You’re in the market for a new machine. Of course you’ve looked at the big dogs – Cat, Deere, Hitachi, Kobelco etc. They’re great, but it’s hard to ignore the extremely competitive pricing offered by the new guy in town: SANY. In this article, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of buying a SANY excavator and most importantly, if the quality is any good. Ready? Let’s do this.
SANY is a relative newcomer to the heavy equipment game. Founded in China in 1986 as Lianyuan Welding Material Ltd., the company changed names to SANY in 1991. Despite being a young company, SANY is not a small manufacturer, as some people might think. According to their Wikipedia page, SANY is the 3rd largest heavy equipment manufacturer in the world, with around 90,000 employees.
SANY has a dozen industrial parks in China plus manufacturing facilities in Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and in the United States. With an annual revenue of over 16B, it’s fair to say that they’re well-established manufacturer. That said, they have only really had a strong presence in North America for the last 15-20 years so it’s understandable why people still see them as a newcomer to the industry. In some ways, they are.
They’re not just in the excavator business. SANY produces a wide range of heavy equipment from forklifts, cranes and concrete pumps to wind turbines, trucks and drilling equipment. They’re active in a number of industries including shipping, construction and renewable energy.
SANY uses high quality engines in their excavators. Their small machines use Yanmar engines. Their mid-sized excavators use Isuzu engines, and their large-scale equipment uses Cummins engines. If you do choose to buy a SANY machine, you’re going to get an engine from a respected manufacturer, rather than a one-off power plant.
SANY claims to have the strongest warranty program in the business. 5 years or 5000 hours on excavators. This is on-par or better than the warranties offered by their major competitors.
So SANY is a fairly established equipment manufacturer, they use high quality engines. Should you go out and buy one rather than a Caterpillar, Deere or Komatsu machine? Let’s have a look at some pros and cons of purchasing a SANY excavator.
So are SANY excavators any good? Your business needs are unique, so of course, nobody but you can determine which machine is the best fit for your business. That said, it’s generally a good idea to buy from a manufacturer that has a good dealer network in your area. If SANY is well-represented in your state or province, and there’s a dealer relatively nearby, they are good option to consider.
Ask the dealer to let you take the machine on trial or for a rental prior to committing to the purchase. You’ve likely never run a SANY before, so it’s a good idea to get some time on the sticks before committing.