HARDSCAPES & DESIGN

not only as stable as crawlers, but they also ensure operators won’t sacrifice breakout, tearout forces, digging depth, power or reach whenever they use them.

“By driving excavators to various segments on their road jobs, operators can save considerable time and money. In particular, by using wheeled excavators, operators will reduce their reliance on a lowboy and eliminate the extra equipment, labor and time they previously needed to load and unload machines,” he says. “Wheeled excavators can also drive faster on roads than tracked models, cause less damage to driving surfaces and tow trailers with attachments or pipes, which decreases transport costs even further.”

The cost savings of purchasing a wheeled excavator goes beyond the initial purchase of the machine and continues throughout the excavator’s lifespan. This is because wheeled excavators can equal both increased labor productivity and cost savings. No commercial driver’s license (CDL) is required for the wheeled excavator, meaning the same person who operates the machine can drive it. Compare that with a truck mounted excavator, which may need to be supported with both an operator and a driver with a CDL.

Wheeled excavators are especially critical for usage in tight spaces as short swing wheeled excavators can work in one lane of traffic, when compared to conventional swing excavators that often require two lanes. If operators work on multiple jobsites that are spread apart, they can utilize wheeled excavators for such distances as well. Operators are advised to use wheeled excavators that have two-piece articulating booms, enabling them to stretch farther, dig deeper and reach higher and closer to the excavators themselves.

“This can be especially beneficial in offering operators more flexibility to go up, around and under obstacles like bridges, guardrails and mailboxes,” Waldron adds. “Additionally, a twopiece boom can provide operators extra lift capacity in tight quarters.”

Although operators tend to utilize wheeled excavators in urban areas that have hard grounds and considerable distances for traveling while tracked excavators are favored for shorter travel distances and ground conditions like mud and uneven terrain, Andrews believes this consensus is changing, especially as more multifunctional wheeled and tracked excavators enter the market. The versatility of wheeled excavators and suggested future innovations that could reduce overinvestment in excess machines on jobsites save contractors time and money.

“A wheeled excavator can be the Swiss Army knife of a fleet and prevent contractors from investing in multiple machines because it can utilize the same attachments as crawler excavators,” Waldron says. “Some original equipment manufacturers also have material handling options on wheeled excavators, which are in high demand and really maximize what the machine can do.”

Preparing for the future with game-changing technology

As Andrews looks ahead to the future, he believes that operators will continue to desire more from their equipment, and wheeled and tracked excavator manufacturers will notice their new requirements and respond accordingly.

“Since wheeled excavators are designed for ease of use and versatility, the excavators are reducing the amount of equipment that operators need to use on their jobsites,” Andrews says. “Whether operators are urban landscapes or ranchers that need to cover a lot of ground, these excavators are—and will continue to be— game-changing technology.”