Jansen MB-300 review and demo

Hey people, decided to make that video that i promised a while back. Hope you enjoy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.
Feel free to follow me on the following social media platforms
00:00 Assembly of the machine
01:25 Talking about upgrades/pros/cons
08:56 Testing the machine out
16:18 Final thoughts
Want the support the channel? Consider leaving a like/comment or subscribe, also there are the SuperThanks, Patreon or PayPal options available.
Patreon (Upcoming projects and insight) - / antspants
PayPal Link: paypal.me/AndrisArike?country...
Amazon wish list: www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/...
Want to send me something? - contact me via e-mail: [e-mail]
Feel free to also follow me on Instagram - / ants__pants

[@jjuggernaut3218]

Probably the best mini bagger video on KZbin! Thanks for the great demo! Greetings from West Virginia!

[@Ants_Pants]

Hehe, Thanks!

[@cliftonsnider1520]

I’ve watched a lot of videos on these things and this is the best one yet. You are by far the smoothest operator I’ve seen on one of these machines and I hope I can become as good on mine when it arrives. Good idea with the larger tires.

[@Ants_Pants]

Hey and thanks! I hope you will enjoy it when the digger arrives! Take care!

[@sswkevinloucks]

The modifications you have made seem to work nicely. You operate the machine smoothly showing the machines capability. Very nice review of the pros and cons. I ordered one to do exactly what you show in your video.

[@Ants_Pants]

Hey, thanks for the comment, few mods that i did not talk about in the video was that i extended the ball-point hitch hook-up out from the machine by around ~50cm and welded a extra railing to step on in order to get onto the machine abit better. Also the oil leak ended up being a missing o-ring from the factory. Easy fix less then 1 dollar. Hope you enjoy you're machine!

[@sswkevinloucks]

@@Ants_Pants I look forward to seeing more of your videos and different projects. Your operating skills are very good. How long have you had your machine?

[@ronaldatkinson2051]

It is the best one I have found so far. Thanks for the video.

[@Ants_Pants]

No problem !

[@jbmountain4991]

Hey! Wanted to find your video. I've seen this one a few times, I love the changes you made to it!

[@Ants_Pants]

Yeah overall they were a big improvement

[@bachgauer1899]

The modifications are very good! I think I will do It at my mb300 too. Greetings from Germany

[@gamingSlasher]

Nice mods. Hope they implement them to new machines.

[@Ants_Pants]

Hey thanks for comment. Pretty sure u can get a thumb from them. Bigger tires though idk.

[@chuckwagon1892]

I was really surprised at the power it has. I honestly thought these were strictly little trenchers and were limited to flat ground. You made some very good mods. and it seems that aside from being a mechanic/fabricator your a darned good operator too! I have a dry creek about 400 yards long running uphill winding through an overgrown hedge row. I considered renting an excavator for a couple of days to re-define the path of the dry creek (runs heavy in the spring and big rain storms) and clean it out to help keep it from overflowing sometimes. That machine might actually handle the uphill and uneven terrain. And then I could do a lot of that stump removal as well. Theres a ton of stuff I could use it for and make it a very worthwhile investment.. Thank you for showing what it is actually capable of.. Very good video!

[@Ants_Pants]

Yeah 👍

[@sampletaster5093]

I like the upgrades.

[@Ants_Pants]

They were good and useful

[@karljolley8346]

excellent

[@patrikpersson9446]

I'll found this vis wery helpful!!

[@Ants_Pants]

👍

[@crawford323]

I like to attach mine to my small tractor and back it down to the wetter areas near my creek. The tractor stays on the dryer ground and insures I can pull it out. Eventually I will attempt to modify m machine to a full swivel as the whole digger is basically self contained. How nice it would be to tap into the hydraulics and be able to swivel 270° or even 360°. I certainly like mine and note, unlike Harbor Freight's machine the hydraulic cylinder design are not cap end welded and can be rebuilt. It's simple and can be modified. No major complaints.

[@Ants_Pants]

Yes i agree. Good machine

[@francisremillard9482]

Looks like you are riding a prehistoric beast...

