake clean does well for cleaning the hyd screen.

Try a tire iron on the hydro fluid bolts.

FYI 4:50 mark: fear of not getting out all of the plugs on the drive... I know you know this Sandy, you just didn't mention it - - ALWAYS make sure that the FILL plug/plugs will come out before draining the fluid in all phases/locations of fluid change!

the moisture in the hyd oil most likely sweet that we all see in fuel tanks. the engine and hyd, tanks all sweet butt the engine oil temp almost always see 230+ temp to steam the water out . the hyd, temp may need a 4 to8 hour continues run shift depending on weather temp as snow or 100 dg weather cold and rain client may need a block heater installed in thd hyd, tank. if you had a way to heat the old oil the moisture will go away, and passably re use it. monitor you're new oil it will get moisture also . in wet and cold Clements you may find you can lower the hyd oil level by 1/3 to 1/2 and it will heat up quicker.

Nice work Sandy,,, Please wear goggles when using compressed air to blow out dirt. 🙂 Eyes are precious things.

Hy, this red lever selecting between boom swing and auxilary port. So the pedal control these functions. If pedal move boom then it is in position for boom swing. If you wanted to connect hammer or tilt bucket, then you must fix this lever. Thank you for this video, i also bought this excavator a year ago and will change fluids so far. Video will help me a lot.

Freeze the bushes for easier install