1-2-3 Series Takeuchi!

At the Conexpo-Con/Agg trade fair in Las Vegas earlier this year, Japanese manufacturer Takeuchi revealed its latest upgrade addition to its 3-Series range of hydraulic excavators, with the introduction of the all-new compact radius, 15-tonne class TB3150R, which is the replacement model for the TB2150R model that was first launched way back in 2017.

An off-set boom version the TB3150 is now also available replacing the TB2150 off-set boom model. These machines are the largest hydraulic excavators produced by the famous red & grey liveried manufacturer who are probably most well-known for their mini excavator range.

Photo: The TB3150 with Off-Set boom on stand at Hillhead 2026.

Historically Takeuchi’s first foray into the larger hydraulic excavator market took place in 2004 with the launch of the 14-tonne class TB1140 which was only available in off-set boom configuration, and was later updated to a Series-2 version before being discontinued in 2015, I recall having one on demonstration on site at the time and describing it as a mini excavator on steroids, as I was so impressed with it!

Photo: The original TB1140 I had on demo from CBL Plant Sales in Plymouth. (Digger Man Blog Archives)

Takeuchi UK recently presented me with an exclusive opportunity to get up close and personal with the new TB3150R on a live working site in Wigan, where our good friend Dave Vickers of Clickers Construction who is a long-standing Takeuchi customer, has a big project going on.

This gave us the chance to really take a good look around it, and to put the machine to work for a much longer period of time than we usually get with demo machines, which is always a good thing when undertaking an informed evaluation of a product.

WALKAROUND

At first glance one could be mistaken for thinking not much has changed apart from the stylish 3-Series lettering, but on closer inspection there are some subtle changes.

At the rear of the machine one thing remains the same and that’s the unique opening panel that is built into the counterweight, which when opened allows access to the rear of the engine, and such items as the air conditioning unit, starter motor, and engine oil filter, this is also home to the Takeuchi supplied tool kit bag which sits nicely in a dedicated recessed area.

Climbing up to the engine bay, and we discover the new Japanese built 4-cylinder Yanmar diesel engine which is EU Stage V emissions compliant and replaces the Deutz TCD3.6L4 engine that was fitted in the previous models. This engine offers the same power output rating of 85kW (114hp) but has increased torque of 462.8Nm @1500 rpm. One rare area of constructive criticism here is the access route up to the engine bay, heading up the steps it becomes quite a squeeze to get between the hydraulic pipework cluster and the fall from height handrails, but due to the compact nature of the machine, I’m not sure how that could be improved.

Behind the cab the familiar Takeuchi style gull wing panel raises up assisted by a gas strut to reveal the cooling pack, air filter housing, Ad Blue tank, batteries and the radiator expansion bottle. It’s good to note that all panels and doors are made of steel for durability, no cheap plastic panels on this piece of equipment.

On the offside rear another gull wing panel rises up to allow access to the latest Kawasaki hydraulic pump, which is the beating heart of the blue-chip Japanese hydraulic system. Its also home to the diesel filter/water separator, and intriguingly a little box with a latch door, which to my surprise contained the electric refuelling pump, with associated hose which is on a recoil reel, a genius idea, as once you have finished fuelling up, you twist the suction end of the hose, which seals it to prevent and run back, and the hose rewinds itself into the housing!

Another panel door to the front offside serves only to provide access to a veritable maze of hydraulic pipework around the hydraulic control valves.

Sharp eyed readers will notice a change in the design of the stylish looking counterweight on the new model. Right next to the reflectors on both top corners, at first glance it looks like they have forgotten to put mesh screening in there, but on closer inspection I noted that they have been designed this way to improve cooling airflow, with anti-debris mesh located further inside.

External high-quality cameras are fitted to the rear offside and above the counterweight which offer a 270-degree view via the 8” full colour touch screen monitor in the cab, providing the operator with good increased visibility. This UK spec model was fitted with the high visibility “boxing ring” style fall from height protection from Cab Care.

The undercarriage will be familiar to Takeuchi end users of this size class machine, with an overall track length of 3,800mm, and a track width of 2,490mm fitted with the UK standard 700mm steel track pads. Two top carrier rollers are fitted, with seven lower rollers, a centrally mounted track guard is a standard fitment with a further track guard at the idler end to prevent de-tracking. The dozer blade is also standard UK spec, and such a useful addition for light dozing duties, ‘dust pan and brush’ style cleaning up and for increased stability when digging or loading trucks.

Fitted with the standard mono boom, this example was fitted with the UK preferred 2,850mm (3m) dipper arm, a shorter 2,320mm dipper arm can be specified and would appeal to end users wishing to mount a tiltrotator on the machine. In addition, for those wanting the ultimate combination, a 2-piece (TAB) boom is an option. The machine is also piped for multiple auxiliary hydraulic lines, to be able to run a wide variety of hydraulic attachments. This example was also fitted with a Tefra hydraulic quick coupler from Hill Engineering.

In The Seat

And so, to the cab, the basic cab shell appears to have remained the same for many years, I feel it’s something that could do with upgrading in the future, as someone commented to me online recently, it just looks like a mini excavator cab, mounted on a 15-tonner and I would have to tend to agree with him.