[@Ants_Pants]

I was

[@d.fisher9062]

I see you added a jack to the front. Very practical. Any special mods to install this? Not too much space to work with and can’t install a tilting jack.

[@Ants_Pants]

Sorry for slow reply, i extended the bar out abit for the jack install, mainly because, when i tried to haul it with my atv, the small gasoline engine would hit the back of my atv. If you extend it out u can get more room to add jacks.

[@cookevillehomeinspection]

best video!

[@Ants_Pants]

😌

[@MeeryBloody]

Hea review!

[@Ants_Pants]

Tänud

[@gwynforddafydd1397]

You've got great soil.

[@gwynforddafydd1397]

lol seeing it going across the land like that looks like some kind of monster.

[@Ants_Pants]

Haha, yes it was quite odd walking that machine :D

[@ahobimo732]

That looks like a really beautiful piece of property you have there (the land, I mean). The excavator is pretty cool too.

[@Ants_Pants]

Thanks Mark! Much appreciated

[@agwatcher]

You made me think to buy one, but I was too skeptical before.

[@Ants_Pants]

👌👍 its a good unit, if money is tight and dont have big jobs for it. Otherwise i would recommend to go with a mini excavator (used one) 10-20k pricerange. Try to think aheed for 5 years what you might wanna do by digging and moving dirt. Will this do all of them or would you need something bigger.

[@agwatcher]

@@Ants_Pants yeah, I was considering some Soviet and post-Soviet era 5+t stuff and also some mini-tractors with three point mounting of similar equipment. The more expensive you buy something, more you need to use it either daily or to lend that commercially. For short and heavy job, it is more economical just to call out some professional equipment, perhaps. Given that such thing is available for around 4k, it's possibly the best option for me right now.

[@Ants_Pants]

@@agwatcher yeah i agree. I used it for couple of years but then i realised that its not gonna cut it for me as i took bigger and bigger jobs, found a 96 yanmar b27 in finland wich i absolutely jumped on and ordered online without even going to take a look at it. It was a gamble but totally paid off.. Iv got so much work done with that thing and it has been working vert well so far

[@HUBBABUBBADOOPYDOOP]

This is the machine I was referring to before- do you still own this? Think about it please. The engine, the frame/hydraulic fluid tank/seat is all unneeded, if you turned this into an "attachment" rather than a standalone machine. Remove the bucket, attach that scissor-claw thing to the stick (boom). Could you fab the tractor's seat to turn around? Sit in the cab, operate the "rear controls" for the stick. Weld on an auxiliary hydraulic fluid tank, even relocate it's engine & pump; it's just hoses. Maybe just remove the trailer hitch, make a platform to hold it, with mounting points for the 3-point hitch you already have. Actually, the Bobcat is more well suited for this task. "Attachments" are a huge industry on their own. Just make an attachment, Smaller wheels and Grousers for the Bobcat would make it like a tank in any terrain. Did you see scrappy Industries, where he added a remote control to his TREX crane? I'd love to see you put your brain and workshop to a fabrication. Necessity is the Mother of invention.

[@Ants_Pants]

I no longer have it

[@platinumsky845]

3 point backhoes already exist at the same price as this one though, and they run off the tractors PTO so they don't need extra fuel, engine, etc.

[@HUBBABUBBADOOPYDOOP]

@@platinumsky845 The point of an attachment using it's own separate powerplant is to save fuel, wear & tear on a very expensive and potentially irreplaceable piece of equipment. The tractor's Power Take Off is good for implements that move in one direction, such as working a farm field, but even then you'd still need a PRO-driven hydraulic pump to actuate the cylinders of a "backhoe". That would work, too. The tractor engine is robust, and he'd need to keep warm, so there's that issue. Thanks for the debate!

[@NilsKall]

Hey, didn’t know you had one of these! Still have it? I sold my Kellfri digger a couple of years ago, I wasn’t happy with it, perhaps I will make a review on the machine I had eventually.

[@Ants_Pants]

sold mine also, Only thing i loved about it was i could hook it up to my atv and quickly drag is over to the jobsite, but after getting the yanmar, it was just sitting and taking space in my barn, so i just sold it.

