Conclusion: Sunward 70 Excavator Is the Safest Bet for General Contracting; Skip the Sunward 60 for Anything Over 8 Tons
If you're a dealer or contractor looking at Sunward's line, start with the 70 excavator. It’s their sweet spot. The 60? Unless you really need the smaller footprint for a 3.5-ton niche, it’s underpowered for the price difference. I've managed purchasing for a 200-person construction firm and a separate equipment rental operation over the last five years. Here's why I landed on that conclusion—and where Sunward’s cranes, telehandlers, and loaders fit (or don’t) in a working fleet.
How I Ended Up Looking at Sunward
I didn't start as a Sunward fan. When I took over purchasing in 2021 for a mid-sized contractor, the owners had a strong bias toward Japanese and American brands. I got it—reliability is everything when a machine downtime kills your per-day margin. But around my second year, I started noticing a pattern: other contractors at trade shows were quietly admitting they had a couple of Chinese-branded machines in their fleet, and they were happy enough. Not “love” happy. “They work, they haven’t fallen apart, and the price was 30% less than a comparable Cat” happy.
So I started testing. We bought three Sunward machines: a 60 excavator, a 70 excavator, and one of their telehandlers. That test changed my mind about the whole category. It also taught me where to draw the line.
The 70 Excavator: Best Bang for the Buck in the 7-Ton Class
I’m gonna be direct: the Sunward 70 excavator is the machine I’d put money on if you’re buying for general site work, backfilling, trenching, or loading trucks. It’s not perfect—the cab isn't as plush as a Komatsu, and the dealer network in some regions is still growing. But here’s the thing: the 70’s hydraulic system is noticeably smoother and more powerful than the 60’s. We ran it side by side on a site with rocky soil. The 60 stalled twice when trying to dig through a patch of compacted fill. The 70 just kept going.
And the price tag? When we bought ours, the 70 was only about 12–15% more than the 60. For that, you get a bigger bucket, higher breakout force, and a machine that can actually handle a 2-ton lift without feeling like you’re pushing it to its limit. In rental, the 70 had a 95% utilization rate over eight months. The 60 had maybe 70%—and it got more complaints about being “slow” or “gutless” on heavier jobs.
Where the Sunward 60 Excavator Falls Short
Look, the 60 is fine if 100% of your work is in tight urban spaces—using a 3.5-ton machine on a 5-ton job will always feel wrong. What most people don't realize is that the 60 doesn't really save you that much on transport costs. A 6-ton machine vs a 7-ton machine fits on the same trailer. The fuel difference is negligible. So what are you actually gaining with the 60?
From the outside, it looks like a smart way to save money. The reality is you're just buying a machine with lower resale value and a narrower market if you ever need to sell it. Most contractors I talk to who started with a 60 ended up trading up within two years. That’s a painful cycle. The initial savings evaporate when you factor in the loss on resale and the machine’s downtime trying to do work it’s not designed for.
I had about 3 hours to decide on a rush order for a client once. Normally I'd have done a full cost comparison. But they needed a machine on site in 48 hours. I went with the 70 on instinct. In hindsight, I should have checked the 60's specs one more time—but with that timeline, I did the best I could. The 70 turned out to be the right call.
Sunward Telehandlers and Cranes: A Different Story
Sunward makes telehandlers. They make cranes. Should you buy them? Depends on what else you're looking at. I'm not saying they're bad—I'm saying my experience with the telehandler at the rental yard was mixed.
We got the telehandler in 2022. Initial impressions: good build quality, familiar controls. A mustang truck driver friend of mine—he runs a small fleet—actually tried one and liked the reach. Here's the hidden downside: service parts availability. An oil filter for the Japanese-brand telehandler we had was available next day from three distributors. For the Sunward? I had to call their main dealer, wait three days for a shipment, and pay double the shipping cost because it’s a smaller network. Parts availability is a hidden cost that doesn't show on the spec sheet.
The cranes? I don't have direct experience at our company. I've seen them at trade shows. They look solid, especially the smaller truck-mounted units. But here I'm outside my expertise. I'll be honest: if I needed a big crawler crane—like the ones people ask about when searching for “who is crane on masked singer” (somehow a real search term that brings people to our industry)—I'd stick with the established Japanese or European brands. Sunward hasn't proven itself in that heavy-lift segment yet, at least not to my knowledge. The expertise_boundary applies here: I know what I've tested, and I'm not going to over-recommend beyond that.
Skid Steer Loaders and Track Loaders: The Verdict
We added a Sunward skid steer to the fleet last year. So far? Solid. The undercarriage on the track loader version holds up well on demolition sites. But I'll warn you: if you're used to a Bobcat or a Caterpillar, the hydraulic aux flow controls feel slightly less refined. It's not a dealbreaker. It's one of those things you adjust to in a week. But if your operators are switching between brands constantly, they might complain for the first few hours.
One more thing you won't read on the brochure: electric mini excavators. Sunward has an electric version. I haven't tested it long enough to give a full review, but the initial demo I saw was impressive for quiet, indoor work. It’s not ready for heavy digging, but if you have a lot of indoor renovation contracts, it's worth a look. That's a niche where I'd consider it over the traditional diesel machines.
When NOT to Buy Sunward
Here’s the boundary condition that most reviews skip: don't buy Sunward if you need extensive local dealer support in remote areas. If you're a dealer in, say, central Russia (and I've seen their presence in that market), their network is growing but it's not there yet in many places. If your nearest service center is 300 miles away, a breakdown costs you three days instead of one. In that scenario, paying the premium for a brand with local parts stock makes financial sense.
Also avoid the Sunward 60 if your primary work is heavy demolition. It's not built for that. And if you're looking at a bucket truck for utility work? Sunward doesn't make those, so don't waste time searching. Just search for “mustang truck” if you’re looking for a different body type. The biggest mistake I see is people trying to force a machine into a job it wasn't designed for because they want the price. That's how you end up with a rental machine sitting on the lot while the customer is angry.
My final honest take: the Sunward 70 excavator is a great machine for its class. The 60 is a compromise I wouldn't make. Their loaders are okay if you're price-sensitive. And everything bigger than that—cranes, heavy telehandlers—I'd stick with the established players until Sunward builds out their service network more. I've been wrong before, and I'll probably be wrong again, but that's my experience after five years and roughly $2 million in equipment purchasing decisions.
