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🚜 Are cheap Chinese excavators and skid steers starting to hurt compact tractor sales?

I went digging through U.S. Census import data and tractor sales numbers, and the trend is pretty interesting.

Compact tractor sales have dropped significantly from their 2021 peak, while imports of inexpensive Chinese excavators and loaders have exploded.

That doesn’t prove one caused the other—but homeowners now have choices that barely existed a few years ago.

If you had $20,000 to spend on equipment, what would you buy?

🚜 One compact tractor with a loader/backhoe

OR

🚧 A mini excavator + mini skid steer + crawler dumper

New video is up now. I’d really like to hear what you guys think. 👇

Are you diggin’ or are you fillin’?

1 week ago | [YT] | 21

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I bought this little SDLD25 crawler dumper for about $2,800 at auction… and then I started fixing everything I didn’t like about it. 😂

I changed the fluids, added rear ballast, a hand throttle, hour meter, fuse box, heat shield, fire extinguisher, new exhaust and several other upgrades.

Some ideas worked great. A couple were complete failures. But that’s part of the fun with these inexpensive Chinese machines.

The full video is now up — from the day I brought it home through all the modifications and finally putting it to work.

👇 Would you buy one of these little crawler dumpers for $2,800?

Are you diggin’ or are you fillin’?

1 week ago | [YT] | 23

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🔧 NEW VIDEO IS LIVE!

If you own a mini excavator, skid steer, or other small equipment, eventually you’re going to have to work on it yourself.

In this video, I go through the tools I actually keep on hand—from the basic socket and wrench sets all the way up to hydraulic pressure gauges, electrical testers, grease guns, and a few tools that have saved me a ton of frustration.

I bought every tool shown myself. No sponsors—just the stuff I actually use.

👉 The Only Tools Mini Excavator Owners Actually Need

What’s the one tool you think EVERY equipment owner should have? Drop it in the comments. 👇

Are you diggin’ or are you fillin’?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 14

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ARE CHINESE EQUIPMENT PRICES STARTING TO CRASH?

The August 20 Bright Star auction is over, and I’ve broken down what everything actually sold for.

Some highlights:

🔹 Mini excavators sold for as little as $1,650
🔹 Skid steers started at $1,950
🔹 Yanmar diesel excavators brought $6,400–$7,000
🔹 Crawler dumpers sold for $1,500–$1,600

Most prices remained surprisingly close to previous auctions—but the crawler dumpers were noticeably cheaper.

Watch my newest video for the complete results, then tell me: Is the market beginning to soften, or are prices still holding strong?

Prices shown are hammer prices. Add the 13% buyer’s premium and applicable sales tax.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 12

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Ten years ago, the idea of an ordinary homeowner owning an excavator was almost unthinkable. Today, you can buy one for around $4,000.

My new video tells the story of how affordable Chinese mini excavators opened an entire industry to homeowners, farmers and small businesses—and why the market may never be the same.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/lm4UVGU6qBY?si=3caiG...

Would you trust a $4,000 excavator on your property? 🚜

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 10

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My new auction preview video is live! 🚜

I’m back at Bright Star Auctions in Middlefield, Ohio, inspecting the Chinese mini excavators, skid steers, crawler dumpers and concrete buggies selling August 20.

Which machine would you bid on—and what’s the most you would pay?

Watch here: https://youtu.be/s6rn_fHZx48?si=Wu_aN...

Are you diggin or are you fillin?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 10

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🚜 NEW VIDEO!

This project is exactly why I own all this equipment. What started as a simple 12×12 pad meant moving the implement shed, building a new gravel foundation, digging out the pad, hauling stone and laying 100 pavers.

The mini excavators, skid steer and crawler dumper all earned their keep—and we finished it in one weekend!

Watch the new video and tell me: Is this fleet overkill, or exactly what you’d want for projects like this?

Are you diggin’ or are you fillin’?

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 8

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Are we ever really finished modifying our machines? Apparently not! 😂

In my newest video, I install a new exhaust and replacement hour meter on the SDL25 crawler dumper. The exhaust looks much cleaner and tucks the hot muffler out of the way—but when I checked the temperatures, I found one area getting hotter than I expected.

Was this exhaust upgrade a good idea, or did I just move the heat problem somewhere else?

Watch the video and let me know what you think. If you’ve installed this exhaust, I’d especially like to hear how it’s working for you!

Are you diggin’ or are you fillin’?

1 month ago | [YT] | 11

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Taking a little break from excavators to tackle an entirely different kind of machine!

This is a 17½-foot 1963 Chicago Coin mechanical bowling machine—and right now, it’s stuck, confused and definitely not keeping score correctly. There isn’t a computer anywhere inside it. Everything is controlled by motors, relays, switches and a massive tangle of wires.

I’ve restored around a dozen of these machines over the years, but it’s been a while. Now we’re going to find out if I can bring this one back to life.

The restoration starts in my newest video. Do you think it can be fixed? 🎳🔧

1 month ago | [YT] | 8

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Brush hogging day around the lake! 🌿

Last year I cleared this area for the first time, and it’s amazing how quickly the brush grew back. This time I put the Derette DRT450 brush hog attachment to a real-world test—and it absolutely tore through the thick growth.

The full video is up now, including setup, hose connections, safety tips, and plenty of cutting action.

Would you buy a brush hog attachment for yearly property maintenance—or just rent one when needed?

Are you diggin’ or are you fillin’?

1 month ago | [YT] | 11