[@NilsKall]

@@Ants_Pants once you tried a tracked excavator there is no going back….

[@Robyjv8]

Hello, while you still owned your Jansen did you ever have any problems with the hydraulic cylinders ? Or did anything break ? Great videos you make !

[@Ants_Pants]

No none it worked. Did you have issues?

[@Robyjv8]

@@Ants_Pants I actually have not made a purchase yet. I am shopping for the best machine for the price. I really like what I see in the Jansen so it will most likely be either a Jansen or one of the new Liberty 360. I also have seen that Jansen in Europe has a 360 model that can spin like a full size excavator ! All the machines cost so much more here in the USA. Almost double the price for some machines. Are there any features that you could suggest that I should look for while shopping for a new machine ? I realize a mini excavator is the best but they are outside of my budget..

[@Ants_Pants]

@@Robyjv8 i would suggest to wait and collect a bit more money in order to get the mini, a 2 to 3ton machine will outplay the jansen by weeks/months. I bought a beat up yanmar b27 for 9k and absolutely love the thing.

[@janbracik8410]

Hi man, many thanks for great video. I am happy owner oh this machine for two years. I can fully recommend this machine to every landowner whose is struggling with many small digging and trenching jobs on land. It can do many of hard work with the same result as others bigger excavators, but of course for longer time. The maintanance is second reason. It's pretty simple and everybody can do many things by himself. Based on my experiences main problems is with blowing of carburetor, loosen screws on cylinders blocks and other thing which can be solved pretty easily. I am currently struggling with hydraulic oil leaking from not typical area. My leaking issue is located on main boom arm where main pin is located. It's really strange and i am afraid that leak came from main frame where hydraulic oil is located (tank in frame) probably some inner crack.... BTW thumb in your video is DIY or did you buy somewhere? Many thanks. Greetings from the Slovakia 👍😉

[@Ants_Pants]

Hey thanks for the reply, thumb was made by myself, too soft steel though, when picking up logs i bent my DIY thumb pins! the thumb itself survived nicely. If you could find the crack then perhaps drain the oil and cut it open slightly with a angel grinder and try to weld the cap shut perhaps? My oil leak was very simple, took the hydraulic shifter apart, it was just missing a o-ring from the factory lol :D

[@janbracik8410]

@@Ants_Pants hi my friend, i have located exact leak point. It's a pinhole in weld area. Main boom pin and bottom side. Welding will be funny, i will do during winter time, now i have a lot of jobs with digger. BTW do you have some sketch or drawing from your thumb? I would like to follow your design with more hardness material of course 😁 you can reach me on email [e-mail] Many thanks

[@Ants_Pants]

@@janbracik8410 hey. I rarely do any sketching or plans on paper lol. Pretty much yolo everything. The thumb frame is made out of 120mm C-channel soft to mild steel. Its lenght is around 70cm. Its welded so that curving the bucked inwards just barely misses the C channel and the holes are drilled afterwards to suit my needs. The thumb itself is made out of 100mm c channel so it fits nicely into the 120 channle. Thumb support is made out of 50x50x6 box tubeing.Have a nice day (Y)

[@wojtekjarosz4072]

ps. could you also, please, explain why you changed the angle of the front leg? Would just simply extending it - i.e. making it longer - not be simpler and sufficient? Would that make the base too wide? Thank you

[@Ants_Pants]

To get more ground clearance. The bottom cylinder was always in the dirt

[@crawford323]

You have big tires on yours. My tires are trailer sized. I do like my rig if there is enough counter balance on the rear.

[@wilub1]

while changing engine on my Jensen MB-300 a handyman removed the 2 terminal shutoff cable can you explain their reattachment?

[@Ants_Pants]

ill try to get a reply to you once i get to the machine, perhaps this week

[@michaelvilleneuve2966]

Is that the 14 inch bucket? I like your modifications.

[@Ants_Pants]

Yeh

[@bobby9623]

Dude, I don’t need one but I want one .

[@Ants_Pants]

dude, trust me bro. 1 is not enough, need at least 7

[@101_skeleton6]

I can tell that English is your second language, clunky but understandable. hope you the best!

