Heavy equipment machinery

Big, strong and productive. Much will seem familiar about the new Valmet 890.2. But with its new more powerful loader and a new specially developed engine, the king of the forwarders is now even more effective.

 Valmet 890.2 is one of the most powerful forwarders on the market.  Valmet engineers develped upon the strength and stability of its predecessor, which makes the new version almost indispensible for difficult final clearing.    

Technical data
Approximate weight:	16 800 kg (6WD) / 18 900 kg (8WD)
Max permissable load:	18 000 kg
Standard width:	2 995 mm
Engine:	Sisu Diesel 74 EWA
Power:	170 kW DIN (230 hp)
Torque:	1000 Nm at 1 200-1 600 rpm
Max. driving speed:	24 km/h
Pulling power, max.:	206 kN
Loader:	CRF 14
Grapple:	G36, G40
Control and information system:	MaxiForwarder

http://www.powerequipco.com/content.asp?page_id=397&uid=&siteid=4

Excavators are heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. An excavator, also called a 360-degree excavator or digger, sometimes abbreviated simply to a 360, is an engineering vehicle consisting of a backhoe and cab mounted on a pivot (turntable is a more apt description) atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. The term excavator is sometimes used as a general term for any piece of digging equipment.

Roles of Excavators

Excavators are used in many roles:

1- Digging of trenches, holes, foundations 2- Demolition 3- General grading/landscaping 4- Heavy lift, e.g. lifting and placing of pipes 5- River dredging 6- Mining, especially, but not only open-pit mining 7- Brush cutting with hydraulic attachments

Varieties of Excavators

Excavators come in a wide variety of sizes. The smaller ones are called a mini-excavator or compact excavator. One manufacturer’s largest model weighs 84,980 kg (187,360 lb) and has a maximum bucket size of 4.5 m³ (5.9 yd³). The same manufacturer’s smallest mini-excavator weighs 1470 kg (3240 lb), has a maximum bucket size of 0.036 m³ (0.048 yd³) and the width of its tracks can be adjusted to 89 cm (35 inches). Another company makes a mini excavator that will fit through a doorway with tracks that can be adjusted to only 70 cm (28 inches) wide.

Often the bucket can be replaced with other tools like a breaker, a grapple or an auger. Excavators are usually employed together with loaders and bulldozers. Most smaller excavators have a small backfill (or dozer-) blade. It’s a horizontal bulldozer like blade attached to the undercarriage and is used for pushing removed material back into a hole.

Examples of Excavators

1- Compact excavator A compact hydraulic excavator is a tracked or wheeled vehicle with an approximate operating weight of 6 metric tons (13,228 lbs). It generally includes a standard backfill blade and features independent boom swing. The compact hydraulic excavator is also referred to as a mini excavator.

The compact hydraulic excavator is somewhat unique from other construction equipment in that all movement and functions of the machine are accomplished through the transfer of hydraulic fluid. The compact excavator’s work group and blade are activated by hydraulic fluid acting upon hydraulic cylinders. The excavator’s slew (rotation) and travel functions are also activated by hydraulic fluid powering hydraulic motors.

2- Dragline excavator

Dragline excavation systems are heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. In civil engineering the smaller types are used for road and port construction. The larger types are used in strip-mining operations to extract coal and these are amongst the largest mobile equipment (not water-borne), and weigh in the vinicity of 2000 metric tonnes, though specimens weighing up to 13,000 metric tonnes have also been constructed.

A dragline bucket system consists of a large bucket which is suspended from a boom (a large truss like structure). The bucket is maneuvered by means of a number of ropes and chains. The hoistrope, powered by large diesel or electric motors, supports the bucket and hoist-coupler assembly from the boom. The dragrope is used to draw the bucket assembly horizontally. By skillful maneuver of the hoist and the dragropes the bucket is controlled for various operations.

