This page is the current version of this Hitachi ZX17U-5A excavator operating guide — download the PDF below for the complete document, including the manufacturer's full manual.
Check the engine oil and coolant levels, look for oil or water leaks, and clear grass and dust from the radiator and oil cooler. Inspect the rubber tracks for sag, cuts and wear, and clear packed mud and stones before you move off.
From the seat, check the seat belt, horn, work light and travel alarm, and confirm every lever moves freely and springs back to neutral. Check the hydraulic tank level and hoses for leaks, the bucket, teeth, pins and blade for wear or damage, and the fuel gauge — diesel only, and once the low-fuel lamp comes on you have roughly 5 litres left.
If you find a fault, a leak or damage that wasn't there the day before, don't start work — photograph it and email us before you use the machine.
Get on and off using the foothold and handrails, three points of contact, facing the machine — never jump down, and never use the control levers, the pilot control shut-off lever or the door furniture as a handrail.
Before you touch the key: pilot control shut-off lever up in LOCK, every lever and pedal in neutral, seat and belt set, engine control lever to slow idle. Sound the horn, turn the key to ON, enter the 4-digit security code, then turn to START and release the moment it fires. Never crank for more than 15 seconds — if it doesn't fire, key off, wait 30 seconds and try again.
Cold start: hold the key to HEAT until the preheat lamp goes out (about 4 seconds), then straight to START. Warm the machine up before you work it — hydraulic oil below 20°C damages components — and check the alternator and oil pressure lamps go out once running; if either stays on, stop the engine.
To shut down: park on firm level ground, bucket and blade down, levers to neutral, shut-off lever up in LOCK, then idle for 5 minutes to cool the engine before key off. Close and lock the covers and park clear of anything that could fall on it.
The pilot control shut-off lever is your master isolator — pull it up and every lever and pedal goes dead; push it down to go live, holding the lever itself and keeping clear of the control levers as you do. Lock it up whenever you leave the seat.
Check which way you're pointed before you drive — in the standard position the blade is in front and the travel motors are behind, but swing the house around and the travel levers work in reverse. Confirm the travel motors before you touch a lever, every time. Both levers forward drives forward, both back reverses, and stroke controls speed; one lever alone pivots the machine.
Use the flattest route with small, gradual changes of direction, and go slowly on rough ground with a spotter in tight areas. In water, 370 mm maximum — the top of the upper rollers, on firm footing — and never submerge the swing bearing or centre joint. Keep the rubber tracks off rock, rubble, stumps, rebar and steel edges.
Never attempt a slope of 25° or steeper, never with a loaded or suspended bucket, and always at slow travel speed with the seat belt on. Keep the bucket pointed in the direction of travel, 200–300 mm off the ground, and drop it immediately if the machine starts to skid. Don't drive across the face of a slope or turn on one — come back to level ground to change direction.
If the engine stalls on a slope: bucket straight down, levers to neutral, then restart. If you must park on a slope, teeth into the ground, shut-off lever to LOCK, both tracks chocked.
Excavation and loading only — never break material by swinging into it with the house or boom swing, never hammer, tamp or drive piles with the bucket, and never travel with the teeth in the ground to force a cut. The blade dozes and backfills only; it isn't rated for ramming into loads or colliding with rocks.
The shackle bracket on the track frame takes light objects only, to 500 kgf — it is not a tow point for the machine, and neither are the blade lifting holes. Check your hire agreement before towing anything.
Load on firm level ground with ramps and a dock under 15°, truck wheels chocked. Go up the ramp in slow travel mode at slow idle, on the centreline, boom and arm at 90–110° with the bucket resting on the deck as you cross the lip — never steer on a ramp; if you're off line, come back down and start again.
On the deck, swing 180° slowly with the arm rolled in, reverse into position, rest the front attachment on timbers, blade down, then engine off, key out, shut-off lever to LOCK. Tie down with chocks front and back of both tracks, a chain on each corner, and soft protectors against the side frames — never run a chain or rope directly onto the rubber tracks.
Alternator or engine oil pressure lamp on: stop the engine. Overheat lamp and buzzer: drop to slow idle and stop work. Something moves when you unlock with all levers in neutral: re-lock, stop, call us. Bogged and can't reverse out under its own power, or the engine dies with the boom up: call us — don't dig deeper and keep clear underneath.
Tell us before you attempt a recovery, a repair or a tow — email contact@timech.com.au with the machine, the site and a photo and we will come to you. This quick reference is a summary written for hirers; the full Hitachi operator's manual is supplied with the machine and governs its safe use — where the two differ, the manufacturer's manual applies.