However, once inside and ensconced, it feels relatively spacious and not really a bad place to spend your days. The TB3150R has received a completely redesigned interior, which has a very automotive feel to it. The seat is a super comfortable, fully adjustable air suspension and heated unit from Grammer.

Heating and cooling are well catered for by no less than seven adjustable vents around the cabin, four to the front, two at the rear and one at floor level to keep those feet warm on cold mornings. On a bright sunny morning I was appreciative of the large roof mounted sunshade that’s on a pull-out roller securing at the front of the cab roof.

All the usual toys that operators have become accustomed to these days are fitted, including a DAB radio, with Bluetooth hands free capability and that all important USB port (Type-C) for charging the mobile phone. There is also a hands-free microphone for making and receiving phone calls, and not forgetting that all important cup holder for the morning brew!

There is also a much welcome parcel shelf in the back of the cab, large enough for a moderate sized lunch bag, which could probably do with some cargo netting in front of it to keep the contents in place.

The focal point is the previously mentioned 8” touch screen monitor, this is actually the first Takeuchi machine to feature a touch screen display, it’s not as big as some, but for me that’s not a bad thing, as I really dislike “cab clutter”. It provides all the information that an operator could possibly need, including machine fluid temperatures, fuel level, hours worked, time of day, radio setting, air-conditioning settings, hydraulic flow adjustment settings and much more.

The operator can adjust things either by using the touch screen manually or just sit back and scroll through the settings using the intuitive ‘Jog Dial’ mounted in front of the multi-switch control panel on the right-hand side console which moves up and down simultaneously with the operator’s seat.

A bank of 12 push button switches is located on the console, serving such services as work lights, wiper/wash, flashing beacon, Eco mode selection, camera view, and regen selection to name a few, two of those switches are left blank for any additional functions as required by customers.    

The refreshing thing about this machine review visit was that Dave Vickers, actually had some work for me to do. He had a wagon in from local business SED Services Ltd to take away concrete waste from some floors they were breaking out inside an existing building. This presented me with a perfect scenario, as I was able to put the machine to work and do something productive at the same time.

The TB3150R includes another first for a Takeuchi excavator, in the shape of a keyless start feature, this is initiated by pressing the starter button at the rear of the right-hand console, which brings up the display screen, you are then required to enter a seven-digit code, confirm pressing the ok sign on the screen, then press the starter button to fire up the engine.

After a warm-up period I was ready to start making my way over to the stock pile, raising the boom and the Yanmar 4-pot sprang into action. Large track pedals integrated onto the track levers are comfortable to use and provide a positive feel to positioning the machine, low track speed is 2.7k/ph so I went searching for the high-speed selection button, I eventually found it with my index finger on the front of the right-hand joystick, which sped the machine up quite rapidly to 5.3k/ph.

Arriving at the heap, I climbed up on a small bench that had been prepared previously, which offered me an optimum position for loading. I had a short period of time before the wagon arrived to throw some material around and the get an instant feel for how the machine reacted. My initial reaction almost immediately was, wow this is quick, on the slew which is rated at 11rpm and on the dipper arm function it felt a lot quicker than the previous model, I continued to drag down concrete from the top of the pile so it would be easier to load the bucket once the wagon arrived.

Placing the first two or three bucketfuls gently into the bed of the wagon, so as not to cause any damage, and I was quickly reminded of all the features that we have come to love from the Takeuchi product, super smooth, precise positioning, speed and power, this new machine had it all, and in no time at all my first truck was loaded and away.

While the truck was away to unload I continued to loosen up the heap to ease the loading process, by its very nature, big lumps of concrete with steel reinforcing in it, is difficult stuff to deal with, horrible in fact, especially as I was aware that this was a brand new demonstrator machine, and I really didn’t want to put any scratches on the dipper, something I’m always aware of. With the sun warming the day up, I was starting to over heat in the cab, so entering the menu on the touch screen monitor I swiftly got some much-needed cool airflow drifting in, I’m one of those guys who likes cool air blowing on my face and the adjustable round vents facing the operator, serve to do this perfectly. For those who prefer the fresh air, you can have the run screen up and stored in the roof, or you have the option of the sliding door windows, or even to door latched open, but you then have the problem of dust coming into the cabin.

With the truck now back, it was time throw another load on, once again I was impressed with the increased hydraulic horsepower on this machine compared to the previous model, you could just feel that pure grunt as the 16580kg machine pulled into the heap forcing the bucket to load up rapidly, ready for a rapid slew around to dispatch the material in the back of the truck.

I finished my time on the machine by shaping up a pile of type one stone, and this is where one can really appreciate the super smoothness of the Takeuchi’s hydraulics, grading work is so effortless, its often said on sites that a Takeuchi can make a bad operator look good, and I don’t doubt that for one minute. This example was an absolute dream to spend some time on.

Taking my journalist hat off for a moment, and commenting solely as an operator, I have run many Takeuchi’s during my career as an operator, and I even owned one for 5 years, I am a big fan of the red & grey brand.

I can honestly say I’ve never had one that disappointed me, and in my humble opinion, they are about as good as you can get, a complete package of smoothness, power, and overwhelming reliability, quite simply they are Japanese quality personified, not the biggest excavator manufacturer in the world, but for those in the know, quite simply one of the best.