I have been using three Komatsu PC400-7 excavators for about two months. When purchased, the hour meters were around 2,000, and now they have all reached about 2,500 hours. The machine numbers are 5, 8, and 9. Below is a summary of each machine’s condition for reference by others interested in purchasing a 40-ton class excavator.

Excavator #5:

Mainly used with a ripper for loosening soil. The ripper cost 9,800 RMB when purchased. Initially, we used bucket teeth from a Liugong 225 excavator, but the teeth broke 5 or 6 times per day. It was a miracle if the tooth holder lasted two days without breaking.

The plan was revised multiple times, and finally, we switched to Komatsu 400 (Diamond brand) bucket teeth, which improved the situation. Because the PC400-7 uses an electronically controlled fuel injection engine, when we first took over this machine, the fuel quality at the previous site was very poor, causing severe damage to the machine.

We replaced a fuel injector nozzle, costing 13,500 RMB.

Excavator #8:

After less than 100 hours of use, the main drive belt broke once. Later, we combined the belts into one large belt driving two smaller belts, costing 1,300 RMB.

Excavator #9:

The most stable machine of the three and also the fastest in operation. It is equipped with a 2.1 cubic meter bucket, and loading is easy—even faster than the Doosan DH500 with its 3.2 cubic meter bucket.

Overall:

The Komatsu PC400 excavator has noticeably more power than the PC360 and weighs nearly 10 tons more. However, the price is about 400,000 RMB higher than the PC360.

Due to its boom length and bucket depth, the PC400 is better suited for cutting weathered rock. The Doosan 500, with its large bucket, often gets stuck when digging weathered rock, while the PC360’s bucket is too wide to easily penetrate the weathered rock.

In terms of loading speed, the PC400 is significantly faster than the PC360—on a completely different level.

Fuel consumption:

This was somewhat surprising. Now, we operate at full throttle in A mode, with fuel consumption around 50 liters per hour. In E mode, consumption is about 40 liters per hour. Previously, when digging soil in A mode, consumption rarely exceeded 42 liters. Loading weathered rock has indeed increased fuel consumption significantly.
(This can serve as a reference for those planning contracts on mining sites.)

Some drawbacks of the Komatsu PC400 found so far:

  1. Surprisingly, there is no dedicated grease fitting location (the grease gun must be used openly on the rotating platform).
  2. Overweight transport issues: The domestic PC400 weighs 38,500 kg, the domestic PC400CSE weighs 42,000 kg, and the imported PC400 weighs 42,300 kg. Transporting two trailers plus three units also exceeds limits, with fines of tens of thousands of RMB. Crossing provinces can result in 5,000 RMB fines each time, making highway transport risky.

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