Buying a digger

[Onoff]

2 hours ago, Construction Channel said:

Issue with a dumper is you either need another person or you have to keep getting out of the cab. ?

That's what the missus is for!

[ProDave]

Parked in a garden near here is a dumper, with a back hoe digger on the back. At first I thought what a brilliant bit of lateral thinking, until I realised where the back hoe was mounted, it was impossible to self load it.

Good idea, bad implementation.

[Vijay]

Just got back from looking at a nice 4.75t digger. My friend who uses plant machinery was very happy with it, no leaks and really smooth movements in everything. My issue was the tracks. I was told 40-50% life left but I personally wasn't happy with them as I would have said 30-40% if lucky but they had a hell of a lot of splits, which were especially noticeable when the digger was moving.  At £800 a side plus fitting costs none of the " they've got plenty of life left in them" that the seller was saying sunk in.

[Vijay]

What paperwork should come with a used digger? I assume there's an equivalent of a logbook?

[ProDave]

Only if it's road legal, which a tracked digger won't be. A JCB might be road legal.

Mine came with nothing.

[Vijay]

how on earth do you know it's not stolen then??

[dogman]

There is a plant register called TER where stolen plant is recorded. It cost about £30 to check

[Vijay]

Thanks dogman https://www.ter-europe.org/content/ter-check

I guess it relies on people registering their equipment though

[dogman]

Police post stolen plant on the register even if owner does not, and i think it also checks the police national computer

[Vijay]

Thanks dogman, for £30 it's definitely worth it then

[Triassic]

I was thinking about attachments for mine, I have a huge pile of logs that need splitting. This looks a good idea...

[Vijay]

looks good, just looked up on Ebay - £300  http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mini-digger-log-splitter-hydraulic-log-splitter-jcb-8014-digger-grab-/191889187993?hash=item2cad7ca499:g:3cMAAOSw8aNXGUYD

[PeterW]

Nice ... But not sure about the welding on that plate onto the dipper arm !!

Looks easy enough to fabricate without having to alter the arm, or create a simpler way of attaching. 

I saw something similar with the anvil stationary and the blade moving - this seems to copy that in reverse. 

[Vijay]

Well a long morning today, 175 mile round trip and getting a little fed up. Saw two, both lovely machines but both not the spec they were advertised. One is supposed to be a 3t and was 2.6 (they even advertised the wrong model!!) and the other is supposed to be 3.5t and is 3.2. The first one is a hire place and the second a builder who bought from new, so I just don't get how they get it wrong.

I've also noticed so many people quoting wrong operating capacities, advertising 2.5 or 2.7 as 3t machines