Five factors to consider before selecting a crawler excavator

Also called crawling diggers or tracked excavators, crawler excavators are tracked vehicles that are used to dig, grade, load or move earth and large objects. Crawler excavators represent the majority of available models and are considered to be one of the fastest-selling earthmoving equipment in the country at the present. In fact, as per Off-Highway Research India, crawler excavators are expected to account for nearly 31 percent of the construction equipment market share by 2022. Thus, crawler excavators have a bright future ahead.

Crawler excavators are largely used at construction sites for works such as digging trenches, holes and foundations as well as for handling materials, moving earth, demolition, dredging, etc. So, if as a contractor or construction company owner, you are also planning to buy a crawler excavator, then below are five factors that you should definitely consider...

1. Ground conditions: Accessing ground conditions is extremely important while selecting the type of excavator needed at the jobsite. Generally, crawler excavators work very well when used for excavating, grading, and site development. For these applications, they can be fitted with various attachments. Some crawler excavators are even designed with reduced-tail-swing configurations which make them good for limited-space commercial or residential jobsites or new road and bridge construction projects. If the ground condition is loose or slurry, you should definitely select a long crawler excavator with a wider track shoe configuration for higher adaptability.
2. Machine stability: This is another important factor to be considered before selecting any heavy equipment like a crawler excavator. Generally, crawler excavators are the best for heavy-duty digging and lifting applications as they can maintain great contact with the ground due to their tracked undercarriage, thereby, creating a stable machine (as against the wheel excavators that depend on their tires, a dozer blade, and outriggers for their stability). In fact, the tracks of the crawler excavator offer excellent traction and a good mass distribution over their entire contact surface.
3. Transportation cost: Crawler excavators as against wheel excavators do not have wheels and hence, cannot be transported easily by road. So, if you need to move your crawler excavator between various jobsites, then you need to account for its transportation cost before only. In fact, for transportation, the crawler excavators need to be matched to appropriate-sized trailers. Thus, the transportation cost associated with a crawler excavator is high as compared to wheel excavators. However, in cases of usage of crawler excavator in mining or quarries, the equipment need not be moved as it will be needed at one location only for entire of its life. That said, typically crawler excavators are used when you don’t have to move the equipment too much in uneven areas or on soft ground. Further, the travel speed of a crawler excavator does not exceed 6km/h, so they are used for applications where the excavator does not have to travel frequently over significant distances
4. Attachment versatility: Before making the purchase decision, you should also consider the ability of the crawler excavator to be paired with a variety of attachments as this can help you to perform different tasks at the jobsite. Various common attachments for crawler excavator include hydraulic breaker for demolishing existing structures and concrete or asphalt, grapple for land clearing, clamshell for material unloading, quick coupler for faster work tool change over, a trenching bucket to dig foundation footings or excavate for underground utilities, or a plate compactor to finish trenches.
5. Maintenance requirement: As the crawler excavator’s are designed for use in rough and uneven tough underfoot conditions, their undercarriage consists of many moving components and wear items that need to be maintained for the machine to function properly. Hence, you should consider the maintenance cost of crawler excavator  before making the purchase decision

Apart from the above, there are various other factors that also come into play and should be considered before buying crawler excavator. One amongst them is innovative equipment with smart technologies. As the market is expanding with new models, equipment loaded with electronic intelligence, GPS system, and telematics are gaining prominence. Also, innovations are seen of the front of improving the communication between the engine and hydraulics for greater workgroup efficiencies and fuel economy. Hence, as a contractor or construction company owner, you need to take into account this factor also before buying the crawler excavator whether the equipment you are buying has all the intelligent and smart features on it or not. Further, crawler equipment cost is also an important factor to be considered as you might have a budget and want equipment to fit in that budget. Thus, there are various factors that need to be considered while selecting a crawler excavator.

If you are looking to buy efficient crawler excavators that are highly stable, versatile with various attachments, require minimum maintenance and give excellent results, then Sany Group’s excavators should surely be on your mind. They are highly fuel-efficient, reliable, durable, require less maintenance, have long life and offer excellent performance and unmatched productivity to maximise your gains. They come loaded with Dynamic Optimization Matching Control System (DOMCS) which realises a match between the engine and external load demand for better fuel efficiency. Sany offers a range of excavators ranging from small, medium to large excavators. Sany’s crawler excavators can prove to be your best choice as they fair well on all the pointers as mentioned above.