Buying a used Yanmar B22 mini Excavator

In this video I take a look at an early 90s Yanmar B22 excavator, weighing in about 5,500lb. A variety of excavators (Yanmar, Kubota, Hitachi, Kobelco, Komatsu) are available from a Japanese machinery importer in the Washington Tacoma area. I tried out a few different machines, but decided the Mini B22 Yanmar was right for me. When I say (Gray Market) I’m referring to Japanese domestic machinery that was built and sold for the Japanese market. These machines are used in Japan, after the machinery is 10 to 30 years old they are sold off and imported into the USA. Sometimes there’s a equivalent machine sold as a US model and this can make parts availability easier.
E bay is a good source for grey-market parts on these machines.
This is the Crossfire CNC plasma table from Langmuir systems.
Here’s an affiliate link to the Crossfire website if you are interested in checking out the table
store.langmuirsystems.com/?aff=16
Don’t forget to use the promo code MIKEFESTIVA This will save you $100 at checkout on the table!
Here are some US filter part numbers for the Yanmar B22-
Oil Filter: WIX OIL FILTER 51334
Fuel Filter: WIX FUEL FILTER 33263
Air Filter: BALDWIN AIR FILTER PA1865-FN
ENGINE OIL: 15W-40 Diesel Engine Oil
HYDRAULIC OIL: ISO 46
If you are interested in a Gray market mini excavator check out Valley Equipment and Truck
Any Questions call John at [phone] He is a really nice guy! Here's the link to Valley Equipment & Truck page: valleyequipmentandtruck.com/
If you are looking for a price on a final drive call Doug at www.minifinaldrives.com/

[@AndrewCamarata]

I usually just buy them. You’re over thinking it.

[@Mikefestiva]

Hey Andrew I have had many people comment that I should check out your videos so I just subscribed the other day 👍 I have had a lot of people suggest a manual thumb rather the hydraulic, what’s your suggestion on this topic? Well it’s nice you guys have had good experiences buying equipment. For me spending more on this excavator then I have ever on a car or truck I prefer to look things over well. Granted I never spend more the a few thousand on any automobile, I usually buy things I can get for cheaper and repair. Thanks for checking out my videos guys 👍

[@papecat]

@@Mikefestiva check out his video on thumbs kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYjbmn6DYptoZpI I bought a 1991 B-25 that looked exactly like your B22. It was a great machine didn't have any issues with it. I installed a GENTEC mechanical thumb.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

Most don't know how to fix rebuild like us.

[@Mikefestiva]

@@ferguson20diesel49 I don’t know where (here) is for you? But if a dealer wants my money they are going to have to work with me or I’m going somewhere else, simple as that. Also if someone is selling stuff that needs work I’m going to point it out, Bs to not say anything about it and just buy it. There’s no way I would buy a car, truck or other machines without looking them over first, that’s a good way to get burned.

[@stevenstowers2889]

Thx brother

[@85square]

Its like a small version of Andrew Camaratas!

[@1beastlydudefixbreakrepeat]

try gettin a hold of Andrew Camarata on youtube , he has two of these

[@onnisilander7156]

He has a b27 too i think

[@johnsteffen5908]

@@onnisilander7156 b37 and b50

[@danmartin6696]

Exactly what I came to the comments to say... these 90's model Yanmars are his favourites by far from what I can tell and he has a stack of other smaller and larger excavators!

[@l.halsey2991]

@@danmartin6696 same, came to say this!

[@rkzooplays]

Lol I only came to watch this video because of Andrew 😄

[@claytonhendrix3400]

You're going to want to put a shutoff valve on both sides of the dipper where you're thumb cylinders tie in. Also as a heavy equipment operator and occasionally a heavy equipment mechanic it would be a good idea to look into running remote grease fittings for your higher fittings so you aren't climbing around. Fyi battery powered grease guns are your friend when it comes to track work.

[@calholli]

I've seen them just have the quick connects... and when you take the thumb off, you just hook them together to close the loop-- no need for extra valves.

[@claytonhendrix3400]

@@calholli I'm going of heavy equipment. I haven't ever been around something that small. All the big hoes with the auxiliary hydraulics have the valves and threaded caps.

[@bobf12]

Hey mike, my first thought would be Andrew Camarata here on you tube. He has Yanmar equipment and knows a lot about it. He is a great guy and probably could help you out.

