How much is too much hitch/king post play?

[Steve Blackdog]

My local Kubota dealer has a U17 -3a for sale. It’s about ten years old with 2750 hours on the clock. It starts on the button, but has play in the king post and hitch. They want £8k for it.

My situation: I have a 5-6 month building project. I’m having a double garage built with a large workshop/store underneath. The parking is on the upper level as it is on the side of a hill.

The foundations are in and 95% of the groundwork is done.

My builder would like a small excavator on site - it will be useful to be able to have a machine for lifting stuff, moving stuff around and sorting through a large pile of stone (to be used as cladding).

It is not cost effective to hire a digger that might get half an hour’s use one day, and very rarely be running all day.

The plan is for me buy a digger for the job, use it for landscaping around the new building and then sell it.

If I could get a decent newish micro, like a U10 etc for similar money, that might better sense. However, the U17 is available and will have a bit more heft. I don’t fancy doing any major repair. So how much play makes a difference. I don’t want my builder cursing me for buying a dog!

 

[Smiffy]

My local Kubota dealer has a U17 -3a for sale. It’s about ten years old with 2750 hours on the clock. It starts on the button, but has play in the king post and hitch. They want £8k for it.

My situation: I have a 5-6 month building project. I’m having a double garage built with a large workshop/store underneath. The parking is on the upper level as it is on the side of a hill.

The foundations are in and 95% of the groundwork is done.

My builder would like a small excavator on site - it will be useful to be able to have a machine for lifting stuff, moving stuff around and sorting through a large pile of stone (to be used as cladding).

It is not cost effective to hire a digger that might get half an hour’s use one day, and very rarely be running all day.

The plan is for me buy a digger for the job, use it for landscaping around the new building and then sell it.

If I could get a decent newish micro, like a U10 etc for similar money, that might better sense. However, the U17 is available and will have a bit more heft. I don’t fancy doing any major repair. So how much play makes a difference. I don’t want my builder cursing me for buying a dog!

If a large aim of yours is to lift and move stuff then you might be underwhelmed by either a micro or a u17. I personally like the u17 and find the a really nice machine but they are zero swing not a huge machine so lifting isn't their forte.

 

[Steve Blackdog]

If a large aim of yours is to lift and move stuff then you might be underwhelmed by either a micro or a u17. I personally like the u17 and find the a really nice machine but they are zero swing not a huge machine so lifting isn't their forte.

Does zero swing lower lifting capacity then?

 

[Regy53]

All kubotas have play, there shocking and always have been. A lot are used for utilitys. However i have never found it to affect the digger a lot, although at the front end (bucket pins and bushes) it makes a huge difference

 

[Furniss]

No overly impressed my u17 ....well the whites hitch isnt its fault but the slew ring must have 1 tooth every 10cm or so and it spoils it.
But having said that its got 950hrs - no play in the pins/bushes.
As people say, if you want to lift and your not working in tight areas then an arse would be an advantage, although for what we use ours for I really like having no arse to wipe.

 

[Steve Blackdog]

Does zero swing lower lifting capacity then?

No overly impressed my u17 ....well the whites hitch isnt its fault but the slew ring must have 1 tooth every 10cm or so and it spoils it.
But having said that its got 950hrs - no play in the pins/bushes.
As people say, if you want to lift and your not working in tight areas then an arse would be an advantage, although for what we use ours for I really like having no arse to wipe.

That’s really helpful. So basically the arse hanging out counter balances the boom.

 

[Furniss]

Yes - more stable working across the undercarriage - horses for courses job.

 

[kato512]

My local Kubota dealer has a U17 -3a for sale. It’s about ten years old with 2750 hours on the clock. It starts on the button, but has play in the king post and hitch. They want £8k for it.

My situation: I have a 5-6 month building project. I’m having a double garage built with a large workshop/store underneath. The parking is on the upper level as it is on the side of a hill.

The foundations are in and 95% of the groundwork is done.

My builder would like a small excavator on site - it will be useful to be able to have a machine for lifting stuff, moving stuff around and sorting through a large pile of stone (to be used as cladding).

It is not cost effective to hire a digger that might get half an hour’s use one day, and very rarely be running all day.

The plan is for me buy a digger for the job, use it for landscaping around the new building and then sell it.

If I could get a decent newish micro, like a U10 etc for similar money, that might better sense. However, the U17 is available and will have a bit more heft. I don’t fancy doing any major repair. So how much play makes a difference. I don’t want my builder cursing me for buying a dog!

2022 u17 went 12k at auction at the weekend with around 800hrs. I'd be going to euro auctions in Leeds next week if I was you...

 

[Steve Blackdog]

That’s interesting. I will check it out.