The best thing about this video is that you are standing in your shed telling us of your experience, rather than trying to film yourself lying underneath an upturned excavator. I had a similar incident with the 1.2 machine I had but when I told the importer he wouldn't believe me. Hard to understand how you can lock your hydraulics but still drive the machine. There's a lot to be said for 'One man, one machine.' Stay safe Howard and keep posting because we need your knowledge. Cheers.

Everyone knows the boom drops even with it off it you hit the lever… why wouldn’t the tracks do the same?

When driving downhill put the dozer blade on the back and boom on the front. The dozer is your safety brake.

I have a AGT MX 12R and experienced the same thing on a 13-15 degree slope(verified} . I had already set the boom low for stability but was surprised when it started to freewheel. Releasing the travel controls  quickly brought the X to a stop and had to repeat this dance a few times until I reached  flatter ground, Now that I know this I will be more cautious. Funny how they boast 30 degree climbing , but say nothing about  the trip back down. You are absolutely correct  about downhill warnings. Thanks for posting !!

Thank you for this video.  I have a Chinese HT10 on order and have been furiously watching videos to learn safe operation.  My land has lots of slopes, so this is very relevant.  I have a healthy fear of this machine and slopes... which is good.

T Y, for the Warning ! At home we used horses, they also desired to freewheel on occasion, lol. Be Blessed.

I've been driving my 1 ton mini up ramps into my dump trailer and then backing it back down.  I guess i won't ever be attempting to turn it around and drive out forward. Yikes.  Glad you're ok, and GLAD you have posted this experience. Potentially life saving information.

Thanks Brother... I'm a 79 year old retired Over the Road Trucker... I have flown planes, Piloted Boats,
Driven a Train, but I have never operated an Excavator or mid sized Tractor until I just bought a CFG H15 last week....Completely different animal !
I will take your advice to heart !  Liked/Subscribed !

Howard..... I'm so grateful that you are safe and sale! This is great sharing, especially for so many of us who do not have that level of experience.
I'm sure you heard your father's words echoing in your head!

I hope they come up with a fix!  That would have been scary, particularly if I was in control with no real experience in an excavator.

Hey Howard! Great video. Always great to see others doing what I like doing as well. Hope all is well with you and Happy New Year!

Excellent video that could save lives. Thanks!

I had my Kubota recently pop out of high range as I was stopping to pick up tools after doing brakes in the driveway. I ran into the back of my car (luckily the damage was minimal). When I had a few seconds, I fumbled and couldn't stop the tractor in time. Of course, in hindsight, I could have come up with a better plan. I was unloading a new mini excavator from my dump trailer today; boy, that's sketchy having zero excavator experience.

Excellent input. Thank you ve 17:18 ry much. The very first mini excavator I had ever come close to in my life was an oldish PC28 Komatsu, when I bought it ten years ago, in an auction. I knew nothing about those tools and I realise now how lucky I was to choose that particular one to learn and then work with. It has no built in vice at all and has resulted excellent. It is starting to wear out in various expensive ways and I am considering buying a new chinese one, mainly for cost reasons. Your work here is tremendously usefull.

Excellent video sir!
I have operated front loaders, full size backhoes, trenchers, drop plows, tractors, and a small kubota tractor/backhoes at various jobs over the past 20yrs. Those hours of experience allowed me to react in the same fashion as you the first time I drove my mini excavator down a steep hillside. The machine didn't seem to be freewheeling at first, but it got tippy and I lost hydraulics. Turns out the tank design requires more fluid to operate on steep slopes, so I had to fill it. After filling and testing the boom, I set it into forward motion and it bucked, then it wouldn't stop. I dropped the bucket to the ground, slid, and then dropped the blade. Unfortunately, my little 2024 AGT MX15R doesn't have a seat belt.
Once stopped I eased back into it, then went full stick ahead (1.5mph top end). Thankfully the machine kept that speed and traction. I think my heart stopped for a moment. No other machine was ever this easily tipped or lacked speed control and/or a breaking system. Anyone can learn these machines, but not just anyone can hop on and run one.

I would like to see more content during videos of work being done I think it will keep it interesting but great job howard

i am so glad i stumbled upon this post by accident haha. you saved me a lot of heart ache. i've been extra cautious on slight slopes since. as small as this machine is, i've saved hours perhaps days of work as opposed to doing the same landscaping jobs by hand. my uncle who operates a 30-ton was initially doubtful but after an hour of trying it out said it was more than sufficient for my purposes. i didn't understand how he was able to operate this so smoothly but he explained i needed to "finesse" the controls and simply be aware of its limitations. btw i was trying to search for oil and hydraulic fluid change instructions and wondering if you have those on your channel?

I was digging out stumps yesterday with my AGT QH12. 15-25 degree slope. Crawling up or down at part travel lever engagement is just fine. When traveling down a 20+ degree slope with travel levers full engaged it will freewheel. I can crawl down to slope and stop, but if going “fast” downhill, it’s a free for all. Luckily I had boom straight  and low which helped slow it down.during to bouncing! Took 3 minutes to think about what happened then went back up slope to get an oak tree stump and carry it to the driveways. It needed to be inches away from the blade to balance.I have no hydraulic lock out on this thing, but always having two functions operating makes it very controllable and not at all jerky, but slow.

I got thrown out of my mini-ex while driving through a small shallow ditch. As it hit the upward slope, the front blade dug in and the machine stopped suddenly. I was traveling at an angle through the ditch and so I got thrown out the side of the machine. (I didn't have a seatbelt but have since ordered one.) I landed on my back right side. I probably fractured a couple ribs as I had severe pain whenever I coughed over the next several days. Three weeks later, my back is still not 100% but it is getting better. Even a 1mph sudden stop is enough to do damage to a person. (Doesn't help that I am over 60 and overweight!)

Howard, great video. I’ve got a 1.5 ton machine on order and I’ve really enjoyed your content around these Chinese mini excavators