[@kieranosullivan02]

Lol saw the video and instantly thought of when he bought thst second yanmar

[@_Otaku-kt8be]

Seller is a stand up guy if he was local to me and I needed an excavator or any other construction equipment I'd totally buy from him.

[@DieselCreek]

Hey little tip incase it hasn’t been said yet unless you need it for another function you should get in the habit of keeping your blade down hill and use it to level yourself up. You can also keep it out ahead of you and use it to help stop from pulling yourself toward what it is your digging/pulling on.

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for the tips 👍 I have been using the leveling up blade technique a bit. Thanks I appreciate it.

[@NilsKall]

Good choice of machine! It looks good for that kind of age. Now you need to make a quick coupler to it, a planning bucket, a thumb, a snow plow, a ripper, forks.......😁 I actually use the forks on my mini excavator much more than the buckets!

[@wantblackwolf]

A manual thumb would be all you need two settings by pulling a pin, stored and work positions. I used an old JD backhoe with one no problem never took it out of work position great for picking stuff up and could still dig.

[@7smoke6]

Oh man! Nothing like getting a new man toy and having it break and have to wait for parts. Another great vid!

[@Mikefestiva]

Haha! Yes it was really hard waiting on parts. It’s working great now, I have gotten an amazing amount of dirt moved already with it. Take care

[@YoZaym]

Yep 6 port diversion valve will be perfect. Your on the right track! Also run quick couplers at the end of the boom before it hooks into the thumb so you can run other implements off the same circuit. E.g. hammers, log grabs etc

[@RaviPatel-ex8er]

First machine I ever had was a mustang skid steer had a yanmar motor. Always started very little cranking. Used that machine to build a big building. Never failed me

[@williamdavis922]

Those old Yanmar excavators are built like tanks, they run forever!!

[@Dc-nc3ws]

I have the same exact machine. I bought an aftermarket thumb and did exactly what you said by putting a selector valve in. I mounted it under the seat next to the battery, it is not controlled by a pilot operated solenoid valve if I want to use the boom swing I simply tilt the seat up and move the selector.

[@PowerOfValmet]

Ask andrew camarata about these, he seems to love them, he say they never brake down 😁

[@young11984]

Was about to say the same thing, i think he had 3 at one time

[@PowerOfValmet]

@@young11984 he still do 😁

[@daniele3275]

I think that he can say something about thumbs

[@bleearg0102]

Great Video on the B22. I got one a year or so ago and just put it through the ringer. Thank you for the informative video! Shout out to Camarata, learned plenty of useful operation tips. watching his channel.

[@donryan623]

Congratulations on your new purchase Mike. That's awesome. I use my bobcat mini excavator for all kinds of projects around my house

[@1990notch]

I agree with you on the older diesel grey market machines. Thanks for sharing the importer info, I'll likely check them out.

[@TimMcArdle]

When building the thumb, try to pin it at your bucket for the pivot. They work so much better that way with that geometry. I just built one for my little Ditch Witch MX272 (Komatsu built) and did it that way. Mines also Yanmar powered and barely sips any fuel. You'll love the little machine!

[@Mikefestiva]

Great 👍 thanks Tim I really appreciate it!

[@Military-Museum-LP]

A lot of people go the tractor route first but an excavator can do everything. I don’t know what I would do without mine. This excavator is super clean. I’ve heard these grey market machines are in very good condition. You did good..

[@designandbuild3953]

Another great video! You have taken some mystery out of grey market equipment purchases, sourcing and repairs. Love how you jump into stuff and learn as you go, gives the rest of us the confidence to do so as well!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for checking out my new video 👍 I bought an older early 1980s gray market 4X4 tractor about 5 years ago and I couldn’t be happier with it. It had been purchased years before from an importer, the importer installed a bucket. I was a little concerned buying gray market machine at the time but realized that most common parts are still available for the machine. I actually only had to change the engine oil, fuel filter, install new rubber hood latches and just recently installed a $24 voltage regulator, all parts from E bay, other then that it’s been a solid tractor for the few hundred hours I have put on it! Take care 🙂

[@quarlow1215]

Nice little machine Mike. As a truck driver/equipment op, I would be building a cable operated highlift tailgate on your "arty". Check out articulated dump trucks for ideas. I ran a 40 ton Komatsu. It uses a cantilever arm with a wing bracket in front of the rear wheels with a cable to lift as you raise the box. Super simple.

