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Machine Matters

February 01, 2012 |

Where Small is Big

Looking for a compact excavator? There’s no shortage of choices and options on the market

By Mike Anderson

For equipment considered foreign to North American contractors not much more than a generation ago, the compact excavator has become a mainstream part of their fleets.

A new conventional excavator model from Bobcat, the Tier 4 Interim-compliant E55 has an in-track swing frame that keeps swing castings and cylinders within the width of the tracks when working the boom in an offset position. Drive motor covers are inset within motor wrap-arounds to protect them from damage.

Within the 3.0- to 6.0-metric-ton range alone, the 2011-2012 Equipment World Spec Guide lists 23 brands offering in excess of 85 base models – in conventional, minimal-tail-swing and zero-tail-swing configurations (see Machine Matters Roundup on starting on page 20).

The suppliers that introduced the compact excavator to the market are still here, and mainline manufacturers have joined them, all producing the compact machines, classified as up to 6 metric tons or 13,228 pounds in operating weight.

“Compact excavators are quickly taking on many of the jobs formerly done by larger backhoes and excavators,” says Curtis Goettel, marketing manager, Case Construction Equipment. “By replacing these with a mini and a skid steer, you can be more efficient by completing two jobs at the same time and even in two locations for roughly the same financial investment.” Case expanded its compact excavator offering in 2011 with the introduction of the minimum-tail-swing CX55B which, at 12,295 pounds, represents a new class segment for the company. Fellow CNH brands Kobelco and New Holland did likewise with the 55SRx and E55Bx models.

A pioneer to the market, Kubota continues to offer a wide range of compact excavators – six base models in the 3.0- to 6.0-metric-ton range, split between conventional and reduced-tail-swing models. “Kubota’s excavators rely on combined maneuverability, power and reliability,” says product manager Keith Rohrbacker, pointing to the newest 5.0-ton-class conventional KX057-4 and tight-tail-swing U55 models, equipped with two auxiliary hydraulic ports. “This system has low flow plumbed to the right-hand joystick to operate the thumb. The left joystick controls a higher-flow circuit for attachments like hydraulic breakers,” he explains. “With this system, the thumb stays connected to one port, saving time when changing other attachments that require hydraulic power. The controls are standardized on both joysticks, so operation is really easy to pick up.”

A new size class entry for Case, the 12,295-pound CX55B “is a compact excavator with all the power of a full-sized excavator,” says Curtis Goettel, marketing manager. The minimum-tail-swing excavator has Case’s B Series center-swing boom that enables the operator to dig around stationary objects or along obstacles.

And therein lies a catalyst for the market growth. Highly versatile, maneuverable, compact digging machines can, when equipped with the correct attachment, be equally as productive in other applications. “The mini’s tracks also allow it to operate with minimal ground disturbance and maximum stability. Its compact size and articulating boom allow it to get into areas larger machines cannot,” says Goettel. “This is not only important around structures and houses, but also in demolition applications under a bridge or inside a building. Their relatively light weight allows minis to be craned onto bridges and buildings during demo.”

STILL ‘COMPACT’?

So when exactly does an excavator stop being compact? You’ll find a variety of definitions among manufacturers.

By matching the engine and hydraulic systems, modern compact excavators such as Kobelco’s 35SR ACERA offer a balance of power for heavy digging and smooth control for fine grading, suiting them for utility applications.

While the 5.0- to 6.0-metric-ton size class as identified by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is considered the upper limit of the compact range, meaning a cap of 13,228 pounds, a number of manufacturers market their “midi” excavators – even those beyond 20,000 pounds – as members of their compact families.

Compact equipment manufacturer Yanmar doesn’t stop at its 11,532-pound ViO55-5 excavator, offering the 18,000-pound-plus ViO80. “I don’t think most purchasers worry about the differentiation between mini, midi and compact,” says Bill Gearhart, product marketing manager, Yanmar Equipment Division. “Excavator users usually buy based upon digging depth, reach, lift capacity and productivity.” There is no official designation of mini or midi, says Gearhart, who believes all excavator models up to 12 metric tons to be compact, regardless of the AEM weight range they fall into “Weight category would usually give a purchaser a basic idea” of the performance specs primarily desired by the equipment users.