Daewoo DSL 601

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TexasTimbers

Member
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
9
I have a Daewoo DSL 601 that I would not take 4 times what it might appraise at. I don't want to sound like I am a "brand man" because I am not. I always buy the tool or machine based on factors such as features, reliability, customer support, user friendliness (can I work on it?), and toher factors specific to the application. Having said that, I bought this Daewoo in 2005 based solely on price because I thought it was such a no-brainer bargain. It was! Even if it gave up the ghost today I have gotten my money back many times. It is a 1996 model and had 1200 hours on it when I bought it. Turns out, even though I wasn't considering all the normal buying parameters from which I normally view a purchase, I got lucky because this little machine is simply a jewel. It's easy to work on (no electronics except one small box that houses the warning and caution lights) and to use. I found this forum because I wanted to find other Daewoo owners, but man I don't know how Daewoo stays in business based on number of sales. I can't find any other owners. Suprisingly, I have a local Daewoo rep 20 minutes away, and they sell only large industrial machines but they say the machines are top-notch. Especially since Daewoo made the commitment recently to keep mamny more parts stocked here in the US, and gaurantee a 3 day delivery if the part has to come from Korea. I have really abused this machine and i mean bad. Not because I do not respect it or value it, or because I am a bad steward of my tools, but because I can't really afford the machine I need to log with. this little Yanmar 41.5HP engine has never missed a beat, and I have really subjected it to exceeding it's design limitations day-in and day-out. I did not see an "introduction" section so I guess this is it, and hoping sooner otr later another Daewoo owner, especially with a DSL 601, will stumble across this site and I'll have a fellow Daewoo-er to shot the bull with and trade info. In the meantime I guess you computerized fellas will have to do. ;-) Glad to I this site. Cheers, Kevin.
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
I too have never seen a daewoo skid steer, sure i see their large excavators but not skid steers... The yanmar engines are tough too.
Glad you are happy with your machine.
 

Bandit1047

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
117
Welcome to the site! There is some great guys that know a great deal about machinery on this site. If you scroll down on the thread page toward the bottom you will find an introduce yourself thread. Let us know something about yourself, where you live and what you do for a living. Joe
 

Landscaper333

New member
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Messages
2
Hey, just read your message about the Daewoo 601. I have a Daewoo 902 plus or 901, what ever it is. I bought it new from Truckloaders in Smithtown, NY in May 2003. I have what they told me the Kia Engine. I only have 290 hours on the skid steer. My head gasket blew the other day. In the process, the combustion escaping the cylinder fired on the block. not too big of an area, approx a thumbnail size, but mechanic told me it is too deep to mill down!!! Anyway, I love the machine until now. As you can see, just under 6 years & i only put 290 hours on it. I got in touch with the dealer & they don't deal with the Daewoo anymore, just New Hollands. They have some parts, but did not seem very helpfull when i requested prices on the long block & short block. I am at a loss!!! Machine is well out of warrentee. I can't seem to get help! I'm pissed off at Daewoo!!!! I'm trying to get help directly from Daewoo! I feel with only 290 hours on the skid steer they should help or stand behind there product. The salesperson at Truckloaders told me that the Kia engine has been known to overheat, due to spider cracks in the engine block. This is BULLS**T! Have you heard of anyone else with this problem? Hope your machine is still treating you good. I'm going to try the Cummins engine in it, if I can find out if it will bolt up with out any problems. The new Doosen's have the Cummins.
 