[@seanwitters3421]

I just wanted to let ya know that I truly love you your videos. Your such a genuine person. Keep up the great work on all your projects!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thank you Sean! I really appreciate it 🙂

[@billsmith5166]

Looks like the perfect bucket size. It looked pretty dry when you were showing it to us. I did notice some oil smear on the inside of the engine cover, but I'm sure you saw it. I bet all you're going to be facing is seals and hoses from here on out if you take care of maintenance. My first was an IHI and it was great, but I never had many problems with any of my used equipment. I might have been lucky but Japanese stuff is pretty well engineered. Have fun!

[@ThoenWorks]

Congrats on your baby - that's a great find! What a handy thing to have around the property!

[@embeddedcnc]

The engine looks brand new ? Excellent purchase !! Your comment about the electronics in new excavators is spot on.

[@TheGoatfat]

i would fix the old drive for a spare. looking forward for more vids on this

[@willbryan4813]

Yanmar is one of the best machines you can buy. Great machines. Little bit of work on the hydraulic thumb, but it can be done.

[@Jeremy-fy1sz]

Having played with a backhoe before, a manual adjustable thumb is very functional for picking up logs. And closing the bucket against it should stop the bucket without breaking anything so you want the pressure on the thumb higher than the bucket itself so it acts as a hard stop.

[@10p6]

Nice buy (other than the repair.) I used one of these back around 2000 for digging foundations as they could get in pretty tight places, and had plenty of power.

[@051biohaz]

Sounds like a good dude that sold it to you, awesome machine and it looks like a perfect match for the dump truck...great video as usual, keep it up..:)

[@ronamedee2475]

Nice video. I really enjoy your attitude and wealth of knowledge on so many different subjects.Looking forward to how you tackle the "thumb" attachment.

[@Lee-At-Green-Pheonix-Rc]

Pretty decent them yanmars a guy I follow called Andrew camarata has a few and his rarely breakdown and be a good a compliment to ur home built dumper love a mini excavator and mini front end dumper and should have got the tracked dumper they go anywhere put some of the 6x6 articulated dump truck u see in quarys or large earth moving I'd love to build like a spinning clam shell bucket and scrap claw 👍

[@jamescole1786]

4/27/22...hey Mike, great video on yur Yanmar mini ex. Yes, you do talk about but...you provide tons of info for us armchair YT viewers. Love yur attitude toward hands-on work. Much enjoy yur videos on many subjects. You are a creative, mechanical & fabrication type guy & I enjoy watching/listening to your explanations. Great to see your projects materialize. Stay safe!👍👍👍🛠🧑‍🔧😊🍺

[@flapwheat]

Congrats on the new purchase, Mike! I could really use a mini-excavator for a few projects around my place. Gotta trench for some water line and in-ground electric and an excavator beats the heck out of a Ditch Witch!!

[@phsouzabr]

Definitely contact Andrew Camarata for the info you seek. Lookup his video on installing a thumb on a yanmar

[@haphazard1342]

Or Marty from New Zealand. He's a resourceful one.

[@williamlarsen8455]

Great video Mike I really enjoy my excavator and have found so many other uses with it as I’m sure you will

[@bud1412]

Congrats on your purchase..The thumb is a must should be no problem for you. I use to have. Diesel 1974 and it is still running, we also had a diesel car with 296,000 miles and was running when we sold it. Hopefully this is the last of your problems, hoses and belts would be on my list.

[@williamdavis922]

The same exact thing happened to me Mike, I bought a used mini excavator last year, I put it through its paces at the dealership where I purchased it, with no problems, it got delivered to my house, within the first hour, the one final drive locked up, the dealership was awesome and split the cost of the repair with me. I feel your pain sir!!!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for sharing this William, it was a bummer but like you experience I had help covering the cost from the dealer too and the final driver was fairly simple to install. My excavator is working great now! What make and model machine did you buy?

[@williamdavis922]

@@Mikefestiva The machine is a 2006 New Holland E27SR Mike. The final drives on smaller excavators are a breeze to fix compared to bigger machines because they dont have the big mass. I'm glad your machine is running well now, and mine is as well, I enjoy all your videos, I just started watching them, you have alot of talent, keep up the good work sir!!

