Category Shift To Shorter Tail Swings

Mike Anderson, Senior Editor

When Buying File last focused on crawler excavators ranging 60,000 to 80,000 pounds in mid-2007, the average list price for the largest share of machines in the range was managing to remain under $300,000. This share of machines, those ranging in operating weight from 28.1 to 33.0 metric tons or about 62,000 to 73,000 pounds, had its average list price shift up 11 percent from three years prior, but still managed to hang around $285,000. In less time since, the average crawler is now up to $303,505, according to the most recent figures from Equipment Watch.com.

Knowing all too well what has happened around them since mid-2007, equipment managers continually evaluating buying options aren’t exactly brushing off financial numbers these days. Based on the list cost of the 30-metric-ton excavator, they are no doubt left assured this machine remains a versatile, integral, highly valued member of their fleets.

Among the newest model introductions is a 67,150-pound addition to the Hyundai Series 9 family, the R290LC-9, as well as Kobelco’s 66,800-pound SK295LC Acera Mark 8 model. Both represent technology-leveraged enhancements upon the traditional conventional excavator configurations serving this size range.

But it’s hardly any semblance of “same old, same old,” for 60,000- to 80,000-pound crawler excavators today being offered in the marketplace. Among the newest model offerings from the dozen OEMs active in North America, the largest amount of activity is observed in the arrival of short- or reduced-tail-swing machines into a size range traditionally covered by the conventional configuration.

Topping out at 64,043 pounds, the 120-horsepower R 924 Compact is described by manufacturer Liebherr as “a full-size excavator in a compact body. It offers the practicality of a minimum-tail-swing excavator (67 inches) while maintaining powerful performance, whether it is working on the side of a highway trying to keep congestion to a minimum or working in the city on narrow busy roads.”

Caterpillar likewise brought its compact-swing-radius technology well into the 60,000-pound-plus range with the 76,500-pound 328D LCR model, featuring a tail swing radius of 75 inches, “which means that the counterweight extends only a few inches beyond the tracks when reaching over the side. The compact radius design enables the machine to work efficiently in restricted spaces and alongside highway traffic lanes,” Cat says. The 328D LCR is the largest of the Caterpillar compact-swing-radius excavators.

And, introduced in early 2009, the 34.8-metric-ton ECR305CL is the largest model in Volvo’s short-swing-radius excavator offering, following the introduction of the ECR145CL and ECR235CL less than a year earlier. The ECR305CL “overcomes the dynamic challenges of producing excavators that work with high-performance capabilities and exceptional stability in confined areas,” says Volvo. “Precisely engineered weight distribution and increased swing torque also gives the new machine superior swing performance when working on slopes.” While offering the muscle of a 75,000-pound excavator, the ECR305CL’s body swings only “fractionally” outside its track width – slightly more than 3 inches when equipped with a standard shoe – enabling it for work close to walls or other barriers.

A key when pushing reduced-tail-swing excavators up into larger size classes is to enhance the performance of the larger excavators. Having to give up as much if not more than is being gained would be deemed counterproductive.

“The all-new, rounded cab on Volvo’s short-swing models is designed to stay within the rear swing radius,” says Volvo. “Despite this design consideration, it remains the roomiest and most comfortable cab in the market – as befits Volvo’s reputation for providing excellent operator environments. The sliding door provides the operator with the ability to access and exit the cab even when it is positioned close to an obstruction, such as close to a wall. Whilst at work, the heating and ventilation system ensures the perfect working environment, irrespective of weather conditions.”

While, on the whole, the past two-plus years may not go down as the busiest among new introductions in the 60,000- to 80,000-pound crawler excavator market, the significance of the new models being offered can and should not be underestimated.