Product profile: Kobelco SK1000MSR-7

Auckland contractor Shane Abernethy transitioned from a zero-tail swing machine to the Kobelco SK100MSR-7, and after over 1000 hours, he's still impressed

A few months ago, Deals on Wheels caught up with Auckland contractor Shane Abernethy, who was impressed with his (then) recently purchased 9.2-tonne Kobelco SK100MSR-7 excavator. With the machine now clocking over 1000 hours, we thought it was the perfect time to check back and see how it has been working out for him.

For those who missed the first article, Shane had transitioned from a zero-tail swing machine and was looking for something with a more spacious cab and mechanically suited to the specifications he required.

After comparing various brands and almost settling on another, a friend’s suggestion led him to Kobelco’s yard, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Shane came away happy with the purchase and our subsequent discussion showed the machine aligned closely to Shane’s vision of what he required, both work and comfort-wise.

But, as any machine purchaser knows, once the shine of the new paint starts to fade and it hits the first 1000 hours, that’s when the rattles and leaks will start to make themselves known, along with the inevitable squeak coming from some inaccessible place inside the cab.

Having said that, the day we visited Shane, we came away a couple of hours later with the feeling that Kobelco might be right on the money with the SK100MSR-7.

Day of the visit

We scheduled our visit to coincide with a day Shane had the machine back at his South Auckland home base, where it was resting briefly between jobs. One of the things that immediately stands out with Shane is how immaculately he maintains his gear, reflecting the high standards he upholds.

The Series 7 SK100, powered by a 53.7kW 4TNV98CT Yanmar engine, has earned Shane’s praise for its quiet operation and decent-sized 1870mm standard-size dipper arm. These features, along with over 60 degrees swing of the arm, can rival the performance of a larger machine, while keeping the machine to a relatively small footprint.

“We’ve recently gone from the large commercial work, such as out at Auckland Airport, to the smaller fiddly things, such as residential jobs and rural work,” says Shane.

“So, now we’re working back on the normal market stuff, which we had been doing. People like their farm driveways and a few bits and pieces tidied up — culverts, etc.”

With that kind of work and the odd swimming pool excavation tucked in here and there, Shane’s confident that he selected the right machine to carry out the wide selection of work that gets thrown at him by a variety of customers.

“I’ve got way more buckets than a lot of people probably have because I’m never really on one type of job, although some commercial projects can last a while,” he says.

“I’ve even got converted four-in-one bulldozer buckets that get used for demolition work, removing railway sleepers, or smoothing driveways out.”

The first 1000 hours

Our discussion then turned to how the Kobelco SK100MSR-7 has performed during its first 1000 hours of use.

“For the first 250 hours on most new machines, you get a few things coming loose from the shaking around, but I didn’t have any of that,” says Shane.

The only minor issue he encountered was a small hose that was rubbing against the boom, which was easily rectified, although Shane is quick to point out that it was an issue with the quick-hitch and not the excavator itself.

“Then you get to that 500-hour point and by then, things have started to settle in well and the machine moves around a bit better. If you haven’t got the right machine, it’s at this stage you start to think: ‘Oh heck, maybe I didn’t make the right decision’, but I had none of that.

“Now, clocking up to what is a quarter of its life for me – 4000 hours — this machine just seems to get better and better, to be honest.

“The service from Kobelco NZ has been great: follow-up, back-up, merchandise — the whole lot.

“I’ve always serviced my own gear after it has come out of its warranty time, but I’m not going to do that anymore, as these Kobelco guys do such a good job. They’re clean and tidy. If they don’t use all the oil, they leave it there for you, and they are respectful of the operator.”

The devil is in the details

As with most things, the devil is in the details, and this is where Shane feels Kobelco has truly exceeded his expectations.

“As you might remember, when I purchased the Kobelco, they had customised a couple of things for me, such as the approach lights, which are far superior to other ones on the market.”

Shane also appreciates other small details, such as the ease for cleaning out filters and access to points that require regular maintenance.

“Even to the point of the items such as the fire extinguisher, which are provided as standard, Kobelco has thought through the small details well.”

In the cab

“With a lot of sub-standard cabs, once it starts pouring down with rain, it starts to get foggy inside; it just makes it so hard. But with this one, you turn the aircon and windscreen wipers on and it’s just like sitting in the lounge,” says Shane.

“On some machines, the wipers are in the wrong place and don’t clear far enough down or go up high enough, but on this machine, they are placed for maximum visibility when working.”

Visibility is further enhanced by the clever set-up of the exterior protection shielding. The bars are slightly slanted to minimise blind spots, so when the operator turns their head left or right, the bars are always aligned at 90 degrees with their vision.

“The bars on most brands are set straight and they drive you crazy, but here, they’ve got them right,” says Shane.

Accessibility also gets a tick from Shane.

“The height of the cab is great for climbing in and out, and if I want, I can reach in and turn the machine off without climbing in with my muddy boots.”

The machine is also fitted with an automatic shutdown feature, which turns off the engine after a pre-determined amount of idle time. This comes in helpful, especially when Shane’s away from the machine for a longer period of time than he expected.

“If there were any changes I would make to the machine if I was building it, I would add an extension, so I don’t need to reach underneath to grease the turntable, and when the blade is fully up, I’d add a stop to prevent the door from touching it, which only happens if the door happens to be positioned directly above the blade.

“I’m really trying to find something to fault the machine and am really just being nit-picky. I do know that when I go to upgrade, it will be with another Kobelco.”

For more information, visit kobelco.co.nz

Images by David Lott