Left: Kubota KX040 Above: Screen in the JCB 48Z Right: Cab interior of the JCB 86C Below: Volvo ECR40D excavators provide unmatched versatility because of the volume of attachments that can be used on the machines. While buckets are very popular and widely used, other attachments like augers, clamps, breakers and plate compactors make compact excavators even more versatile, and help customers with efficiency on their jobsites.” Greg Worley, product application specialist for Caterpillar, explained that “the goal is to produce powerful, but efficient, machines in the smallest package possible, designing smarter with the customer in mind so the machines are easier [to operate] and less costly for customers to service and maintain [to] get more done for less.”
Go with the hydraulic flow
High hydraulic flow is transforming compact excavators from small digging machines into more versatile tool carriers. “Higher auxiliary flow rates allow contractors to use a wider variety of attachments now, making their machines much more versatile and in turn more profitable,” said Lee Padgett, product manager at Takeuchi-US. Takeuchi compact excavators have a four-pump hydraulic system which gives the operator the ability to multi-function without a drastic loss in flow to other circuits.
Bi-directional hydraulics are standard on Case mini excavators and more contractors see the equipment they buy as a multipurpose tool carrier rather than a one-trick pony, according to Ed Brenton, product marketing manager for Case Construction Equipment. “This allows them to use any number of one- and two-way attachments that are now available for mini excavators.” “One application that has surfaced in the last four to five years is running flail mowers,” said Bobcat’s Boerger. “These are primarily used in municipalities, counties and townships for roadside maintenance. Compact excavators have tremendous reach and pinpoint control for cutting. For this reason, the machine has expanded into property maintenance. This is an application that we didn’t foresee for this machine six to eight years ago.” Youssef Ben Jemaa, compact excavator product manager for JCB North America, said that most JCB compact excavators are equipped with the Bosch Rexroth valve block which, along with the Bosch Rexroth pump, delivers smooth and fine control to all hydraulic services and enables fuel savings. Jonathan Gardner, product specialist for construction equipment at Kubota, pointed out that the majority of owners looking for attachments will purchase a breaker. The forestry industry will often purchase a mulcher or flail mower for an eight-ton excavator to clear brush or vegetation. Kubota has been advancing their hydraulics over the years, adding features such as auxiliary flow control, which allows operators to adjust the flow to match the attachments they are running. Additionally, load sensing hydraulics regulate the consistency of the hydraulics in order to improve performance regardless of workload or engine rpm. Caterpillar will soon bring a universal coupler to market, which will allow their range of mini hydraulic excavators to utilize certain skid-steer attachments. A trend that has been imported to North America from Europe is outfitting excavators with tiltrotators. According to Comrie, “Like other construction equipment trends that tend to start in Europe then make their way to the U.S., Volvo is seeing increased use of tiltrotators, and we expect it to continue to gain traction in coming years. A tiltrotator is best described as a wrist at the end of the boom. This attachment allows an operator to achieve greater flexibility for attachments, rotating them 360 degrees and tilt +/-45 degrees in either direction. Equipment owners and operators who use tiltrotators tell us they would never go back to conventional style OCTOBER 2018
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