Why the Hitachi UH063 excavator is the best machine ever made!

Norwegian contractor Hole Maskiner has been a loyal Hitachi construction machinery customer for many years, having purchased its first machine (a UH081) in 1983. And as the company’s owner Norman Hole reveals, the delivery of that orange excavator was a game changer…

An unusual machine

“Our UH081 was only the second machine of its type in the west of Norway. When it arrived, we thought it was a rather unusual machine in terms of how it had been manufactured. We were sceptical at first and so the Hitachi sub-dealer at the time offered it for use on a trial basis.

“I can remember that we thought it looked so different to the machines that we were used to in our region. In the cab, there were long sticks to operate the machine and the arm was very long. We thought that it wouldn’t be a success in Norway with all the rocks and other heavy loads that we have to handle, so it was supplied with a spare arm.

Surprised by its reliability

“It certainly made us wonder, but after working with it for a while, we were really surprised at how reliable and versatile it was – as well as how much capacity it had. For example, during the trial period we compared this 20-tonne Hitachi with our 25-tonne machine, which was the biggest in Norway at that time.

“So, even though it was smaller, the UH081 not only matched the capacity of the larger machine, but it was also faster. I didn’t think that it would last, so I only agreed to buy it at a special price!

“After we started to use the machine, we liked it very much, and it just kept going. It did 18,000 working hours before it was sold and all we had to do in that time was change the tracks – there was very little spent on repairs. The UH081 introduced us to a new world: an excavator with no oil leaks! The extra arm was never used and we eventually disposed of it in 2021.

“Our next Hitachi machine was a UH063. We bought that in 1986 and now it has over 20,000 working hours. This is my favourite Hitachi machine and we are still using it on a farm today! This is possibly the best machine ever made: it just works, is really well designed and a perfect example of Japanese quality.”