The machine plate tells you which excavator you own. The component nameplate tells you which part you are standing in front of, and where the two disagree the component wins. Most wrong-part claims we see are not caused by a customer reading the machine plate badly — they are caused by an order placed from the model name alone, with nobody looking at the part itself. Guangzhou Shenyue Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. has specialised in Kobelco since 2007, and this guide is about the second plate, the one that actually decides the order.
Two questions, two plates
Every order has to answer two separate questions. First, which machine is this — model designation, suffix, build and market? Second, which version of the component is fitted — which pump family, which swing or travel motor family, which engine? The machine plate answers the first. The component nameplate answers the second, and it is the one that changes when a machine is built with a different variant, when a part has already been replaced with a supersession, or when a rebuild has fitted an assembly from another build.
| Plate | What it settles | What it typically reads |
|---|---|---|
| Machine plate | Model, suffix, serial, build | SK200-8, SK210LC-8, SK350LC-8 plus serial |
| Pump nameplate | Which pump family and setting | K3V112DT on the 20-tonne class, K5V140 on the 30-tonne class |
| Travel motor nameplate | Which travel family and build | Nabtesco GM38VB or GM38VC |
| Swing motor nameplate | Which swing family | M5X130 class or M5X180 class |
| Engine plate | Which engine family | HINO J05E, J08E, P11C |
Why the component plate beats the model name
Three situations make the model name insufficient. The first is a supersession, where the number fitted at the factory has been replaced by a later number doing the same job, so ordering the old number can bring a part that no longer exists under that description. The second is a class overlap, where two machines in the same family carry different pump or motor classes. The third is a rebuild or replacement, where a machine may be running a component from a different build altogether. In all three, the component nameplate is the only reliable evidence, and photographing it costs nothing.
The generation trap is written on the motor
The clearest example in the Kobelco range is the travel motor. The SK200-8 and SK210-8 carry the Nabtesco GM38VB, with assembly numbers YN15V00037F1, YN15V00037F2 and YN15V00037F3, and internal repair parts such as 800D2103-00 / YN15V00037R420C and C800D2016-00 / YN15V00037S116. The later SK200-10, SK210-10 and SK220XD-10 machines carry the GM38VC, quoted as YN15V00083F1, and the two are not interchangeable. A buyer ordering a travel motor for an SK200 from the model name alone has no way to know which of the two they need; a buyer who sends the plate off the motor knows immediately. The same logic runs through the pump families on our hydraulic components page and the engine families on the engine parts page.
Photographing a nameplate so it can be read
A nameplate photograph fails for three reasons: it is out of focus, the plate is too dirty or corroded to read, or the light reflects straight off it. Wipe the plate, shoot square-on rather than at an angle, light it from one side instead of firing a flash at it, and include a ruler in the frame where mounting dimensions matter. If the plate is unreadable, photograph the part in place and note the machine serial — a dimensional check against the correct family usually confirms which assembly is fitted. Any number that cannot be confirmed from our records is quoted as commonly quoted, with the nameplate treated as the authority rather than guessed at from the model name.
The checklist we work from
Machine plate, component plate, hour meter and a photograph of the part in place. Those four items let our team answer a Kobelco enquiry without a single guess, which is why the part number search and the nameplate check are used together rather than as alternatives. Background on how the machine plate and the generations relate sits in the SK generations and nameplate guide; this page is the component-level companion to it. Published Hino engine information is a useful cross-reference when an engine plate has to be tied to a family.
How we supply
Guangzhou Shenyue Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. has specialised in Kobelco since 2007, with 4 warehouses over 1000 m² in Guangzhou, 3,000+ part types on the shelf and 100,000+ part numbers available to order through original supply channels. Shenyue is an independent supplier and is not an authorized dealer of Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.; for Kobelco, Hino, Isuzu, Yanmar, Cummins, Kawasaki, Nabtesco, KYB and KPM we supply genuine parts ordered through original supply channels alongside quality replacement alternatives, at prices close to agent level, and the five brands we hold formal authorization for — Mitsubishi, Garrett, TONGMYUNG, Marusan and NIKURA — are named on every quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need the component nameplate if I already know my machine model?
Because the model name says which machine it is, not which version of the component is fitted. Supersessions, class differences inside one family and rebuild replacements all change the part while leaving the model name unchanged. The plate on the pump, motor or engine is the only reliable evidence of what is actually there.
My SK200 travel motor plate reads GM38VC but the parts book shows GM38VB. Which is right?
The plate is right. GM38VB serves the SK200-8 and SK210-8, and GM38VC serves the later SK200-10, SK210-10 and SK220XD-10; the two are not interchangeable. Send the plate photograph with the machine serial so the correct assembly can be confirmed before anything is ordered.
What if the nameplate is corroded and cannot be read?
Photograph the part in place and send the machine serial instead, plus a dimension wherever the mounting matters. A dimensional check against the correct family usually identifies the assembly. Guangzhou Shenyue Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. quotes any unconfirmed number as commonly quoted rather than guessing.
Which plates are worth photographing before an enquiry?
Four: the machine plate, the pump, the engine, and the motor, valve or cylinder being replaced. Add the hour meter reading. Those five items let the team confirm the family and catch a supersession without any guesswork, and they cost nothing but a minute of your time.