Digger Girl Approves the New Kobelco SK26SR-1E
September 27, 2024
Amy Underwood, better known as Digger Girl, is one of the highlights of Awesome Earthmovers magazine. Her honest, practical, equipment reviews give readers a straight-from-the-coalface take on the latest machines – not just the technical spec and user friendly features of the brochure, but how those features translate into performance and comfort in the field.
So naturally, Molson Equipment were more than happy to supply the very latest compact excavator from Kobelco, the Kobelco SK26SR-1E, for her to put through its paces on site in Scotland. The fact that she has since requested a price to keep the demonstration machine speaks volumes about how impressed she was.
Exceptional operator comfort
Amy’s positive impression of the Kobelco SK26SR-1E began as soon as she climbed into the cab. Despite being a compact excavator, at just 2.5tonnes, she found the cab to be surprisingly spacious and comfortable, with plenty of room for both Amy and her dog!
The high spec interior puts operator comfort first, with air conditioning as standard, radio, Bluetooth and built-in phone holder. The Kobelco SK26SR-1E also boasts a new LED screen and updated, easier to use heating controls.
Her first-hand experience really came through here, with Amy reporting how quietly the air con ran, and how effective the integrated noise reduction system was at keeping the cab a pleasant place to work, even when pushing the machine to its limits.
Impressive performance
Amy operates a fleet of her own machines, and regularly tests new equipment for the magazine, so when she reports that she is impressed, it’s well worth listening to. The Kobelco SK26SR-1E scored highly for her in a number of areas, particularly for such a compact excavator.
Amy was surprised by the stability of the excavator, even with zero tail swing, thanks to the long track base. She was also impressed with the auto-deceleration feature that reduces revs automatically. This both saves fuel and saves the operator from having to do this themselves when leaving the machine during complex groundworks.
She also noted how ‘effortless’ the Kobelco SK26SR-1E was when it came to changing buckets, with a simple lock mechanism and a full range of aux lines for other attachments.
Molson service ‘a massive factor’
For all that Amy was pleased with the Kobelco SK26SR-1E compact excavator, the thing that impressed her most was the back-up she got from Molson. Even in the wilds of Scotland, two hours north of Glasgow, she knew she could count on Molson field engineers to keep her machines moving and keep her jobs on schedule.
“I know that the service we get from Molson is second to none,” she wrote. “They know Kobelcos better than anybody in the UK.”
With more than 85 mobile engineers, covering the length and breadth of the UK, Molson provides world class support for all our customers. Our engineers are regularly factory trained by the original equipment manufacturers, and they have access to factory diagnostic equipment for all our leading brands, including Kobelco. What’s more, our teams only carry genuine parts to service and repair equipment, to ensure optimum performance and protect your warranty.
Find out more
You can read Digger Girl’s full review of the Kobelco SK26SR-1E in the July / August issue of Awesome Earthmovers magazine online. In it you’ll see why she thinks it is ‘so comfy’, why the noise reduction is ‘really, really nice’ and why she enjoyed her time testing it so much that she still has the machine on site, awaiting a price to own it outright.
To try the Kobelco SK26SR-1E for yourself, contact Molson Equipment through our online contact form or contact your local Molson depot – there are ten nationwide, from Inverness to Avonmouth.
