Manufacturers are focusing on bigger and more powerful excavators to remain relevant to the current building industry spectrum.
For decades the standard 12-T excavator was deemed as the workhorse of the construction industry due to the practical characteristics of this particular category that offers the right size with ‘just the right amount of power’.
However, according to construction project managers such as Daniel Wilson, the current heavy machine market provides a vast variety of options and currently the preferred excavator category are the 13.5T to 15T models and this shift of preference is attributed to the greater power and practicality of these 13.5T to 15T machines which are bigger and yet compact enough to tackle jobs at congested construction sites in urban areas.
These 13.5T to 15T excavators are also relatively cheaper to purchase or hire and they offer much more compared to their smaller range cousins in terms of capacity which basically equates enhanced turnaround performance.
Manufacturers such as Wacker Neuson, Kubota, Caterpillar, Komatsu and Takeuchi have introduced new models within the 15T category as alternative machines that are seen as ‘just perfect’ for urban construction projects.
For example, the compact excavator manufacturer Wacker Neuson recently introduced the 15.5t ET145 excavator model which to date is the largest excavator the German manufacturer has ever built. The new excavator model is powered by Stage-4 Perkins engine that delivers optimal power and torque that features a 127-degree boom swing which enables the machine to navigate through the tightest of spaces.
Similarly, even Takeuchi, a manufacturer that has established the company’s top position among within the mini and midi market has moved up scales in terms of the weight of their excavators with the company’s latest 15-tonne excavators the TB2150R and the TB2150. The TB2150 features an operational weight of 15.8t and has a lot to offer in terms of power with its 85kW Deutz engine.
The machine based on tests boasts an improved Japanese hydraulic system and is capable of reaching a digging depth of more than 5.2m at maximum reach and dump height of more than 6m. These are just some of the features of these new 15 tonne excavator hire choices that are still deemed as compact packages based on a minimal rear slew radius of just 2m.
Currently excavator market observers are acknowledging the fact that the 15T crawler and wheeled excavators is quickly becoming the preferred workhorse for contractors working on projects in urban areas due to the cramped environments of these projects.
Jenny Mannington who manages a heavy machine rental company based in Melbourne states that 70 % of excavators for hire fall into the 13T to 15T category and this have resulted in the company revamping its fleet.
She also added that when the company first started out, the excavator for hire fleet consisted mostly of standard 20T or above and 10T mini excavators, this breakdown started changing as the 20T was too large and the 10T was too small resulting in the 15T category excavators becoming the ‘ideal machine’.
