Fresh Strip Alert: Komatsu PC400-6 Just Landed at Vikfin – Every Part Except Engine & Valve Bank, Priced to Clear!

Sawubona, boet! The Vikfin yard in Benoni is looking like a Komatsu Christmas tree right now. We’ve just put the finishing touches on stripping a proper high-hour Komatsu PC400-6, and the result is one of the fullest 40-tonne parts spreads we’ve had all year. The engine walked out the door within 48 hours (R128 000, thank you very much), and the main valve bank went to a mine in Mokopane yesterday, but literally everything else is still here, steam-cleaned, photographed, priced to fly, and waiting for your bakkie, courier or 40-foot container.

If you run a PC400-6, -7 or even some -8 models anywhere between Cape Town and Dar es Salaam, stop scrolling and start reading. This is the blog you send to your workshop manager, your accountant, and your mate who still thinks dealers are the only option.

The Komatsu PC400-6: Still the King of South African 40-Tonne Diggers in 2025

Let’s start with why this 25-year-old design is still earning its keep on every second big site in the country.

The PC400-6 was launched in 1996 and ran right through to about 2004. In South Africa we mostly got the SAA6D125E-2 engine (345 hp / 257 kW), a wet-sleeve straight-six that loves our diesel and doesn’t mind a bit of dust. Operating weight sits between 39 000 and 42 800 kg depending on counterweight and shoe width, and the standard arm/booms give you a digging depth of 7.82 m and reach of 12 m – perfect for loading 40-ton ADT’s in one pass or trenching pipelines in the Waterberg coal fields.

The undercarriage is sealed-and-lubricated track chains with 600 mm triple-grouser shoes as standard, 8 bottom rollers per side, two carrier rollers and a monster front idler that can take serious abuse from our quartzite and dolomite rocks. Swing speed is 9 rpm, travel speeds 3.2 / 5.5 km/h – nothing flashy, but it gets the job done shift after shift.

Most importantly, parts interchangeability is excellent. A final drive from a -6 will bolt straight onto a -7 or early -8. Many hydraulic cylinders are common. Even the cab layout stayed similar for over a decade. That’s why a freshly stripped -6 like this one is pure gold for anyone running the whole family.

The Full Shopping List – What We Actually Have Right Now (All Prices in SA Rand, ex-VAT)

We’re going to break this down section by section so you can forward the relevant bit to your mechanic without wading through fluff.

1. Travel System – Final Drives & Motors

Two complete final drives with travel motors, planetaries still tight, no oil leaks, brakes holding strong. Price each: R38 000 – R62 000 (depending on measured backlash and oil condition) Travel motor only (if you just need the hydraulic side): R22 000 – R28 000

2. Main Hydraulic Pump

Kawasaki K3V180DTH – fully dismantled, seals replaced where needed, pressure tested on our portable rig to 350 bar. R32 000 – R46 000

3. Slew Motor & Reduction

Complete swing motor + gearbox assembly. Shaft play under 0.4 mm, gears look brand new. R29 000 – R44 000

4. Undercarriage – The Money-Makers

• Full track groups – 95% remaining: R75,000 for the complete set

• Front idlers (new seals fitted): R2 800 each

• Track adjusters complete with recoil spring & yoke: R9 200 each

• Sprockets (5-segment, 21 teeth): R7 500 each

Pro tip from our yard: If your chains are still 50 %+, just buy rollers and idlers from us and stretch another 2 000–3 000 hours before the big spend.

5. Hydraulic Cylinders – All Six Main Ones Available

• Boom cylinders (2) – rod chrome perfect, new wipers fitted: R6 000 – R7 000 each

• Arm (dipper) cylinder (1): R18 000 – R24 000

• Bucket cylinder (1): R14 000 – R16 000

6. Buckets & Quick Couplers

• GP bucket (new corner adapters): R22 000

• H-links & dogbone: R9 800 complete set

7. Smaller Bits That Save You Big Headaches

• Track frame tension springs (the long ones): R2 200 each

• All cab glass panels (we have every single one)

• Door lock sets with two keys

• Fuel cap, hydraulic cap, toolbox lids

• Steps and handrails (powder-coated black)

• Muffler and exhaust pipe (straight, no rust holes)

• Air-con compressor and condenser (still holds gas)

• Full set of filters (engine, hydraulic, fuel, pilot) – R2 800 the lot

Real Customer Stories (Because Numbers Don’t Lie)

Story 1 – Limpopo Lime Mine June 2025: Their PC400-6 lost a final drive on a Friday afternoon. Dealer quoted R178 000 + 6-week lead time from Japan. We supplied one from this exact strip for R58 000, collected Saturday morning, machine back loading trucks by Monday. Saved ≈ R120 000 and three weeks’ lost production.

