Hitachi EX120 New Undercarriage
That old Hitachi EX120, she’s one tough cookie. Just doesn’t quit. So we got the call to give her a new undercarriage look because that’s all she really needed. We’re talking about a new top carrier roller for $126, setting up a fresh set of bottom rollers for $182 each, fitting a new sprocket for $161 each, and then installing a spanking new idler group for $569 each.
Even after chugging along for over 7,000 hours, the only thing she’d fuss about was this little jitter in the boom swing—kinda like it’s got a mind of its own. Stopping and starting all sudden-like. But it takes a real hand, someone who’s got the feel for her particular dance. Working her right, especially with how tight the boss keeps the yard. It’s a real squeeze job, with a boat and trucks all around. You mess up, and it’s game over for something.
But hey, it wasn’t just about fixing her up. The boss hears I’m into honeybees. Not just any bees, but the wild ones I keep in old logs like cedar, oak, and maple. It’s better for them, more natural. And I swear, the honey you get out of those is something else—darker, richer, like nothing you get from those box hives. So after we’re done with the EX120, he pulls out this massive 20-footer hollow cedar log for my bees, just ’cause he’s a good guy like that.
End of the day, we’re all walking away grinning. The EX120’s purring with her new kit, the operator’s relieved he won’t be dealing with a track popping off mid-job, and I’ve got another log for my Swarm Habitat honeybee project. Yeah, it was a good day. Everyone’s happy, even the Hitachi, I’d bet.