[@Ants_Pants]

Thanks!

[@hmaric]

Hi, please help me with three questions. 1. what is the total width of machine (width over tires)? 2. Is it possible to install wheels inside the frame (rotate the consoles with wheels) in order to get the smallest machine width possible (i'm asking because I have a limitation of 1500mm width between the stone walls on my path to my land. 3. If it is possible - what would be the total machine width then. Thank You!!

[@Ants_Pants]

The framing width is 950mm (gray framing without wheels), the wheels themselves have a smaller width then the supports, it's not specified what that is, but the front supports have a width of 1950mm, you would need to do some re-engineering to get those wheels turned, also the front support legs needs to be re-engineered aswell. What i would suggest is get a cheap mini excavator either used branded(kubota/yanmar/jcb) or a brand new china, they have a pretty small width and can fit into alot of places. HOPE I managed to answer your questions.

[@hmaric]

@@Ants_Pants Thank You for your answers. I think I will go with modifications since everything else on MB300 (excavation depth and the whole crawling system, etc..) suits me perfectly once I manage to come to my plot of land. Mini excavators you suggested are more expensive and can not dig as deep as I need so they are not an option.

[@hmaric]

@@Ants_Pants Can You please measure dimension from wheel to wheel (MB300 width on wheels axsis)? is it 1500mm or more?

[@hmaric]

@@Ants_Pants I am not worried about support legs width since I should be traveling with supported leggs stored in their place verticaly (lsame layout as You have on the begining of Your video).

[@Ants_Pants]

@@hmaric Don't have the machine anymore sorry. I'm pretty sure its more though around 1800mm

[@luissandoval4093]

Thanks! How much is this machine?

[@Ants_Pants]

Around 3k-4k USD

[@jondoe1457]

Can anyone give me a part number on the control sticks and the hardened black steel hardware that screws into it? Mine have come loose many times and are stripping the hardware making one of two movements of the control sticks near impossible

[@Ants_Pants]

Hey. Dont have this machine anymore but. Heres the part nr for the control valve assembely including the sticks. TAR011-14. Not sure what black steel hardware u r talking about. But it should start with tar011 always.

[@taneltoom9491]

Tere, Kas see masin on teil veel alles?

[@Ants_Pants]

Müüsin ära. Ostsin ühe teise ka ja siis see jäi seisma.

[@edre3859]

What size bucket is yours?

[@Ants_Pants]

think i got all of them, there's 3 different sized overall

[@brianwestberg3129]

WOW you make it look so e-z

[@Ants_Pants]

Ezz

[@andrusw5015]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Ants_Pants]

Viitsid ka kõike vaatada ? :D respekt

[@andrusw5015]

Ikka viitsin, huvitav ju. Kusjuures sul on just sellised teemad, mis mulle meeldivad ja muidugi on mida õppida.@@Ants_Pants

[@hanslgurtner3082]

You made the excavator higher. On my excavator, I will lift the bottom cylinder and then the cylinder will no longer be in the dirt. I built a thumb like that too. Looks like your excavator.

[@Ants_Pants]

yeah, but it was a worth it upgrade, the ground clearance was horrible

[@hanslgurtner3082]

@@Ants_Pants Yes, it's terrible.

[@franciscomacieliogomesmota1745]

Como fasso pra conseguir um equipamento desse?

[@Ants_Pants]

Jansen MB-300. Can order online.

[@glaustonfreitas4596]

Ola esta top deixa perguntar você não tem o projetor da máquina retroescavadeira mim

[@Ants_Pants]

não desculpe

[@blackdaan]

would think about 4 wheels with breaks

[@Ants_Pants]

Breaks would not hold the machine in place, Because of its weight the boom would just drag the machine while attempting to dig.

[@jondoe1457]

the legs have spikes that push or dig down when lifting or pulling with the boom,even then it will dig in and tear through different types of soil (working at full limit) pulling you to where you are trying to pull from so wheels would just drag or slide easily

[@cardmancalvin549]

It’s cheaper at northern tool and there’s has a electrical start +15 hp

[@martinjoseayala8643]

How much prici

[@Ants_Pants]

2700 eur

[@hanslgurtner3082]

10 HP.

[@sbri733]

Can buy 500 dolar. ?