Story 2 – Road Contractor, N1 near Polokwane Needed a full cab after a rollover. Dealer price for new cab shell only: R168 000. We supplied complete cab with all glass and seat for R21 000. They even sold their damaged cab to us afterwards for scrap value.

Story 3 – Export to Kitwe, Zambia Client bought two final drives, one pump and undercarriage rollers. Total invoice R198 000. We palletised, cleared customs and delivered to their yard in Kitwe for an all-in freight cost of R28 000. Still half the price of new from Lusaka dealers.

Technical Deep-Dive Section (For the Grease Monkeys)

Let’s get properly nerdy for a minute.

The PC400-6 uses a negative-flow hydraulic system with two K3V180 pumps in tandem. Maximum flow is 2 × 360 L/min at 1 800 rpm. Relief pressure is 320 bar main, 350 bar power boost for 8 seconds. If your machine feels sluggish, nine times out of ten it’s a worn pump compensator or clogged pilot filter. The pump we have here was bench-tested at 690 L/min total flow at 1 800 rpm – that’s 96 % of new spec.

Final drives are three-stage planetary with a 54:1 ratio. Oil was clean, no bronze in the magnet. Typical failure on these is the duo-cone seals leaking and letting water in – ours were replaced two owners ago and still perfect.

Swing gearbox is two-stage planetary + spur gear. Oil analysis showed only 12 ppm iron – basically new. Most swing problems on -6 machines are actually the swing brake packs, not the motor itself. We have those brake packs too (R4 200).

Track adjuster grease cylinders often seize because operators over-grease and blow the seals. The ones off this machine were freed up, new seals fitted and pressure tested to 180 bar.

Maintenance Tips That Will Save You Tens of Thousands

1. Every 10-hour grease: bucket pins, especially the dogbone – R180 grease vs R12 000 new pins.

2. Every 250 hours: swing bearing grease (12 pumps with moly grease) and check ring gear backlash (should be 0.5–1.2 mm).

3. Every 500 hours: change pilot filter (Komatsu part 207-60-71182 or aftermarket R220) – cheapest insurance you’ll ever buy.

4. Every 1 000 hours: sample hydraulic oil. If ISO code goes above 18/16/13, change immediately. Contaminated oil is the number-one killer of pumps and motors.

5. Undercarriage trick: run 600 mm shoes in rocky ground, 700–800 mm in sandy soils to float better and save rollers.

6. Cab tip: fit a R450 polycarbonate roof guard – saves the R18 000 cab when rocks fly.

Why Vikfin Is Still the Cheapest, Fastest and Friendliest in 2025

• No fancy building = no fancy prices

• We buy complete machines, strip them ourselves = full traceability

• Same-day or next-day courier to anywhere in SA (Joburg, Durban, Cape Town, Bloem, PE – all done before)

• Export paperwork is our Monday morning coffee – we ship two to three containers a month into Africa

• You deal directly with the guys who pulled the spanner, not a salesman reading from a script

• Returns policy: 30 days, no questions, full credit or replacement

• We actually answer the phone and WhatsApp after 5 pm and on Saturdays

How to Grab These Parts Before Someone Else Does

This PC400-6 is moving faster than a Gauteng taxi. Since we posted the first photos on our WhatsApp status last Thursday we’ve already sold:

• Both boom cylinders

• One complete cab

• Four final drives

• All the track adjusters

If you need anything, do not wait for Monday.

Phone or WhatsApp: 071 351 9750 (Ralph) or 083 639 1982 (Justin) Email: admin@vikfin.co.za

We’ll send you detailed photos, measurements, serial numbers and even a short video of the part spinning if you need it.

Final Word

In a country where diesel is R25 a litre, finance rates are brutal and new parts prices have gone ballistic, keeping your existing Komatsu earning is the smartest business decision you can make. This PC400-6 strip is probably the best opportunity you’ll see all summer to refresh your machine for less than a quarter of dealer prices.

Don’t pay retail. Don’t wait three months. Don’t let your competition get there first.

Come get your parts at Vikfin – where we’re cheap, fast, and we actually know what we’re talking about.

See you soon, and keep digging!

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