Your Hitachi ZX85USB-6

Common jobs for the Hitachi ZX85

The Hitachi ZX85 weighs 8.5 tonnes and is a steady midi machine for utility, groundwork and material handling. On Swedish jobs it runs pipe trenches, foundation work and cable digging where hydraulic precision matters near services and kerbs. It suits the contractor who digs where there is already a lot in the ground and wants a machine that is not jerky.

On a utility job the ZX85 exposes pipe and cable without tearing them and lays new services, on a foundation it digs out and grades. It loads spoil and handles material under control. It is a machine for careful midi work, where the hydraulics let you operate near sensitive installations.

With the S45 hitch you run a digging bucket, a sorting grapple and a medium breaker, and the machine carries heavier attachments steadily even well out. At 8.5 tonnes it holds balance with medium attachments, which makes it a reliable machine for utility and groundwork.

Buckets and attachments that fit the ZX85

For an 8.5-tonne machine you choose a toothed bucket for excavation and pipe trench, a wide grading bucket for levelling and reinstatement, and a narrow cable bucket for tight trenches. On utility jobs the narrow and wide bucket combination is what you use most, since much of the job is exposing and reinstating.

A sorting grapple belongs on the ZX85 in demolition and material handling. It loads stone, pulls apart and sorts spoil. At 8.5 tonnes the machine carries the grapple steadily even a fair way out, and the smooth hydraulics let you handle material under control.

All attachments run on the S45 hitch, the standard for the midi class. With the same hitch you swap quickly between bucket, grapple and breaker and get more out of the machine day on a utility or groundwork job.

Hydraulic breaker and heavy attachments for the ZX85

An 8.5-tonne machine drives a medium hydraulic breaker for rock, concrete and frost. On utility jobs the breaker is often the attachment that gets you through rock in the pipe trench or old concrete without needing a bigger machine on site.

Check the oil flow against the breaker spec before you buy. The ZX85 has the flow for a medium breaker, but it has to be matched to your machine hydraulics to hit right and last. The smooth hydraulics suit careful work, but the breaker still has to be set up against the machine.

An auger drive is useful on the ZX85 for post holes, footing piles and planting pits. The drive rotates and the auger bit is the part that sits in it, and you choose the size by the hole. On a midi machine it takes coarser holes without trouble.

S45 quick hitch and fit

The Hitachi ZX85 runs an S45 hitch, the standard coupler for the midi class. Check the attachments are listed for S45 before you buy. With a common hitch you build a set of attachments that all fit and that you swap quickly between tasks.

A tiltrotator can be fitted to the ZX85 and gives the bucket more movement, which is worth it on utility and mixed groundwork where you work near services and edges. The smooth hydraulics pair well with a tiltrotator for careful work. On pure trenching the money may do more on extra buckets.