How To Choose Excavator
- solution of excavator selecting
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Excavator should be choose according to power, arm length, size, bucket capacity, weight, working site, comfort, technology and budget.
Brief Introduction
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Being one of the most important equipments in mining and construction, excavator is getting a rapid growth in demand these years. You can find this machine is very helpful in construction, demolition, earthworks, pavement, grading, mass excavation, clearing, mining, quarrying, forestry as well as pipe laying. Without an excavator, it is hard or even impossible to complete the job. It is not hard to decide to use an excavator; the problem is how to choose a right excavator.
Then we come to the question, how to choose excavator for your fleet or your project. This is a time-consuming task. You should analyze many factors and features before choosing the right excavator to make it possible to perform digging, lifting, demolition, carrying, etc.
At the same time, various manufacturers are introducing newer excavators every year, which make excavator selecting more harder.
This article list ideas and tips in excavator choosing, which help you to find the best excavator to meet all your job requirements.
Photo
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The photo of 'how to choose excavator' covers images of several kinds of excavators as well as the selecting standards.
Profile
- Section : Tips
- Key Word : how to choose excavator, how to select your excavator
- Author : Jasper
- Industry : Excavator
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Size
Size is the fist factor to be considered when you choose an excavator. Weight is closely related with size of an excavator.
Excavators offers a wide range of excavator size, from less than one ton to more than one hundred tons.
The best way to choose an excavator size is to evaluate your project. There are many different types of excavator, but they all fall into five main size categories: standard, medium, mini, micro and large.
Standard Excavators
refers to an excavator weights 10 to 45 tons. It is the most popular size for commercial using, such as moving earth or demolition work on major construction sites.
This kind of excavators offers enough size and arm for most users, and the hydraulic system makes them more powerful and capable of using multiple tool attachments. This makes them the most versatile excavators, working well in most working site with most types of jobs.
If you are not clear about the future using of the excavators, then you can choose a standard excavator, especially the one with a weight of 19 to 25 tons.
Medium Excavator
offers a machine weights 6 to 10 tons. This is a good choice if you often use the excavator in small working site or the task is not very heavy. Standard and medium excavators are the main products in the market and they make up the largest percentage of the excavators. You can find them in building construction, landscaping, earthworks, pavement, etc.
Mini Excavator
refers to an excavator weights 1 to 6 tons. Mini excavators are are designed for jobs that take place within a tight area, such as digging foundations, pipe trench or swimming pool for a personal house. It is also the best choice when you need an excavator in a narrow working site. It leads to the least amount of damage to the things around it. Mini excavator is can be easily transferred to a working site by a truck.
Micro Excavator
refers to an excavator weights under 1 ton. It is the best product if you prefer to have a personal excavator for your own yards. It even can be used in a building. For use it can also be used in commercial usage, such as hard-to-reach areas. Mini and Micro are typically the most mobile excavators.
Large Excavator
weights above 46 tons, which mainly used for heavy task in big constructions or mining. This is a good choice if you need an excavator with enormous power for a major construction.
Power
Power is another important factor to be considered when you choose excavator.
The machine should be equipped with a powerful engine to provide enough pressure to the hydraulic unit which powers the arm to complete the job. The power of an excavator is more or less related with the size of an excavator, but there is exception.
So, you are suggested to read the product manual from manufacture to make sure it has the ability to complete your job.
Bucket capacity
Bucket is one of the most common tools mounted on the excavator arm. The size of a bucket is directly related to how much earth you can dig as well as the efficiency of your working. Please pay attention the capacity of the bucket to make sure it can complete your job with high efficiency. For sure, the bucket size or capacity should be fitting with the engine power and size of excavator.
It is a good idea to buy several bucket in different size to be used for different job.
Arm
All excavators are equipped with a standard arm providing plenty of digging or breakout force. It decides how far you can reach or how deep you can dig in working site. In general, the arm length is decided by the size of the excavator. You are suggested to choose an excavator with default arm according to your daily working request. For example, a long arm is needed if you need to dig deep or demolish a high building.
It is also possible to choose a tailor-made long arm to complete your job; for example you can equip a long arm onto a mini excavator. But please keep in mind, the longer arm needs additional counterweight, which is the base of safe working.
Weight
Weight is closely related with the size of an excavator. We talk about this in a separate paragraph because many working site has weight limits. There are indeed some big excavators lighter than a small one. So please read the product manual from manufacture to make sure the weight is within the limits of all your working place.
Wheel or Track
Wheeled excavator is also called rubber-tired excavator; Crawler excavator refers to excavator equipped with track.
Crawler excavators and wheeled excavators are both available in the market, which one should be choose ?
You are suggested to choose the excavator according to working request. Wheeled excavator is enough if you often work on a hard surface. Crawler excavator is a must if the surface of your working site is loose or muddy.
By the way, please choose wheeled excavator if you often change working site because this kind of excavator can be drove on road with a speed of around 40 km per hour. Crawler excavator has to be transferred to the new working site by a truck. It is not easy to transfer a large excavator.
Working Site
Except above factors, you also need to choose the excavators according to actual condition of working site. Each job-site requires different features. First you need make sure the excavator can enter your working site.
Some working site have limitation on the weight of equipment, you need to make sure the weight of excavator is acceptable. At the same time, you need to make sure the excavator has the capacity in terms of power, capacity, width, height and length to complete the job.
Tail swing should also be considered before your make decision, especially when you use it in urban area. It seems a zero tail swing excavator is better for a work in downtown area.
Budget
You are suggested to set a budget before selecting an excavator from thousands kind of products. Then you can adjust the budget based on the request of actual working request. In general, larger excavator is expensive than a smaller one. But never choose excavator only by price, you need to make sure the excavator has the ability to provide enough power and arm length. It is nightmare if the excavator can not dig enough depth.
Special Need
Many buyers have their own special request, which needs to choose special excavators. Such as choosing a mini-excavators or zero-swing excavators for crowded working site. This kind of excavators are helpful for a safe operating when you work in an area with walls, pipes, buildings or other obstacles.
Comfort
An excavator with ability of comfortable working or operating is suggested, no matter the excavator be used by yourself or by your operator.
Ergonomic chair, easy controlling, heating system and air conditioning system should be equipped on a comfortable excavator.
Compared with power and arm length, comfort is not a must, but it is a icing on the cake.
Technology
Many manufactures are trying to provide the newest technology on their excavator to make them more efficient, smart and economical. For example, some excavators are equipped with high-end display to make it possible to show the fuel levels, temperature, diagnostic and hydraulic data. Advanced attachment mounting system make the attachments more easy.
Be sure to choose the excavator that has all the needed technology without spending too much on those technology you won’t even use.
Most new technology leads to much higher price, just keep in mind you are buying an excavator to complete your job. If the new technology raised your budget, a traditional excavator is just fine.
Inspection On Spot
If you go to a excavator market to choose a machine, you are suggested to check the machine on your own.
Make sure there is no leaks from the pipes of the engines or hydraulic system.
It is better if the engine can be started right away instead of after seven seconds or even a second try.