Hello, my first post

[PC03]

Hello, this is my first post on this forum. I have registered after finding the forum whilst searching and reading about excavators on the web. The posts I have read have been very interesting and informative.
The reason I am researching is I bought a Komatsu PC 03-2 800kg micro excavator last year. We were looking to have some landscaping and groundworks done at home and whilst in the past I have done all my digging with a shovel and mattock my latest project would have been too big to realistically dig out by hand.
This gave me the excuse to justify buying the Excavator. Its obviously worked hard in the past but everything seemed fine when i bought it. One thing that attracted me to this particular Excavator was the two cylinder watercooled Honda petrol engine that powers it. I own and am familiar with Honda motorbikes so figured that as I know nothing about diesel i would be better equiped to maintain the engine.
the machine has worked well so far and I spent the winter by giving it a full service, oil, filters, cam belt and a general clean and tidy up.
I wish I had found this forum sooner, some great helpfull imformative posts on here and why I registered which brings me back to the reason for my first post, Hello

[Muz]

Hi Rob welcome to the forum we'll look forward to your postings

[Stock]

Welcome PC03, a petrol digger that's a novelty ............ the diesel would probably be cheaper to run and maintain than the petrol........

[Wee Jim]

Welcome to the forum!!

[jackpreacher]

Welcome to the forum

[PC03]

Welcome PC03, a petrol digger that's a novelty ............ the diesel would probably be cheaper to run and maintain than the petrol........

Hi and thanks all for the welcome. Yes its petrol, I think its a grey import from Japan judging by the instruction and warning lables. Im sure a diesel would be cheaper on fuel but as its for my personal use and not every day an I feel confident working on the engine. The rest of the machine is alien to me but facinating to learn about.
i cant get over how powerfull it is compared to a mattock and shovel. I hav never used an excavator before so I cant compare performance with others,
I managed to dig 10 meters of a strip footing today, used about or 6 litres of fuel so thats about £10:00.
As a buisness those costs would mount up over time but for me doing one off jobs round the home its not too bad.

[Stock]

What a tenner + hire and a bum in the seat and a pound a linear meter for fuel I'd be broke faster than I going now.........

Pricing a drain at the moment 220m with a 225mm half carrier pipe starting at a depth of 1.8m.............can you imagine the fuel bill, not to mind pipe, stone, manholes benching, reinstatement and labour......

So you excavated 3cubic meters for a fuel cost of a tenner......

So my trench is going to be 1 x 1 x 220= 220 cu m + 220 x.5 x.8 = 88 cu M giving a total of 308 cu M then bulk that up by .3 gives 92.4 cu M for a total of 400.4 cu M @ £3.33 per cu M is £1333.33 in fuel to dig the trench..........

Won't be buying one of them dinosaurs got enough trouble with the jake 130..............

[Stock]

Lad you better langer up a picture of it so we all can avoid buying one ............

[Muz]

Lad you better langer up a picture of it so we all can avoid buying one ............

Umm..... Robs got a 2 Cyl engined micro for some garden work .. how in the name of the wee man is that a comparison for a 13 tonner ? or have you not read his posts ?

[JMB]

Welcome PC03

I am also a newcomer to the forum (joined last month) and have already been amazed at the help and advice that is readily out there.

You mention "Shovel and Mattock" ; I am in the same position; but that kind of grafting has somewhat lost it's magic!! Finally have decided to to "Go mechanised" and am intending to purchase a S/Hand Mini digger - Takeuchi TB016 - if one turns up!


If the Komatsu has a Honda engine (and I know!!; it's not diesel) then you will be very unlucky if you experience problems as I also have and had Honda bikes - (living on the Isle of Man virtually every one has a bike), and they are virtually bullet proof,......... providing you attend to the scheduled servicing.


Anyway happy digging!

[Stock]

Umm..... Robs got a 2 Cyl engined micro for some garden work .. how in the name of the wee man is that a comparison for a 13 tonner ? or have you not read his posts ?

O course I have Muz but as I was working at the pricing I thought I needed some light relief. a pound a meter does seem a tad thirsty though................ that machine might be a prime candidate for a electrical conversion...............

PC03 any idea of the engine size either cc or HP...........

[245dlc]

Welcome to the forum PC03, I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures of your little beasty. Does yours have 360 swing on it? I've seen some pictures of Kobelco's tiniest machine and you stand on the back and I guess the boom might swing 180 degrees on it which in my opinion doesn't deserve being called an excavator it's just a backhoe then. lol There are a couple companies in Canada and the U.S. that have been marketing little backhoes that can be towed behind a car or small pickup truck that I looked into a few years ago but the lack of continous swing and a compact diesel engine were a bit of a turn off. I certainly don't doubt that your little digger is better than a pick and shovel as I've been doing a lot of garden work lately and my shoulder has been causing me a lot of grief.

[PC03]

Hi, not worked out how to load pictures from the ipad but here is a link to one that is the same as mine. Even the japanese hyroglipics!

http://universaltrading.web.fc2.com/...No6/index.html

I will get some pictures uploaded using the PC when it is set up.

I have fitted an aftermarket seat to mine as the original was ripped and the foam was allways wet!

Ps I am definatly an amateur at this game so I am here to learn.

[PC03]

O course I have Muz but as I was working at the pricing I thought I needed some light relief. a pound a meter does seem a tad thirsty though................ that machine might be a prime candidate for a electrical conversion...............

PC03 any idea of the engine size either cc or HP...........

The engine is a Honda GX360. Its quoted as 13hp.

This is a link to a page that shows the excavator specification but details the disel option. It also shows the option of a jack hammer/pecker? that mine doesnt have.

As well as rotating through 360 the boome swinge left and right.

http://www.ritchiespecs.com/specific...&modelid=93022

[Stock]

http://engines.honda.com/parts-and-s...-manuals/gx360

PC03 looking at those photographs it a prime candidate for a 2 cyl diesel engine from a truck fridge unit. They are about 15 hp.
I included a link to a site for an engine manual for you.