3- Bucket-wheel excavator Bucket-wheel excavators are heavy equipment used in surface mining and civil engineering. The excavation component itself is a large rotating wheel mounted on an arm or boom. On the outer edge of the wheel is a series of scoops or buckets. As the wheel turns, the buckets remove soil or rock from the target area and carry it around to the backside of the wheel, where it falls onto a conveyor, which carries it up the arm toward the main body of the excavator. Additional conveyors then may carry it further; in some cases, several long conveyors are placed end-to-end, each supported by a large vehicular base.
Especially large bucket-wheel excavators, over 200 meters long and up to 100 meters in height, are used in German strip-mining operations, and are the largest earth-movers in the world. These tremendous machines can cost over $100 million, take 5 years to assemble, require 5 people to operate, weigh more than 13,000 tons, and have a theoretical capacity of more than 12,000m³/h. Specifically, the RB293 bucket wheel excavator manufactured by MAN Takraf is recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest land vehicle.

Steve Johnson formed Stevick as a plant hire company in 1998, and the company continues to operate in and around Brisbane as a hirer and small contractor.

The fleet has grown to include eight excavators, three skid steer loaders, a crawler loader and a grader, and much of its work is undertaken on drains and roads for new housing estates. The latest addition to the fleet is a 30-tonne Doosan DX300LC – the first 30-tonne excavator in the Stevick fleet.

When Daewoo / Doosan Construction Equipment Australia salesman, Drago Leskarac invited him to trial a new DX-series Doosan excavator, Steve was impressed with the feel of the machine, describing it as “like a Japanese machine” and “better than expected.” Other factors contributing to the purchase decision included the fuel economy and very competitive pricing.

Operator Ben Keir is impressed with the DX300LC excavator, saying, “It is a stable machine, even when digging at full depth or lifting pipes. There is plenty of power and it has good slew speed, but it is very smooth to operate.

“The cab has good clean lines of vision, with no pillars getting in the way, and is very comfortable.”

Serviceability also came in for comment, and Keir appreciates the ease of the morning service. He says, “There’s plenty of room in the engine bay, and it opens up well. The grease points are grouped together in banks and you can reach then from ground level, so the morning check and service is a breeze.”

http://www.infolink.com.au/articles/17/0C045E17.aspx

Excavators Loaders can be of two types: 1- Backhoe Loaders, and 2- Wheel Loaders.

Backhoe

A backhoe, also called a rear actor or back actor, is a piece of excavating equipment consisting of a digging bucket on the end of an articulated arm (also called a stick or dipper). Modern backhoes are powered by hydraulics. They are typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader. (Similar attachments for skid loaders are still called backhoes even though they are mounted on the front of the vehicle). A backhoe attached to a swiveling cab on top of tracks is called an excavator.

Backhoe Loader

Backhoe loader, also called a Loader backhoe, is an engineering vehicle, which consists of a tractor, front shovel\bucket and small backhoe in the rear. Due to its relatively small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are very common in urban engineering and small construction projects such as building a small house, fixing city roads etc.

A common backhoe-loader. The backhoe is on the right, the bucket/blade on the left. Invented in Burlington, Iowa in 1957 the Backhoe loader (note: this needs checking - may have been invented in the UK by Joseph Cyril Bamford, founder of JCB) is probably the most common variation of the classic farm tractor. As the name implies, it has a loader assembly on the front and a backhoe on the back. When both the loader and the backhoe are permanently attached it is almost never called a tractor, not generally used for towing and usually does not have a PTO. When the backhoe is permanently attached, the machine usually has a seat that can swivel to the rear to face the hoe controls. Removable backhoe attachments almost always have a separate seat on the attachment itself.

Backhoe-loaders are very common and can be used for a wide variety of tasks: construction, small demolitions, light transportation of building materials, powering building equipment, digging holes/excavating, breaking asphalt, and paving roads. The backhoe bucket can often be replaced with other tools such as a breaker for smashing concrete and rock. Some loader buckets have a retractable bottom, enabling it to empty its load more quickly and efficiently. Retractable-bottom loader buckets are also often used for grading and scratching off sand. The front assembly may be a removable attachment or permanently mounted. Often the bucket can be replaced with other devices or tools. The backhoe loader must be equipped with a tool coupler in order to mount different attachments to the loader. A tool coupler consists of two hydraulic cylinders on the end of the loader arm assembly which can expand and retract allowing different tools to be attached to the unit.

