Crunch Time for Old Komatsu

I’m always on the lookout for odd exhibits when I visit machinery shows around the world, and this one really stood out during my most recent visit to Finland.

So, I’m walking down the runway at Hyvinkää Airfield, that is the main focal point of the Maxpo Show and I came across a very small stand for an online auction company called Copart, and my eyes were instantly drawn to the old Komatsu PC30 that was parked in front of the gazebo.

The machine which is a late 1980’s early 1990’s model had clearly been involved in an accident, and from what I could make out from the guy on the stand, it had been involved in some kind of low bridge strike while being transported, completely writing off the cabin.

The machine was to be featured in one of the companies forthcoming auctions, up for grabs for spares or repair. I have to say, for its age and apart from the obvious cab damage, and missing boom lift and off-set hydraulic rams, the excavator is in very good condition, and ripe for a full restoration job.

I have fond memories of Komatsu mini excavators from this era, and back in the day, was often found on a PC30 with Swanwick Construction in and around the Southampton area when my regular mount, the Hymac 580D was a bit too big for the job we were doing. They were brilliant mini excavators back then, 100% Japanese built super smooth to operate and had a real quality feel to them.

I would love to know what the fate was for this machine, has it been saved, or scrapped, personally I hope it has been purchased to be restored and saved from the dreaded gas axe! If anyone knows what happened to it in Finland, let me know.