[@robbymartens695]

I have driven by that place tons of times good to know they are good people to deal with when i need to pick a piece of equipment up ill definitely go see them thanks mike!

[@Mikefestiva]

Nice Robby you are another North-westerner! Yes I had a good experience working with John, he is the owner of the company and a fair guy. Take care

[@alsouthern7190]

Congrats on your find and purchase and thanks for another intresting video! Can't wait till next vid.

[@gregholloway2656]

Great video Mike, and a super little excavator. I ran a bobcat that was about the same size around my place a couple of summers ago, and it was a hoot. Agree that adding the thumb makes total sense.

[@bruced1429]

Very nice combo Mike, them will do you well. small tip for you put top hindges on your dump box back gate with lockups at the bottom them you can just unlock and dump and the back will tip out with material in the dumb box.

[@ntj030885]

Nice machine man. I’ve been missing your building and welding videos.

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

I bought my Takeuchi TB25 with a jammed drive, mine had been run dry, and it ate a few of its own gears. Some were mashed into the outer ring, effectively acting like an e-brake. I pulled it apart and after removing all of the junk and filing the groves in the ring clean, I got it working. Refilled the housing, and it didn’t leak a drop of gear oil. Not sure why it was dry in the first place.

[@isaac3175]

Your on the right track that's the way my b7 yanmar is plumbed the toggle switch just allows you to use the boom swing to operate the thumb just put the toggle switch somewhere handy and you will be going, that's the same hydraulic parts on mine and it works great . Im down in gig harbor so if you ever need hydraulic parts or we we have a good little hydraulic shop in belfair wa i use

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for commenting 👍 I really appreciate it! I will have to look that shop up, the main hydraulic shop out here just shut down a year ago, the one that took over seems to be lacking just about everything, they didn’t even have a 5 gallon bucket of hydraulic oil in stock. Take care 👍

[@levidbateman5174]

Fun little machine!! You’ll get it figured out... can’t wait to see the thumb build too, also I was thinking you should make a couple “J” brackets at the front of the dump body to hold your tailgate when dumping and not have to “toss” it on the ground...

[@chrishigdon1070]

was thinking manual thumb because that is how my bobcat was set up, just cnc machine it and put 6 adjustment holes in the bracket maybe 150 bucks to build and good luck on it love your videos

[@jayeff3196]

Just watched your video....I hope you bought this....these Yanmar machines are bulletproof man...why does it have to be a hydraulic thumb....a manual is just as good 👍....🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@steveschumacher5470]

I'm no hydraulic expert, although I worked on log loaders for many years, but I used that same solenoid valve to put aux. hydraulics on my compact tractors loader. It worked great & looking at your relief setup, I think your on the right track. I had to use a relay to run the solenoid as it pulled enough amps that it burned up the first switch pretty quickly. looking forward to all the improvements you do in the future. thanks Mike

[@BDauto86]

That is awesome man congrats. I have always wanted a little backhoe like 23hp diesel or something just alil big then a garden tractor. Super handy to have machines like these around.

[@mightypoo0]

After watching the rest of your video, looks like your on the right track. I don’t think you need a return as it should return back internally. Great video.

[@jiminsequim3218]

Very cool, Michael! So glad you found the machine and have had good experiences with it!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks Jim! How’s your tractor project coming along?

[@jiminsequim3218]

@@Mikefestiva I'm making slow progress - hopefully will be starting work on the front loader soon. Still need to get some hydraulic hoses made for the drive system so I know the thing can actually move! LOL!! I'll send you a couple pictures tomorrow. ;^)

[@ChrisfromKeyfarm]

Great video as usual Mike, props to John for being a stand up business man. I'm a few thousand miles away but that little tracked dumper would be cool to see up close. I like the new machine, hydraulics is something I would like to know more about as well. As far as future projects, I'm looking forward to those, especially the 6x6 you mentioned, I have plans drawn up for a twin engine 8x8, but no plans to start it anytime soon. Take care and I look forward to the next video.

[@andyreed5363]

I have one of these machines and it is plumbed for accessories. Getting thumb for it and not sure where the actual thumb control is. It does have a left pedal near the left control stalk but it does not seem to be connected to a valve, which I expected to be right behind the area where the accessory hydraulic line passes through the cab front. Anyways, cool thing about these old machines is that they are rock solid and while they do not look pretty, they get the job done..