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TexasTimbers

Member
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
9
Hey, just read your message about the Daewoo 601. I have a Daewoo 902 plus or 901, what ever it is. I bought it new from Truckloaders in Smithtown, NY in May 2003. I have what they told me the Kia Engine. I only have 290 hours on the skid steer. My head gasket blew the other day. In the process, the combustion escaping the cylinder fired on the block. not too big of an area, approx a thumbnail size, but mechanic told me it is too deep to mill down!!! Anyway, I love the machine until now. As you can see, just under 6 years & i only put 290 hours on it. I got in touch with the dealer & they don't deal with the Daewoo anymore, just New Hollands. They have some parts, but did not seem very helpfull when i requested prices on the long block & short block. I am at a loss!!! Machine is well out of warrentee. I can't seem to get help! I'm pissed off at Daewoo!!!! I'm trying to get help directly from Daewoo! I feel with only 290 hours on the skid steer they should help or stand behind there product. The salesperson at Truckloaders told me that the Kia engine has been known to overheat, due to spider cracks in the engine block. This is BULLS**T! Have you heard of anyone else with this problem? Hope your machine is still treating you good. I'm going to try the Cummins engine in it, if I can find out if it will bolt up with out any problems. The new Doosen's have the Cummins.
I think when I made this post there was no Daewoo section I see now that there is. I hope the admin will move this to that section or maybe the skid steer section if tey are more appropriate. Anyway sorry to hear about your problems landscaper. I am not familiar with the Kia engine. I have the 50/42HP Yanmar diesel and it has taken relentless abuse logging. Keeps right on chugging. To give you an idea of how much abuse I have torn welds off and bent the whole front end of the loading arms and have had to reweld them back together several times. I have bent both cylinders 3 times and the left one again just recently and I mean catastrophic every time. This last time I had to have new barrels too. Fortunately I have a shop that rebuilds them very reasonbale $400 for the pair if they don't need new barrels. The engine has never given me a moments trouble though once or twice i thought it was, it was electrical trouble. I had been running hydraulic fluid that was so contaminated it looked like milk almost (didn't know it wasn't doing so with the knowledge) and i don't see how the machine just keeps going. I can sympathize with your plight but I hate to see you blaming Daewoo for not making good on a warranty that has been long out of force. If the Kia engines have had enough problems it usually takes a class action lawsuit to make the various manufacturers make any kind of restitution/recall/repair. That takes time and money the kind guys like us don't usually have. Your problem is not with the Daewoo skid steer but with the power plant in it. Daewoo did not know they were lemons (if they were) when they made the contract with Kia, and even if they did that would be next to impossible to prove. Any that went out during warranty I'm sure they replaced. Daewoo did not likely include any kind of "Lower Than 'Normal' Hours" clause which would bring you into coverage post-warranty; that would not benefit them. That's why manufacturers always put both a time and use limit "whichever come first" so they can use all those numbers and statics that they pay their number-crunchers to figure out. It's the same principle the insurance use to manage risk vs reward or Premiums vs Claims. The risk vs reward is always in the manufacturers favor when it comes to warranty issues and if it were not, we would not be able to buy skid steers made by private industry because they could not make a profit. In describing your dilemma with this frustrating issue, you made the statement ~ "This is BULLS**T!" but really, it's not. Allow me a minute to describe to you what *I* believe is Bravo Sierra, as we used to say in the USCG. The way this insane federal government is rushing us over the cliffs, we will buying machinery manufactured by state-owned industries here in the U.S.S.A. before long anyway and you'll have "cradle to grave" warranty coverage. But just like everything else a Marxist/Socialist society, insurance will be a thing of the past. Since you can't own anything any longer there is no need to insure it. Just be thankful you can make the decision not to buy a Daewoo this time because for now you still have some semblance of the freedom to choose and to own. Sorry for the rant. AFA gooing with a Cummins I have never owned one but my experience is they have a stellar reputation. I know they are the reason I run a Powerstroke Ford and not a Dodge with a Cummins. Those dam things are so loud you have to scream to have a conversation standing near the hood. Maybe that has changed I don't know but the dam things sound like a rock band compared to my old 99 F350 Powerstroke. In a skid steer maybe that won't matter. My sawmill is powered by a 42HP Turbo Diesel Kubota that I love as much as the Yanmar so look at all your options and do a bunch of research before you just pick one brand over another. Best of luck to you whatever you decide.
 

foton

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Messages
1,278
I just looked this up and as a fyi in 2005 doosan bought daewoo, I had no idea. I wonder why they bought bobcat too? shrink the competition? I wish ingrasall rand had kept them.
 
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