# kubato kx91-3s



## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

Generally we have always sub'd out our excavation work. Our most common excavation would be for a new house foundation and would consist of about 1400 sqft @ a 4' depth. I have the opportunity to purchase a 2004 kx91-3s with a full cab with 1900 hours for $17,000 CAD with new tracks, 12" and 24" digging bucket and a 36" cleanout bucket. I would dig with this excavator and use one of our skid steers to remove the piles and pile. Does this make sense? How many hours would you guess it would take with 2 people? How much could this machine lift in pounds compared to the kx161? I believe the machine to be a good price. Any opinions and comments would be great before I commit to spending the money.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

You gonna buy it or take a loan for it? Planning on hiring out or just your own work? Do you have a truck & trailer to haul it? Another piece of equipment to maintain & buy parts for.

Pretty spendy if it's just for your own jobs. But if you buy it for cash who cares. When I had equipment I didn't do production work with it. Job site convenience, small jobs, occasional utility trench etc. But I liked having toys. Also my stuff was used for snow removal which paid for it all anyways.


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## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

we would hire out, and yes we have all the equipment to haul it around and repair it. Our shop has a dedicated mechanic. Currently we have been spending approximately 12,000 per year on work we could complete with a mini (this is a 3 year average). As we have found with buying our first skid steer, we never realised how much we use them until we had our own because we would not just make do to avoid renting one, now we own 3 of them. Even as a capital expenditure this unit may prove to be handy and profitable since many of our carpenters and workers are familiar with using mini's, and all lasers and transits we already own.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

OK, sounds like you have it well thought out & the ability & experience to take care of it. If the machine checks out go for it. Good Luck.


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## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

<<<<<<<see left for correct spelling......

thats a nice machine.....


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## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

thanks for your input. what is your opinion on the other questions I have?


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## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

I seem to always mix up the o and the a :sad:, thanks


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## wellbuilt home (Oct 22, 2007)

The Kx91 is a great little Ex but there is no comparison to a 161 or even a 121.
I have a yammer 35 7800lbs and i dug some big basements but its not really cost effective . 
To move 1400x4 sf of dirt off site you will need a 26,000 33gvwr dump truck and you really cant load the truck fast enough to be cost effective.
In my area a 24" bucket wont dig hard pan on a 7000lb Ex i use a 16" bucket to break hard ground and move soil with the 24" I can dig a 18x 24'x 4' in about 6 or 7 hours most of the time i just load 3 yards of dirt in my dump truck and move it around on site or truck it out as i dig .
I think it would take 2 days to dig 1400 sf x 4' . 
I will dig with my ex if the job can be done in a day, if its a 2 day dig i get a larger ex like the 161 kubota or apc 50or 75 more reach, power, larger bucket . 
It sucks to get half way done with a dig and hit a rock or old tree stump and have to call for back up .

I have a bob cat 435 6 T class and it will dig circles around the 3.5t ex + i can dig casualty and just power thru the ground with out working the equipment hard and getting much less wear& tear per hour of work.
The kx91 is great for trench work drains trench footings and lots of other things and you will never be with out it on a job but its small for a full basement dig . 
You can google kx91 specs and get a full print out .


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## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

seems there is a small increase to the 121 for breakout, about a 9% increase and then a larger increase to the 161. Excavation is always piled and then removed with a tandem and large loader. I have a client that does this at no cost to me, but he stores it and sells it as fill to other people. Generally our lots are large enough to pile on.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

But you don't have a deal on a 121 or 161. Make certain if you buy the 91 that you'll be happy with it & have no buyers remorse. What ever you buy at some point you will wish you bought the bigger one. There are trade offs.


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## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

you're right. that is why i am asking here, i suppose at this price i could always resell


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

Good price on it, especially if the pins are fairly tight. As others have said digging a basement would be a bit much i think but digging ditches, septics and building stone walls would be just right for this machine.


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## wellbuilt home (Oct 22, 2007)

The 91 is a nice Ex and kubota is top of the line and i don't think you would regret owning it . 
We use owners every day. 
bucket force is only one way to judge a Ex . 
The weight of the unit and reach is all so important .
The 7000lb lb ex is about your minimum size unit that you can get any real work out of , I use mine for additions where we are always working between fences and buildings and landscaping. 
The difference in weight between my units are about 3500lbs but i can dig 3 times faster with the heavier unit If i hit a tree with my 35 I can dig it out but it takes hours at a high rate of wear & tear . 
The good thing about the smaller 3.5 unit it can be pulled with a pick up truck , where the 12000lb unit will need a 14000lb/ 16000lb trailer and CDL . The price on the 91 sounds fare but its really a matter of luck its hard to judge a good deal . 
I paid 17000 for my 3.5 yammer @1800hrs in 07 and it needed tracks last year . My trade value was 15500 if i was to trade . 
I liked the 161 but it was to big for my truck .


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## S.R.E. (Apr 8, 2010)

rcconstruction said:


> Our most common excavation would be for a new house foundation and would consist of about 1400 sqft @ a 4' depth.


Using that size machine to dig out a 4' foundation hole is not cost effective. IMO
Before you buy a machine you need to think long and hard about if it is going to be cost effective for you to own one. If you have figured all the pro's and con's and decide you want to buy one I would recommend at least the 121 size. I don't know how it is in Canada but, iron is cheap in the U.S. right now. So you should be able to find the equipment you need at a good price. Saving a couple of grand now will cost more when each hole takes 3 times as long to dig.


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## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

thanks everyone for the comments and I will keep checking to see if other people also have experience with the 91. Thanks again


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## rcconstruction (Nov 8, 2010)

in peoples opinion, how much slower would the 91 be at digging a foundation compared to the 121, 161, or a backhoe. The 91, 121, 161 would be used in conjunction with a skid steer and the soil does not have to leave the site. Looking forward to your opinion


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## ConstSvcs (Nov 22, 2007)

I just traded my 2004 KX 91-3 with OROPS for a new 2007 121-3 this spring.

The two machines are night and day. period. As I'm sure is the case between the 121 and the 161. The 91-3 that I traded had 2200 hrs on it and I just replaced the tracks with a set of Mclarens. When I purchased it (off ebay) it had 1200 hrs. I paid 21,500 (US)....the dealer gave me 17,500 for the trade in towards the 121-3 which cost 45K.

The 91-3 was a great 3.5 ton mini but the 121-3 is a better machine for small foundations and stone walls. A 36" grading bucket filled will tip the 91-3 when at full reach......a 24" kubota trenching bucket seems to be the max for the 91-3.

When excavating an area larger than two times the swing area we move the excess material with our Deere CT 322 ........just as you mentioned.....works well for tight space excavations.


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## Lubs (May 14, 2006)

I would go bigger if possible. I have used the kx-91 and kx-161. The 91 is good for doing trench work but if you have a lot of dirt to move it can take awhile. We have 5 ton machine that is similar to the kx-161. There has only been a couple of times that i wished it was smaller. One of the times we just rented a smaller one. We have been able to dig 8' deep additions with it. It takes us about a 3/4 day to do what you want to do. It also is a lot nice loading trucks.


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