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Kubota Rx 301 probably 1992 with 2200 hours. Do these have any value?
Kept outside. Fir home use.
Kept outside. Fir home use.
Grey market excavators worth it?
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gorman
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You won’t be able to get parts for them. That’s why they call them grey market
You can get parts for them, if you have a importer close to your area. I own several grey market tractors and parts availability hasn't been much of an issue. But i have 3 importers that sold/sell them here in the states. Most of them have a normal market counterpart that shares 80ish% compatibility. Mostly safety features arw different and sometimes control patterns. Idk how it would go up there in canada, but it hasn't been a huge deal in the states with getting parts.
Son has a offshore kobelco about the next size up from what yer looking at.
1000 hours and just a few hoses. Hasnt been babied either .He is in gibsons.
Its more than paid for itself. Had it probably 10 yrs
1000 hours and just a few hoses. Hasnt been babied either .He is in gibsons.
Its more than paid for itself. Had it probably 10 yrs
CentaurG2
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Grey market stuff can be a good buy as long as you understand it has little resale value. Parts are usually available but can be hard to source or take a lot of time to get. It is a real crap shoot. If you are going to buy it and run it till it falls apart (and you can get it cheap enough) it might be worth it. As an investment, I would pass. Sort of like owing a Tesla.
Most parts that are an issue are for the engines. Definite differences in USA, European, and other countries. Some hydraulic stuffers may also be different. Yes, They are normally a good buy for the money. Just a word of caution!! If you want to be able to read all controls in cab, gauges and monitor information and are well versed in French, Italian, german, polish, Japanese, whatever then keep this in mind. Because if your expecting English I doubt that's gonna happen. Speaking from experiences here as I'm around these machines. And if it's an imported auction machine be ready to resolve some machine issues!! TLG
Grey market just mean old foreign stuff? Never heard of it before.
CentaurG2
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Grey market stuff, as I understand it, refers to things that were not available in the US domestic market. Can be anything from a fishing reel to a tractor or excavator. The aforementioned model is available overseas and may have some parts associated with a similar US model. Grey market cars are very popular here.
Grey market heavy equipment is mainly driven by non USA EPA standards. I'm sure there are other areas of interest. Can we get some pics on the excavator??
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vancouverbc
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vancouverbc
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I read that japan has a surplus of older machines because everyone there wants new stuff, so they send it overseas. I'm not sure grey market stuff is all that cheaper.
Jhenderson
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A buddy has a grey market Cat about that size with that style side shift boom. It’s very handy. His came from japan, most likely for the aforementioned reasons. He’s had little to no problems getting parts.
My son figures he can get more than he paid for his machine,, he had it for over 10 years.
he would buy again.
Usually in Japan they dont meet smog specs or are too old, either they get sent overseas or scrapped.
Just like their cars. Lots of their cars here for that reason.
I've got a "grey market" Hitachi and have had no problems getting parts from the local JD const. eq. dealer.
Not sure about Kubota, I can't get front fenders here in the US that they offer in Canada for my tractor. I would think that there was some sort of work around for parts as big as they are.
Not sure about Kubota, I can't get front fenders here in the US that they offer in Canada for my tractor. I would think that there was some sort of work around for parts as big as they are.
Hitachi makes JD if I'm not mistaken
Yep, just the excavators from what I remember, or at least the big ones.
JD and Hitachi are a joint partnership up to the 180,000 lb class (JD & Hitachi 870) since Hitachi started putting the “EX” prefix in front of their excavators. The reasoning was, and still is predominately because John Deere built the most structurally sound excavator on the market and Hitachi was the leader in the hydraulic systems when they partnered.
The JD hoes up to the 470 all use Deere diesels and Hitachi uses Isuzu. The 670 and up use Isuzu in all of the models. As odd as it may seem, a Deere hoe with a Deere engine in it seems like it lifts, crowds and breaks the bucket out harder than the Hitachi with an Isuzu. This is at the cost of fuel economy. The Powertech engines burn a fair bit more fuel than the Isuzu diesels.
OP: I do not buy grey market machines... Mostly because I need my stuff up and ready to roll whenever I am. Parts and service and critical to me. That much being said... If you have the time to track down parts for them, it may be a worthwhile investment.
