Excavators are among the largest land vehicles on the planet.
These huge machines are used in all types of industries, from mining and forestry to construction and more.
So how much does an excavator weigh?
Excavators come in a wide range of sizes, and weights will vary depending on what the machine is designed to do.
Mini-excavators are used for light groundwork and weigh as little as 2,000 pounds (907 kg).
At the other end of the spectrum are heavy-duty mining excavators. They can weigh upwards of millions of pounds.
One of the largest available is the CAT 6090, which weighs in at a massive 2,160,000 pounds (979,759 kg).
Weights For Various Makes And Models Of Excavators
- Bucyrus RH400 – 2,160,510 pounds – (980,000 kg)
- Hitachi EX8000-6 – 1,787,900 pounds (811,000 kg)
- Liebherr R9800 – 1,772,516 pounds (804,000 kg)
- Demag H740 OS – 1,640,000 pounds (744,000 kg)
- Komatsu PC8000-6 – 1,590,000 pounds (721,211 kg)
- Case CX75C SR – 16,200 pounds (7,348 kg)
- John Deere 230G W – 52,030 pounds (23,600 kg)
- Caterpillar 335F LCR – 84,170 pounds (38,178 kg)
- Volvo EC350E – 92,760 pounds (42,075 kg)
- JCB 85Z-1 – 18,298 pounds (8,300 kg)
Excavators are powerful enough to carry out the work of dozens of human workers.
They are designed to dig, pull down, drag and transport all kinds of objects and materials.
These powerful earthmovers are made up of different components that are packaged together to create a machine that’s able to complete a wide range of tasks.
The main components you find in most modern excavators include:
- Arm
- Bucket
- Cab
- Swing drive
- Shoe
- Engine
- Boom
- Hydraulic pump
- Counter weight
- Track frame
- Track
Excavators get their power from their hydraulics. It uses technology based around Pascal’s Principle and uses pressurized hydraulic fluid to function.
These machines are controlled using a number of levers. This gives an excavator operator more flexibility when they work.
~ Fun Fact ~
The world’s heaviest excavator title belongs to the MAN/TAKRAF RB293 (Bagger 293). It comes in at a massive 31,000,000 pounds (14,061,363). That’s as heavy as 11 giant redwood trees!
Resources:
https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/charts/excavators
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excavator