Their relatively small frame and precise control make backhoe-loaders very useful and common in urban engineering projects such as construction and repairs in areas too small for larger equipment. Their versatility and compact size makes them one of the most popular urban construction vehicles.

WHEEL LOADERS

Wheel Loader is a Front end loading machine. Wheel loader dig and as well as do secondary loading. Wheel loaders which do only secondary loading are called Pay Loaders.

The Wheel loaders are classified according to there bucket size and operating weight. The bucket size ranges from 1 cum upwards. The Wheel loaders can be tyre mounted or track mounted. The more popular version being tyres.

The Wheel loaders are very versatile and can be engaged in construction works, ranging from road work, plant loading, hopper and wagon feeding, stevedoring and mineface excavation.

A Wheel loader typically has semiautomatic or autometic transmition with autometic gear sifting. The power train will include engine, transmition, related propellar shaftes and powered axles at both front and rear.

A typical hydrolic curcuit for implimentation will include fixed/variable displacement pumps, controll valves, and actuators for boom, arm and bucket operation. Normally the steering curcuit is kept separate from the impliment curcuit.

The linkages are 2 types: 1- Paralallo bar and 2- Z bar

Autolevelling mechanism is also inbuilt in some of the loaders. 

What is an excavator?

An excavator, which is also known as a 360-degree digger, is a civil engineering vehicle that is made-up of three parts; a backhoe, a cab mounted pivot, and a moveable undercarriage. The cab can pivot around in a full circle, giving it 360 degree rotation ability, while the undercarriage can be equipped with either tracks or wheels.

The wheeled varieties are known as bucket wheel excavators. These heavy industrial machines are commonly used in combination with both loaders and bulldozers in construction and other similar projects that require other earthmoving machines.

What are these machines used for?

The primary use of excavator machines for digging or excavating earth, hence their name. Specifically, they are used most often to dig trenches, holes, and foundations for demolition projects, as well as for heavy lifting, placing of pipes and other materials, and in mining applications.

They are essential in any heavy duty engineering or construction project, and you will rarely see such a project without these massive machines. The drivers who use these machines are usually highly trained and only the most experienced operators will move these machines.

Machine size and variety

There are many different types and styles of excavators and they range in size from small to larger models. The compact models can literally fit through a doorway, while the larger, crane sized machines that weigh over 180,000 lbs are suitable only for open areas. Like similar engineering machines, the bucket can be replaced with a host of other tools like an auger, grapple, or breaker.

Common specifications by which the models are compared include: dig depth, arm force, dump height, maximum height, and power rating. The smaller machines usually have a small backfill or blade on the black. Its primary purpose is to push and move material back into a hole. They can cost a large amount of money and thus you will only find one or two at any given work site, perhaps more if the models are the small ones.

Major excavator machine manufacturers

Since excavator’s are an essential piece of machinery for any large engineering project, every major industrial machinery company has multiple models available. These include Caterpillar Inc., Bobcat Company, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Ammann-Yanmar Excavators, Volvo Construction Equipment, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Case CE, Manitowoc Company, Mustang, Hyundai Heavy Industries, JCB, Hydrema, Daewoo, Liebherr, and last but not least, Komatsu.

http://www.dunkelbros.com/excavator.html

Excavators or shovels are machines designed for digging or earthmoving works and they come in all shapes and sizes. They are very common nowadays and mainly found in construction projects, mines, quarries or just about any place where excavation is required.

The ancestor of the modern excavator as we know it today was probably the Steam Shovel, patented by William Smith Otis in 1839. Steam shovels used a system of pulleys to move their arms and bucket. However it’s working principle is exactly the same with the modern excavator.

Prior to the advent of the steam shovel all earthmoving had to be done manually. The steam shovel revolutionized the construction and civil engineering industries, bringing projects which before deemed impractical into reality.

A Modern Hydraulic Excavator

Modern excavators are diesel powered and make use of hydraulics power to perform digging. Thus these machines are also called hydraulic excavators. The basic parts that make up an excavator consist of the bucket, the stick, boom and the cab. The cab is where the operator sits and is also where the engine and hydraulic systems are located. The whole thing is either mounted on top of a tracked or wheel base and can swing 360 degrees.

