Hitachi makes Deere's excavators, Deere just paints them yellow and puts their own engines into some of the bigger ones. My Dad own an 2006 EX27 and I have a love/hate relationship with it, I absolutely love how that machine can get into some of the tightest spots and still dig down 8 feet level bottom, but the cab is hard to get in and out of for some one as big as I am, I did however manage to put a deluxe suspension seat into the cab from Bobcat's skid steers which gives me more comfort and a little more height for more leg room, but the cab is still small. We have had no issues with it, it goes almost 10 hours on a single tank and it will lift 600 lbs flat out at the max. reach over the sides of the tracks, 595 hours on it and all the pins and bushings are still tight, much better choice than B..B.......Bob......caaattt...ugh, I can even type that name anymore with out crying.