[@outerfroggy1]

Yanmar makes excellent small diesels. We had a fleet of rental takehuci mini-ex's with yanmar engines, they got the snot beat out of them by the weekend warriors and never missed a beat.

[@MrNosajwhitey]

Luving how generous with the shout outs hopefully soon someone will see marketing value of getting you sponsored with there good equipment in the future

[@andrewturner9193]

If you are looking at a machine and see a leak around the final drives just walk away. They run so little oil inside that a small leak can cause a lot of wear. Nice dealer cleaned up the evidence of the oil leak so some sucker wouldn't see it. Did you check the oil level in that motor after seeing the leak? Oh it ran slower on that side too good signs to walk away.

[@OverlandUnderBudget]

Man that is a such a sweet piece of equipment. Also i want property now so i can dig and build and drive around it.

[@davidfrankhauser1666]

Good for you, can’t wait to see what you’ll build with it and for it!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks David 👍

[@greasemonkey3495]

The older they are, easier to fix, bought a 1980s 1 ton Yanmar, best thing i ever bought.

[@Gunge-vq2ik]

love this beast! murphys law but u handled it wit usual patience and skill. GREAT VID!!

[@forrestmagee5397]

Really enjoyed the video Mike, looks like a sweet machine

[@krusejonathan01]

Andrew Comeratta has one. Has beat the heck out of it and can’t kill it. Good machines.

[@bert26a]

Mike instead of welding on your dipperstick to put a permanent thumb on buy a used bucket and put the thumb actuating cylinders on the back of the bucket and mount your thumb parts on the bucket so no matter what your thumb can always touch the bucket and if you ever decide to get any other attachments the thumb won't get in the way as the cylinder drifts. Just check out Rockland attachment's Krypto Claw or CMP attachment's grapple bucket. We've got thumbs for both our machines and they perpetually get in the way when using other attachments like our tilt buckets or ripper tooth. Our next machine will have a grapple bucket. And don't forget about setting up a relief valve so you don't damage anything when clamping down on an object. Maybe even consider an accumulator so you can maintain constant pressure without damaging anything.

[@nathandumais4468]

This is awesome. These machines are so versatile. I had many ideas for you to think about doing to it. I’m glad you’re going with a hydraulic thumb, it’s way more primo than a fixed thumb. I would suggest making the thumb pivot using the same pin as the bucket. This allows a much better range of motion. Also some other ideas for you to consider : A ripper could be a cool and easy project, and useful to rip through stumps and roots Rework the bucket. Maybe put wear plates and new cutting edges? This would be mostly for looks, but added wear protection is a plus! Maybe make a “finish bucket” While you’re tapping into the hydraulics anyway, maybe you could attempt a quick coupler ? It might be difficult, but with these upgrades alone, you’ve doubled the value of the machine in my opinion. Then sell it in a few years for a bigger machine!

[@lorenmeyer5290]

Great video Mike alway injoy your videos! Can't wait till your next one! God-bless!

[@nickp9062]

My dad has a grey market hitachi excavator. He bought it at ~2,000 hours and it’s close to 18,000 now. Wish you the best of luck with this one! Hopefully that’s the last big thing you have to do to it

[@theyorkshireworkshop]

Best thing to do with the claw addition is to add a diverter valve from the blade up and down so when your not using the blade you switch it over and use the spool valve to open and close the claw and vis versa!

[@DaleDirt]

10 k for this machine is a steel . I have a few pieces but not a excavator . The yanmar actually has a reputation of being one of the best as you probably already know . I am looking at a Misubishe MM50 , been in the weeds for 10plus years but was running when abandoned . Wish me luck . .... I Subscribed .

[@CJLeTeff]

Awesome find Mike!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for checking out my new video! Man it’s a game changer for my property 👍 I have gotten a lot of work done already with it.

[@50Acres]

Nice, been waiting for this one. Oh man I could use that little Yanmar Tracked Dumper. I also wanted to be able to trailer my machine easily mine is 5,800 lbs. That sucks about the final drive but at least you saw it coming. Looking forward to the thumb video!

[@metricstormtrooper]

Nothing can put your articulated dump truck to shame, Nothing.