[@Ants_Pants]

Its about 3000 dollar and i dont have it anymore

[@sbri733]

@@Ants_Pants good,Mr, i like escavator ,can work in the garden,and can for rarm,

[@wojtekjarosz4072]

Fantastic video and advice. Big thanks! Could you please tell us the exact dimensions and also the new angle of the front legs? - to describe the way you have changed them? I can see what wheel size you have used (195 / 70 R14), and I would like to put the same kind of wheels on my digger. It would help me a lot, if I did not have to experiment with the leg length and angle. So, knowing exactly how you did it would be a great help. I am not sure how youtube works and if I am allowed to give you my email address in my comment. If you see it, please free to contanct me. Thanks again! Wojtek Jarosz/Poland

[@Ants_Pants]

Hey dude. Sadly i don't have this machine anymore so i cant tell you thr exact numbers 😪 what i did was just experiment and it worked well. The tilt angle on the legs and new car wheels on it were a huge improvement. They should do this in the factory if you ask me. The original tyres it comes with are a joke.

[@WarpedSpeed]

if you are looking to upgrade the hydraulics a user on YT has a really nice example on a HF version kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHq0k4iZfth1rMk

[@Ants_Pants]

Thanks i checked it out. Well worth it

[@jeandechabrier3998]

Was für ein Akt mit dem Räderumbau.da gibt man besser 3000€ mehr aus und holt sich einen Minibagger mit Kettenlaufwerk und hat was ordentliches mit Dieselmotor.

[@Ants_Pants]

Yup

[@fantomdlv]

Нормальный экскаватор только вот зачем нижний цилиндр под брюхом??? ведь можно было сделать так чтобы он был сбоку центральной рымы!!! тогда если экскаватор ложится на "пузо" нижнему цилиндру это неважно!!! и чтобы оставлять меньше следов на земле можно при перемещении опираться на гладкую часть ковша!!! а не на его клыки!)

[@Ants_Pants]

Я не производил эту машину, и я думаю, что это не имеет значения, если она на клыках ведра.

[@fantomdlv]

@@Ants_Pants бывает рыхлый грунт и упоры могут провалится в землю! нужно хотя бы сделать защиту которая могла бы защитить нижний цилиндр!

[@gened2537]

Every backhoe video I see is someone basically digging in sand or loose soil. Would be nice to see someone digging in the real world with rocks and roots. Just sayin.

[@Ants_Pants]

This backhoe did very well with roots. I did dig out a big alder stump with this backhoe you can see the size of the stump in the end of one of my videos (link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6fRpod4nsSarKM&ab_channel=AntsPants )

[@deirdreniemann4044]

The guy ripped up two stumps did you miss that??

[@jondoe1457]

I have ripped out many trees, thorn and alders and low brush trees with heavy root systems and moved heavy stones around,broken concretes slabs on my properties over 2 years but i did put a hairline crack in the body partialy around where the pin goes through the body on the bottom resulting in a loss of Hydrualic fluic and will need a partial teardown and reweld of the area,should be reinforced in this area from the factory but for 4000$ you cant expect the best,some things need to be modified?

[@Ants_Pants]

I havent operated the thing that much but iv heard other people have had same problem same crack in same place. Seems like this spot should be made stronger in the factory if you ask me.

[@jondoe1457]

i have moved just about anything around with it ! kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXvdiIJmiJqCbpI

[@ShambhuPradhan-rk4su]

Dear sir. ... Please send me year contract number.i have discussed with this machine...

[@Ants_Pants]

Ask me here

[@otti4390]

der labert sich hier nen Ast

[@tomcole976]

Jansens customer service sucks! Wait until it’s 4 years old. I have a mb15 mini x and customer service is horrible! You cannot get it from Jansen USA and the German company will not allow you to buy from anywhere else in the USA. Stay away from this company !!

[@Ants_Pants]

ohh that sucks mate