As the most popular item of construction equipment, there are always plenty of used tracked excavators for sale at Plantpages. Called ‘Crawler Excavators’ by some, the tracked excavator is available across a huge operating weight range. If you are looking for a smaller tracked excavator, under 10 tonnes, then you should be browsing the mini-excavator category instead. The most popular manufacturers of tracked excavators in the UK are JCB and Hitachi, but do not discount the machines from CAT, Volvo, Komatsu, Hyundai and Case.
Thanks to the huge variety in capacity, both in terms of operating weight and digging capabilities, a buyer of a tracked excavators should carefully consider the size of the machine needed to carry out the job. If you can get away with a machine under 10 tonnes, then you should be looking at our mini-excavator pages.
The heavier the machine, the more power it needs – therefore a larger engine and wider track to accommodate it. This all leads to additional cost, so make sure you choose the right size, not simply the largest you can afford.
If you buy an excavator only to find it won’t fit on your trailer then you’ll be looking at even more investment in trailers and potentially adding to the transport complexity.
You may be tempted to buy a (cheaper) and more obscure brand, but you need to make sure that you can get the parts and get them quickly. If you have a breakdown and parts take a week to arrive you’ll be losing more money that you saves in the initial purchase. This is why it is usually best to opt for a popular brand and model if you are a relative newcomer to operating tracked excavators.
As with buying any machine, make sure that it has a manufacturer’s plate and that it appears in order and not tampered with – if there is something wrong here – walk away.
Is the machine a grey import? Check carefully that the machine is CE marked.
Has the machine had a ‘facelift’? It is easy to change the model number stickers on the side of the machine to a more desirable model – check the model number on the manufacturer’s plate to avoid falling for this trick.
If your digger is likely to be working roadside or in confined spaces, opt for a zero swing tail excavator. This means that the rear of the rotating body will not protrude from the extremities of the tracks when slewing.
Let’s use a few models as an example – let’s look at the CAT 320D, Hitachi ZX200-3G, Komatsu PC200-8 and the Doosan DH215LC-7.
So, as far as Caterpillar are concerned, 320D 320, the first ‘3’ stands for “excavator”, Caterpillar uses different numbers for each of the product lines, for example “7” is for articulated trucks, “8” is for dozers, “9” is for loaders.
Next, the letter in front of the brand excavator represents the excavator code number of the manufacturer, Komatsu uses PC for excavator, WA for loaders, and D for dozers. Hitachi’s excavator use “ZX”, and Doosan use ‘DH’ for their excavator and “SK” for Kobelco.
Next comes some numbers – take CAT 320D. The ’20’ represents the operating weight of the excavator in tonnes in this example, 20 tons.
It’s not always exact, for Komatsu’s PC200-8, the 200 means “20 tonnes” (not 200 tonnes), Doosan’s DH215LC-7 means 215 for 21.5 tonnes, etc.
Finally, using the CAT 320D example the end is the letter “D” which is the series of products made by Caterpillar,
LC at the end indicates that the model uses widened, lengthened crawler, in order to increase the contact area with the ground. This is generally used when there are soft ground conditions.
The Hyundai HX439L is a 43 tonne excavator heading through the Lambert Smith Hampton sale on the 6th December. It comes from the joint administrators of M Ifoe Limited and will take place in Northwich, Cheshire. Also in the sale are smaller 14 tonne Hyundai excavators, six Doosan DX255LC and ten Doosan DX140LC excavators. Remember, there's always tonnes of farm machinery for sale at our sister site www.farmmachinerypages.co.uk If you are looking for trucks and trailers for sale then head to www.truckpages.co.uk Also check out the rest of the photo lineages for a great choice of used plant for sale.…>
This week's front cover sees a military, ex MoD, Foden dump truck alongside a Hitachi ZX130 excavator, both of which are offer at GPSV auctions on 23rd November. See the advert on page 19 - you will see some interesting lots available from tanks to planes and everything in between. Remember, there's always tonnes of farm machinery for sale at our sister site www.farmmachinerypages.co.uk If you are looking for trucks and trailers for sale then head to www.truckpages.co.uk Also check out the rest of the photo lineages for a great choice of used plant for sale. There’s always plenty of…>
There are three of these Volvo 40 tonne excavators heading through the Malcolm Harrison sale on November 18th in Derbyshire. They are to be joined by a pair of Volvo wheel loaders and make up part of the Lomas Distribution fleet renewal sale. There are plenty of used excavators and wheel loaders advertised in the Photo lineage section on page 6 - and remember there are hundreds to view online here at Plantpages.co.uk Remember, there's always tonnes of farm machinery for sale at our sister site www.farmmachinerypages.co.uk If you are looking for trucks and trailers for sale then head to…>
A groundworks and civil engineering specialist has hailed the outstanding performance, fuel efficiency and operator environment of its new JCB 140X tracked excavator. Luton-based Harkmac Construction Ltd bought the 15-tonne JCB 140X specifically for drainage and foundation work on groundworks contracts for its leading housebuilding clients. Supplied by dealer Watling JCB, the new machine has immediately excelled on a new-build residential development in Bedfordshire. Dean McElroy, Harkmac Construction Ltd’s Managing Director commented, “We chose JCB for its well-established reputation for manufacturing high quality construction equipment and the excellent aftersales service.” “The machine's performance has been outstanding, even exceeding our already…>
Hitachi has introduced the largest Zaxis-7 model in its super-long front excavator range. The ZX490LCH-7 HE16LD with 16m reach has a longer boom and arm and heavier counterweight than the standard ZX490-7 model. It is ideal for excavation work, as well as dredging rivers and lakes, bank maintenance and lighter, slope-finishing tasks. Due to the proportions of the boom and arm, the 49-tonne model can also be used for loading, as trucks can be conveniently positioned close to the machine. Assembled at HCME’s factory in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, this special application machine has been designed to meet the needs of…>