Excavators are classified according to their bucket action. A downward arch bucket motion is known as a hoe or back hoe. A back hoe perform excavation by pulling the bucket towards the machine and curling the bucket inward. On the other hand when the bucket motion is an upward motion, the machine is known as a front shovel. The front shovel perform excavation by crowding the material away from the machine.

Excavators are very versatile and beside digging they can be adapted by replacing the bucket with other tools for a variety of task. These are but not limited to the following

* Demolition ( as shown in the left picture )
* General grading/landscaping
* Lifting
* River dredging

Excavators are sized according to their weights and bucket sizes. The smaller ones are called a mini-excavator or compact excavator. The largest model from one of the manufacturers can weight up to 805,000kg (1,770,000 lb) and with a bucket volume of 40.0m3 (52.3yd3).

On the other end, from the same manufacturer, a mini excavator, the smallest one weights 1740kg (3836 lb) and with a bucket size of 0.02m3 (0.026yd3). Most of the time medium excavator are the popular choices. Medium size excavators can weight ranging from 6300kg to 37800kg ( 13900 lb to 83335 lb) with bucket volume of 0.13m3 to 1.5 m3 ( 0.17yd3 to 1.96yd3 )

http://www.excavators101.com/index.html

Mini excavators are small, compact machines that range in size from under 2000 kg to 6000kg (4409lb to 13227lb) and with bucket sizes between 0.02m3 to 0.17m3 ( 0.026yd3 to 0.222yd3 ). Like their larger cousins, these excavators also consists of a cab, a boom arm, a bucket and mounted on top of crawler or wheeled base. Usually the machine is equipped with a backfill or bulldozer blade that attaches below the boom. This make it easy to refill and level the material after digging works without having to change attachments.

Picture of a Mini Excavator digging a trench

Despite their size, mini excavators are extreme versatile. Machines in this class typically have digging depths from 6 to 8 feet and their relatively powerful hydraulic systems allow these machines to run a host of attachments, including hammers and breakers for light demolition work. Further more with retractable undercarriages, this allow them to contract to widths as small as 40 inches to get through tight areas. Then when the machine is in position, the tracks are expanded out to their working width.

These traits, combined with their compactness, high maneuverability and easy transportation characteristics make them suitable for working in restricted surroundings.Thus these machines are used in utility, light demolition, home repair or renovation application. They however can also be used to complement bigger machines or even work in conjunction with them. As an example, a mini excavator can be paired with a wheeled based front shovel. Such pairing can be applied to jobs like the construction of a residential swimming pool. The mini excavator can dig while the skid-steer loader removes the material and loads it into a dump truck.

http://www.excavators101.com/miniexcavtor/miniexcavator.html

Upgraded with the latest in hydraulic pumps, control valves, and cylinders, mid-size Bobcat excavators offer hydraulic advantages over previous models and competitive brands.

Upgraded with the latest in hydraulic pumps, control valves, and cylinders, mid-size Bobcat excavators offer hydraulic advantages over previous models and competitive brands.The advanced hydraulic system, now standard on Bobcat 331 series and 430 excavators, is similar to that used in large excavators. It offers owners and operators several benefits, ranging from smoother, more precise control to more efficient use of engine power.

The excavator’s hydraulic system now uses a variable-displacement, axial-piston pump with dual outlet and load-sensing and torque-limiting features. Load sensing enables the pump to respond to changes in load, which prevents bogging down the engine, improves fuel economy, and extends component life.

Smoother operation is provided by a closed-center directional control valve that manages oil flow for seamless multi-function operation as speeds and loads change. This feature produces a consistent, predictable response when a control is actuated.

Smaller bore cylinders, combined with higher operating pressure, improve lifting functions by reducing overall flow requirements. The smaller cylinders also make more efficient use of engine power.

Finally, a pilot-operated travel control system requires less effort to operate and makes machine control smoother, with more predictable response. As with older models, travel can be controlled through a pair of pedals, or hand levers.

http://www.hydraulicspneumatics.com/200/Issue/Article/False/9805/

Larger excavators

The 550 LC and 750 excavators from John Deere are a big addition to the company’s excavator line — in fact, at weights of 127,394 and 167,602 lbs. respectively, they’re now the largest machines in it. Like their siblings, the new models feature maximized smoothness of operation, reliability, and operator comfort, the company says.