[@Roberge-ln1zy]

I love the excavator videos awesome job and congrats

[@Richard-wk9le]

Mike on a machine that old you should check the ph level of the hydraulic oil if its way off, it will shorten the life of the seals and hoses, flush it out as best you can and replace as much as possible, also the filters.

[@333whateverdude]

Awsome place that is I have had 3 excavators 2 of them being gray market , just install a mechanical thumb on it they work good as well just make sure the Steel is hardend steel or it just bends

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for your suggestions 👍 I appreciate it!

[@1rustytree]

Good for you Mike! You will get some use out of that!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for checking out my new excavator video 👍 I have gotten a lot of work done already with it. I hope all is well with you 🙂

[@Classic_Re-creation]

Been following your chanel now for around year and all your stuff is interesting to watch, you do a great job of explaining things down to the last critical detail without being boring. From England uk

[@Mikefestiva]

Right on! I really appreciate your comment Thank you 👍 Hello from Washington state!

[@seansysig]

For the thumb you'll need a diverter valve if there isn't already s set of Auxiliary connectors installed.. You'll also need a couple 4000psi test gauges. Also replace hydraulic & diesel filters immediately. Reach out to Andrew Cammarata on KZbin he has Yanmar excavators and has built quick connect buckets.

[@calholli]

Andrew will probably just talk him into doing a fixed thumb. He did an entire video on thumbs that's really good.

[@Route66Sprint]

Congratulations. Looks like the perfect size machine to do what you need to do.

[@kylekayser2291]

I got a excavator from these guys fingers crossed but at least it's a Yamar IMO they are the best. It's good you got one without a thumb most the ones with thumbs are beat more.

[@young11984]

I looked at a B32 or B35 Yanmar like that one, next size up and had a final drive problem so i backed away from it. 2 weeks later saw one on FB burned for $500 but the other one was sold by then. They simple to repair

[@offgridliving4128]

I feel your pain. My IHI 25GX3 snapped a track within the first few hours of ownership. The place I bought it from is going to send me one for free. I told them I would buy the second one so I would have both matching new tracks.

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for checking out my videos 👍🙂 That’s a bummer that the track broke, at least the company is buying you a new one 👍 I have owned my Yanmar for over a year now and it’s been working great! Only one small thing I need to fix is a little drip from an old hydraulic seal on the blade cylinder, it’s a really small leak so I haven’t fixed it yet. But things like this are expected on a 30 year one machine.

[@aspiceproduct]

congratulations on the purchase brother. fun video!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks Jared! It’s going to be really helpful on my property 👍

[@timstewart567]

Hey Mike, the Predator powered motorcycle I built (inspired by yours) came out awesome and goes like crazy. It's also the best-looking pull-start motorcycle around ha ha. I'm now adapting a Honda quad the same way. Love your channel!

[@Mikefestiva]

Right onTim! That’s awesome 👍

[@rcguymike]

You could always build a mechanical thumb to get it done now but design it so you can swap out the brace for a cylinder down the line!

[@eliasshedd]

Just making sure you know about fixed thumbs. You could just make a thumb and put a pinned removable brace. Later if you wanted to add hydraulics you could. I dont think you'd need to though. You just place the thumb against what you want to pick then pinch it with the bucket.

[@iilijah]

I installed a manual thumb on my machine. It’s a yammer vio 20 also a grey market machine. But also was considering exactly what your wanting to do, minus the pressure relief valve. But my under standing is that the a/b selector uses the same supply and return lines. So all it really is doing is changing the ram it is operating. I saw a video on AVE channel. He is some salty language Canadian on you tube. But very informative. If you go through with the thumb install, I would love to follow suite.

[@scottdupuis3316]

Looks way better than my shovel.

[@001desertrat3]

On the Hydraulic Hoses going to the Boom , you can extend the life of those hoses by swapping them end-for-end (ONLY do one hose at a time , so you don't get them 'cross wired' ) . This now puts the ends from the valve bodies at the flex-point and the worn flexing ends in a non-flexing position . -- < Doc > .

[@JonsDailyHustle]

That is a pretty nice machine, I'd live to get my hands on something like that

[@evansautomotive307]

I was thinking about buying one of the ones that guy had. They looked pretty good for the price

[@gentlegiant.]

i think you and andrew camarata would be real good friends lol

[@jjyemg2397]

I know...Andrew loves his yanmar!!!

