A Hitachi mining excavator is a large hydraulic excavator, usually 30 tons and above, set up for rock digging, quarry loading, and open-pit material handling. In the used market, the machines that fit this job are the ZX350, ZX470, ZX650, and older EX-series units. They pair heavy undercarriages with high-flow hydraulics, which is what rock work demands.
Shanghai Yonggong Trading Co., LTD has exported used construction machinery for more than 20 years. Below is what we tell mining and quarry buyers before they commit to a Hitachi.
What Counts as a Hitachi Mining Excavator
Not every big Hitachi belongs in a pit. Three things separate a mining-ready machine from a standard earthmoving unit.
Operating weight above 30 tons. Weight gives you stability and breakout force. A 20-ton machine can dig soil all day, but it bounces on blasted rock and wears out fast.
Reinforced undercarriage and boom. Mining specs use thicker track links, full-length track guards, and heavier boom plates. Standard units skip these to save money and fuel.
High-flow auxiliary hydraulics. Rock breakers, shears, and heavy-duty thumbs need more oil flow than a plain digging bucket. Mining-spec Hitachis are plumbed for it.
If a machine misses two of these three, it is a construction excavator wearing a mining label.
Hitachi Models That Show Up on Mine Sites
Here is how the common used models line up. These figures come from real units we have handled.
| Model | Operating Weight | Net Power | Max Dig Depth | Bucket | Typical Use |
| ZX270 | 27 t | ~180 hp | 6.7 m | 1.2 m³ | Small quarry, trenching |
| ZX350 | 35 t | ~270 hp | 7.2 m | 1.5 m³ | Quarry loading, aggregate |
| ZX470 | 47 t | Isuzu 6WG1, 349 hp | 7.7 m | 2.1 m³ | Open-pit, hard rock |
| ZX650 | 65 t | 488 hp | 8.5 m | 2.93 m³ | Mass excavation, truck loading |
The ZX470 sits in a sweet spot. It loads a 30-ton haul truck in four to five passes. It still fits on a standard lowboy after the counterweight comes off. Many buyers who ask about a ZX650 end up taking a ZX470 once they price the transport.
The ZX650 makes sense when you run 40-ton or larger trucks. At 2.93 m³ per pass, cycle counts drop hard, and fuel per cubic meter drops with them.
Full technical tables for each unit sit on our Hitachi spec pages, including transport dimensions and engine models.
Weight Classes and Job Match
Mining buyers often over-buy. Match the machine to the truck fleet, not to the size of the reserve.
27 to 35 tons. Good for aggregate quarries with 20-ton trucks, coal stripping in thin seams, and road-building borrow pits. Fuel burn sits near 20 to 25 liters per hour.
40 to 50 tons. The workhorse band for open-pit gold, granite, and limestone. Fuel burn runs 30 to 38 liters per hour. Bucket sizes of 2.0 to 2.5 m³ suit 30 to 35-ton trucks.
60 tons and up. Mass excavation and overburden removal. Fuel burn passes 45 liters per hour. You need a dedicated service truck on site.
A rough planning number: a 47-ton Hitachi in blasted limestone moves 180 to 250 m³ per hour with a skilled operator and short truck spotting distance. Poor site layout can cut that by a third.
Bucket Capacity and Dig Depth Numbers
Bucket choice changes output more than most buyers expect. A rock bucket with side cutters and a heavy lip runs 10 to 15 percent smaller in volume than a general-purpose bucket on the same machine. That trade buys you tooth life and prevents cracked bucket ears.
For hard rock, we suggest dropping one size from the standard bucket. On a ZX470, that means 1.8 m³ instead of 2.1 m³. Cycle times stay the same, and the boom sees less stress.
Dig depth matters less in mining than reach at bench height. Most pit work happens above the track line. Check the maximum loading height instead. A ZX650 loads over a 4-meter truck box without the operator stretching the boom.
Why Buyers Choose Used Hitachi for Mining and Quarry Work
Three reasons come up again and again in our order sheets.
Hydraulic feel. Hitachi pumps deliver smooth, predictable flow. Operators say curl force stays steady through the whole arc. That matters when you are shaving a face instead of scooping loose muck.
Parts availability. Isuzu engines power most large Hitachi units. Filters, injectors, and turbos are easy to find in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. That keeps downtime short in remote areas.
Frame life. Well-maintained Hitachi car bodies routinely pass 15,000 hours before a major rebuild. We have shipped 2019 units with 2,700 hours that show tight pins and no boom weld repairs.
The trade-off is price. A used Hitachi in mining spec often costs 5 to 10 percent more than an equivalent Doosan or Sany of the same year and hours. Buyers accept it for the resale value.
Inspection Points Before You Pay
Run through this list on any large Hitachi before money moves.
- Track chain stretch. Measure five link pitch. More than 3 percent over factory spec means an undercarriage job within a year. Budget 18,000 on a 47-ton machine.
- Boom and stick welds. Look at the boom foot, stick nose, and bucket link ears. Fresh paint in these zones is a warning sign.
- Swing bearing play. Park on level ground, extend the stick, and watch the gap at the turntable. Movement over 3 mm needs attention.
- Cylinder drift. Hold the bucket loaded and off the ground for five minutes. Any sag points to worn seals or a tired control valve.
- Hydraulic oil sample. Metal particles tell you the pump story faster than any hour meter.
- ECM hour verification. Cross-check the display against ECM data and service stickers.
We complete this check on every unit before it leaves our yard, and we send photo and video records to the buyer.
Transport Planning for 40 to 65 Ton Machines
Transport catches new mining buyers off guard. A ZX470 measures 11.9 x 3.4 x 3.5 meters with the boom on. That exceeds road limits in most countries.
Standard practice is to remove the counterweight and boom cylinder, then ship the machine on a lowboy with the parts in a separate container. Shipping from Shanghai to West Africa runs 40 to 50 days door to port. Add 7 to 10 days for reassembly and commissioning at site.
For a ZX650, plan on partial track removal. Two 40-foot flat racks plus one lowboy is the usual arrangement.
Price Ranges for Used Hitachi Mining Excavators
Real numbers from recent stock, based on 2019 to 2020 build years with 1,700 to 2,800 hours:
- ZX270 (27 t) — around $40,000
- ZX350 (35 t) — around $60,000
- ZX470 (47 t) — around $70,000
- ZX650 (65 t) — around $100,000
Price moves with hours, build year, and attachment package. A machine with a fresh undercarriage and a rock bucket carries a premium, and it is usually worth paying. You can browse the full range of used Hitachi excavators by weight and price band.
Hitachi Against CAT and Komatsu in the Same Class
Buyers compare these three constantly. Short version from our export experience:
Hitachi ZX470 vs CAT 349E. The CAT has slightly more power at 410 hp and a bigger 2.4 m³ bucket. It also costs about $30,000 more used. The Hitachi wins on fuel per hour.
Hitachi ZX650 vs Komatsu PC450-7. Different weight classes. The PC450 at 45 tons and $68,000 competes with the ZX470, not the ZX650. If you need 60-ton capability, Hitachi and CAT dominate the used supply.
Parts cost. Komatsu genuine parts often price lowest. Hitachi sits in the middle. CAT runs highest but has the widest dealer network.
How We Match Machines to Mine Sites
Tell us three things and we can shortlist units the same day: your haul truck size, your material type, and your bench height. From there we filter our stock by weight class and application, then send you inspection reports on the two or three best fits.
We keep dedicated stock for mining and quarry applications, covering Hitachi, Caterpillar, Komatsu, and Volvo in the 30 to 65-ton band. Every machine ships with a photo record, an ECM hour report, and our after-sales support.
