Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/620628
January 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 28 machine matters | by Richard Ries COMPACT EXCAVATORS OFFER HYDRAULIC OOMPH Compact excavators are no longer merely shrunken versions of full-size diggers. They have morphed into their own distinct form by maximizing traits in fi ve key areas. C ompact excavators also have experienced bracket creep; the category was once capped at machines weighing 6 tons, then went up to 8 tons, and currently includes units weigh- ing 10 tons and lower. The range is now broad enough that some in the industry are defi ning subsets as micro, mini, midi, and compact with no adjective for bigger units. Why the steady increase? It was partly customer demand, partly OEM one-upmanship, and partly because the market wanted to classify machines more accurately. A lot of 8-ton machines, for instance, re- ally were signifi cantly bigger than 8 tons. Others have abandoned the weight ratings altogeth- er and say "compact" refers to anything with a blade and a swing boom; some add rubber tracks to add a third defi ning characteristic. That's the approach taken by Wacker Neuson. "We refer to our new 14- ton model as 'compact' because it meets these three criteria even though it's above what has been consid- ered the weight cut-off for compact machines," says Marcus Auerbach, director of compact equipment with the company. Interestingly, no one includes zero or reduced tailswing in their must-have defi ni- tion of a compact excavator; while these are common features on these units, they're not universal. Wacker Neuson will introduce the new ET145 in early 2016. The company considers the 14-ton machine to be a compact excavator because it has a swing boom, rubber tracks, and a dozer blade.