[@seankirkpatrick8171]

Nice buy, I bought a 2015 cat 303.5 about a year ago, it's awesome but I really regret spending that much right before corona hit. It was all my reserves and then some. Luckily I've scraped by working it while I'm waiting for my work to start up again (property servicing on foreclosures). If you put a solid thumb on it it would do what you needed , but the hydraulic thumb really is the way to go. I like the plan and hope you get it on and set up correctly! The one bit of advice is to really plan the pivot point. If you use the location of the bucket pin it will follow the Bucket as you curl. There are other progressive linkage set ups that work but the bucket and thumb contact locations change as you curl or through the movement arc. It can make holding materials harder. Also another problem I have sometimes is my "grip" failing as I raise the boom. And the bucket pulling away from the thumb, or crushing as I bring the boom down and in . I'm sure the pressure can be adjusted on the thumb but I haven't explored it.

[@alpbilenler]

I am sure that your work will pick back up soon enough

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks Sean for commenting! I really appreciate it 👍 I’m sorry work slowed down for you, I’m glad you have picked up some side work with yours. I’m sure you will get back to work soon. Take care

[@weed8653]

Yes. Look over the progressive thumb designes. If you have room on that short stick for the linkage, much better. Make the pivot point at the bucket pin. Sweet little machine.

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Scored yourself a nice little machine there, bummer about the blown drive unit but you got her fixed. I would be tearing stuff up big time if I had one. ;-)

[@_P0tat07_]

Oh boy, the way you unloaded that excavator off the trailer. 😁

[@p.t.anderson1593]

I live South of Olympia a ways and I was looking at that exact machine on CL recently, along with some others too. I didn't go look at it or anything and I'm happy it went to a good home. I'm toying with building a steel home, Kodiak Steel Homes, in the near future and this would be perfect for doing a lot of the work including standing up the frames for the house. Thank you so much for your honest review of the businesses you dealt with. This information may soon become invaluable to me.

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for checking out my new video! Sorry I bought it man, I have been checking and there’s a few others at Valley equipment, there’s a Yanmar B17 3,000Lb for $9500 right now, it’s got under 1000 hours on it, but probably a little small. I bet you would use an excavator a lot especially if you are putting up a building. John was a good guy to deal with, I definitely would consider buying from him again if I go for a bigger Machine a few years down the road, so far this 5,500Lb machine seems quite capable for me.

[@p.t.anderson1593]

@@Mikefestiva Oh, yeah, naw... dude... I'm probably a couple of years out from building anything. You didn't snag it out from under me or anything remotely like that. I'm grateful for you passing on your experience, especially the part where you show how to deal with the drive motor and where to get a replacement. I don't learn much when everything goes perfectly... I'm super stoked to see the thumb build, specifically the cnc plasma cutter parts. I'm about a week away from making my own parts on the Crossfire Pro, which I bought based on your review. Keep up the good work! Thanks for sharing!

[@landengreen6982]

It can happen to anyone, no matter how well you look something over before you buy, problems can still pop up. There's just no way to know certain things! Awesome you were able to find the right drive for a good price, and everyone did you right. Nice work as always Mike, thanks for all your hard work to bring us videos!

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks Landen I appreciate your comment! Yes it all works out in the long run, I got it repaired easily and I still overall got a great price on this machine 👍 Man I have gotten a lot of dirt moved already with it, complete game changer for my property!!! Thanks again for the nice comment, It’s a lot nicer then the guy I blocked this morning, he was calling me a clown for looking over the machine before I bought it? Who would buy a piece of equipment without looking it over first? Take care 🙂

[@landengreen6982]

@@Mikefestiva That sucks there's people that gotta be like that! Forget that clown... Post a video about building your storage pole structure if you get time!

[@noahrousseau8801]

Thanks for the great videos, I can’t wait to see the excavator work

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks Noah from commenting and checking out my videos! I really appreciate it 🙂

[@terryfromsouthcarolina4601]

Not the most efficient way to move dirt but it beats a shovel! I have a Yanmar BH660 hoe attachment on a.....well......unique tractor. It's an old aircraft tug. Anyhow I fit a fixed thumb that removes in about a minute. And digs to about 6.5 feet. ( it will come in handy if I have to shoot a trespasser). Point is once you get used to having it around you'll wonder how you ever got by with out it. I always look forward to your next video, thank you! Above all have fun and be safe! Terry from South Carolina