Better Roads June Product Focus

The excavators offer high productivity with an operator-focused hydraulic system that allows operation at peak performance, whether trenching, leveling, or material handling. The system provides the ultimate machine control in multi-function operations, without sacrificing function power or speed. The Powerwize engine/hydraulic system is powered by two variable displacement axial piston pumps, providing smooth movement by keeping a constant balance between pressure and flow. The controls give quick, accurate response to multi-function swing-lift-bucket operations.

Crawler/wheel excavators

New Holland Construction’s latest excavators include the new EC215 crawler excavator, and the EW200 and EW220 wheeled excavators. The EC215 is a 152-hp model with a dig depth of over 23.5 ft., boasting the highest hp offered by any machine in the 20- to 22-t. class, as well as the longest undercarriage track length at almost 15 ft.

The two new wheeled models link outstanding performance with ease of operation and reduced servicing costs, but because they are wheeled instead of tracked, they offer greater mobility. "Wheeled excavators are well-suited to working in cities, tight urban confines, and roads," says product marketing manager Paul Manger. "They can be used on work sites on narrow city streets without having to be transported on a trailer, and they can be moved without damaging the street. [They] can often work in a street and block only a single lane of traffic, whereas when you move a crawler excavator, the whole street might have to be blocked off. Or, if you’re working on the median of a highway and you’re moving the machine, it’s much more mobile."

Mid-sized excavator

The new Gradall XL 2300 hydraulic excavator, right, is the first machine ever with the designed-in ability to perform a wide range of mid-sized jobs while providing fast and sure-footed mobility over rough terrain, the company says. It weighs just 27,800 lbs. and has high-pressure, load-sensing hydraulics, automatically delivering ideal power and speed needed for a full range of jobs.

Without the need to select the right operating mode, the XL 2300 delivers optimum fuel economy while trenching, ditching, loading, unloading, ripping, breaking, material handling, and even cleaning up. The boom is designed and built for exceptional strength including double roller brackets to assure smooth telescoping movements.

Smaller jobs

The Dominator M2208 is part of Dig-It’s new Millennium Series. The compact TLB has a 9.1-cu. ft. bucket capacity and 1,700-lb. lift capacity. It also has simple, easy-to-learn controls, compact maneuverability, lightweight design, and high-flotation tires. The company says it’s the ideal rental machine for contractors and others with smaller jobs. The Dominator is available with a durable, 21-hp Kubota diesel engine for low maintenance and dependable operation.

Compact excavator

How’s this for compact — the new K008 Ultra Compact Excavator will fit through a standard door frame. We don’t know how useful that will be in building roads, but it’s pretty interesting nonetheless. The Kubota Tractor Corporation reinforces on the success of its Compact KX-2 excavators with the K008, incorporating virtually all the design features and specifications that made its predecessor popular.

The K008 accesses hard-to-reach or restricted areas. Its hydraulically adjustable track frame allows the operator to adjust the position of the tracks with a simple motion of the control lever. It weighs only 1,906 lbs., so it’s easy to transport from jobsite to jobsite, and it will dig to a depth of just over 5.5 ft. Dump height abilities go to a little over 6.5 ft., too.

Force-feed loader

Athey’s Model 712 Force Feed Loader has a turbocharged, single diesel engine with off-road, 50-state certification, and low hp requirement for economy. It’s a versatile machine that performs a variety of functions that include ditch cleaning. Other uses are municipal leaf loading, loading/unloading in salt storage, milling operations, and snow removal, among many more. It has a maximum loading capacity of 10 cu. yd/min. in loose material and 20 cu. yd./min. in snow.

Skid-steer loaders

Bobcat Ingersoll-Rand has the new Bobcat 863 and 873 G-Series skid-steer loaders with advanced cab and instrumentation design, along with improved operating power over previous models. Powered by a 73-hp Deutz diesel engine, the 873 features a new vertical-path lift arm design for better visibility, especially to the tires and rear corners. The lift arm uses thicker steel and larger-diameter rear pivot pins to improve durability and decrease side movement by 40%.

