TECHNICAL RESOURCE
Know your machine
For almost all parts, spares, buckets and attachments, it is vital that you know which excavator you have. This advice may appear to be patronising, but it is common for us to receive enquiries where the only information the owner can offer is that "it’s an orange digger"or "it’s got a Kubota engine". Lots of manufacturers use orange paint, and equally, there are a lot (other than just Kubota) who fit Kubota engines.
Whether you are talking to us, a main dealer, manufacturer, or reporting the theft of a machine (and hoping to stand some chance of getting it recovered) to the Police, you at least need to know:
- Make of Machine, e.g. Kubota
- Full model of excavator, e.g. U25-3. N.B. This is not necessarily as is written on the side of the excavators engine cover, so check also on the machine serial number plate (normally located near the cab/boom at the front of the chassis).
- Serial number, again, this can be found, like the model information, on the serial number plate. There may be significant component changes on the same model of excavator, built at different times.
- Country of manufacture. Most large manufacturers have at least two factories – one in Europe and another outside the EU - and in some instances, the excavators may vary either on a component level, or in some cases the whole machine. Machines which are non-EU specification and are imported second-hand into the EU are often referred to as grey imports, and may, in some cases be difficult to obtain spares for.