The 863 is also powered by a 73-hp Deutz diesel engine, offering optional high-flow auxiliary hydraulic output at 29 GPM, increased from 28 GPM on the previous model. Bobcat has also announced four other models in the G-Series line — the 751, 753, 763, and 963 skid-steer loaders — all with value-added options such as deluxe instrumentation and dual-mode auxiliary hydraulics.

Loader and dozer

Deere’s H-Series wheel loader line is expanding to include the 324H four-wheel-drive loader. Like the larger 344H, the 324H is designed to serve a variety of markets, such as rental, material handling, road construction, governmental, and underground, among others. The loader competes in the under-100-hp class and features maximum operator comfort and visibility, enhanced maneuverability, and increased versatility.

In dozers, major improvements such as a new pinned crossbar, single-lever steering, direction, and ground speed control, and six-way blade make the 750C and 850C Series II dozers welcome additions to Deere’s expanding crawler dozer line.

Tool-carrier loader

New Holland Construction’s new wheel loader model LW130TC is an integrated tool carrier with the breakout force needed for digging operations and the capability to run a variety of work tools. It features class-leading power-to-weight ratios, excellent stability, and fast performance, and is especially well-suited to large-site contractors who require multiple-use machines on their job sites.

Articulated truck

The new TA25, from Terex, is a 25-t. articulated dump truck fitted with some of the latest performance-enhancing technology. A newly developed, high-power, high-torque, emission-certified Cummins 6CTA8.3 engine is coupled to the latest of the ZF transmissions, delivering 8% more hp and 10% more torque than in the previous model.

Terex also offers the new TS14G scraper that continues a very successful powertrain, but the engines have been uprated to more powerful, electronically controlled fly by wire versions that feature better fuel consumption, improved durability, and compliance with current EPA emissions levels. The combined power of the engines is 340 hp.

Motor graders

Volvo Construction Equipment Group says the new Champion Series VI motor graders is the most advanced and comprehensive lineup available in the industry today. The series offers a size and weight for every jobsite application. Productivity and performance are as much a part of the Series VI compact graders, which range from 9,420 to 15,870 lbs., as they are of the Production Class 700 Series, which range in size from 30,630 to 42,740 lbs.

The compact graders offer the precision and control of hydrostatic drive while the 700 Series graders feature the proven 8400 fully sequential direct drive power shift transmission. Both machine classes offer industry-leading blade control, and down-pressure and superior operating control features that ensure an improved and safer place to work.

Clearing work

For large-scale land development and right-of-way clearing work, Rayco Mfg., Inc. has introduced an all-new, track-drive site preparation tractor. The multi-purpose machine is called the T275 Hydra-Stumper and, with the 8,000-lb. Forestry Mower/Mulcher attachment, has the capacity of mowing standing trees and underbrush up to 10 in. in diameter when the machine travels forward. The 110-in.-wide mulcher lifts the debris from the forestry floor and grinds it to a mulch when the machine is driven in reverse.

Plastic dump body

Reiter Industries Inc. has come out with an all-plastic dump body that’s designed to fit neatly into a steel support frame attachable to the truck chassis. The one-piece, seamless dump body is rotationally molded using a special plastic resin. The body won’t dent when hauling materials such as riprap, rock, and broken concrete, and no protective wood boarding needs to be installed.

http://obr.gcnpublishing.com/articles/prod600.htm

History
IHI has been building mini excavators since the early 1970s, offering conventional style and zero tailswing units to a growing customer base all around the world. In fact, IHI was the first company to introduce zero tailswing mini excavators into the United States 11 years ago, according to company officials.

IHI ExcavatorCompact Excavator Sales LLC (the North and South American distributor of IHI products based in Elizabethtown, Ky.) opened its doors in the spring of 1994. At that time, the company consisted of one salesman and a very small warehouse. A decade later, the business has advanced into a new league of operation, maintaining a large inventory of excavators and crawlers carriers, stocking 100 to 250 products depending on the time of year. Inventory includes everything from four-post 7Js to 80NXs with cabs. IHI is on its third generation of mini excavators; all excavators are still made in Yokohama, Japan, today.

 

http://www.excavatorguide.com/ihiminiexcavators.htm