Exploring the Advantages of Wheeled Excavators in the Construction Industry
Exploring the Advantages of Wheeled Excavators in the Construction Industry
Reading time: 6 min 30 sec
Introduction to Excavators in the Construction Industry
Excavators, with their powerful hydraulics, rugged structure and articulated boom arms, are a staple of the construction industry. They anchor construction projects, assisting in various tasks from ground-breaking and digging to lifting and debris removal.
Yet, the excavator is far from a one-size-fits-all solution. There exists a range of excavator designs to suit diverse tasks and various project conditions. Excavator models range from mini or compact excavators, excellent for confined spaces and precision work, to large excavators, ideal for earthmoving tasks.
Wheel-mounted or wheeled excavators are known for their maneuverability and compatibility with hard surfaces. Typically viewed as an alternative to traditional, tracked excavators, wheeled excavators are quickly growing in popularity.
In this guide, we’ll delve into the basics of wheeled excavators in the construction industry. By familiarizing yourself with the advantages, disadvantages and maintenance needs of these popular machines, you can determine whether a wheeled excavator might make a meaningful addition to your fleet.
An Overview of Wheeled Excavators
A wheeled excavator consists of a wheeled base, a rotating cab, an articulated arm or boom, hydraulic cylinders, a digging bucket and counterweights for balance.
The main advantage of a wheeled excavator is its wheels, which allow it to outperform track excavators in certain conditions. For example, wheeled excavators can travel at greater speeds than tracked excavators and can travel over hard surfaces such as asphalt without a problem.
The steering of a wheeled excavator is primarily controlled by the front two tires while the rear set provides additional support. This gives the excavator excellent maneuverability and a tight turning radius, even on paved or hard surfaces.
The wheeled excavator’s stability is maintained through hydraulic outriggers or stabilizing legs that can be extended when stationary to evenly distribute weight.
Wheeled excavators are popular for a wide range of applications. They are commonly employed in urban construction projects, particularly where substantial movement across the job site is required or if the work involves operating on pavement. They have the distinct advantage of causing minimal damage to these surfaces compared to tracked units and can transition smoothly from site-to-site.
Their compact designs, coupled with versatile attachments, make them the go-to machine for excavating trenches, laying pipes or installing cables.
Landscaping tasks, such as grading, spreading materials or creating drainage ditches, are another common application for wheeled excavators. They excel in tasks which require both significant earthmoving capacity and delicate handling.
Comparison with Tracked Excavators
Both wheeled and tracked excavators have distinct advantages, owing to their specific designs catered to different tasks. Central to this difference are differences in the undercarriage design.
Wheeled excavators rely on a wheel-based system, which grants them superior mobility on flat, hard surfaces and steep slopes. Their steering mechanism is similar to conventional vehicles, offering good maneuverability, larger turning radius and quick repositioning.
Navigating between job sites, especially when driving over roads is required, is significantly simpler and more efficient with wheeled excavators. With their higher travel speed, they outpace tracked models, leading to improved productivity.
On the other hand, tracked excavators, due to their large contact surface area, ensure stability and traction on uneven or loose terrains, such as mud or sand. They distribute weight evenly across the track, decreasing ground pressure and thus minimizing sinking and slippage. However, their linear movement tends to make repositioning and turning slower and more cumbersome, impacting operational efficiency and speed.
While wheeled excavators excel on hard, stable terrains such as concrete and asphalt and handle grades better, tracked models outperform on softer terrains. The constant rubber-to-surface contact of wheeled excavators makes them prone to slipping on muddy or loose surfaces.
From the perspective of fuel efficiency, wheeled excavators are typically the better choice. The energy required to maneuver around the site is less than what a tracked excavator would consume, leading to lower fuel consumption.
Specific Advantages of Wheeled Excavators
The main advantages of a wheeled excavator stem from its wheeled design, which grants it certain capabilities that tracked excavators do not possess.
For example, wheeled excavators are impressively fast. They can reach higher travel speeds than tracked excavators, making them ideal for projects that require frequent movements across or between job sites.
Furthermore, wheeled excavators do not damage hard surfaces such as concrete, asphalt or pavement as a tracked excavator would. Their wheeled design allows them to be used on a greater variety of projects while causing minimal surface disruption.
Finally, from a long-term operational perspective, wheeled excavators offer impressive fuel efficiency. Their reduced energy requirement for site movement means lower fuel consumption, resulting in significant cost savings over the excavator's lifetime.
Ideal Use Cases
Wheeled excavators are most effective in certain tasks due to their specific design advantages.
Urban Construction
Wheeled excavators are a great fit for urban construction projects. Their high maneuverability makes them ideal for navigating through city streets and tight spaces. In addition, their light impact on pavement surfaces minimizes the chances of surface damage during operations.
Roadwork and Highways
Projects involving roads and highways require machinery that can move swiftly between different worksites. The high-speed capabilities of wheeled excavators allow for quick transitions between job sites, accelerating the overall project timeline.
Utility Work
Whether it's laying pipes or installing cables, utility jobs can be challenging due to the precision required and the limited work area. Wheeled excavators, with their compact designs and versatile attachments, can carry out these tasks with high precision and effectiveness. Also, their light tread ensures existing utilities aren't damaged during movement or operation.
Landscaping
The compatible attachments of a wheeled excavator, coupled with its agility and precision control, make it highly effective for landscaping projects. Its ability to cause minimal ground disruption also becomes critical when working on landscaped areas with existing structures.
Bridge Construction
With their outstanding stability and lifting capabilities, wheeled excavators are commonly used in bridge construction, especially where multiple movements are required without compromising on load carrying capacity.
Maintenance Requirements
Maintaining a wheeled excavator is similar to maintaining other types of heavy equipment of similar size.
For starters, tire maintenance is key. Regular checks for tire pressure, cuts, bulges or signs of excessive wear can help avoid blowouts or loss of traction during operation.
Secondly, the wheel bearings and axles should be checked and lubricated regularly to ensure proper rotation and balancing of the wheels. It is also essential to examine brake systems, steering linkages and suspension components for any signs of damage or wear that could impact the machine.
In addition to these maintenance tasks, standard tasks, such as regular oil and fluid checks, filter replacements, checking the mechanical components and inspecting the hydraulic system, should be performed regularly. Proper, regular maintenance could reduce many larger, costly repairs down the line.
Additional Considerations
In addition to maneuverability and compatibility with various terrain types, there are other considerations that may influence your decision to opt for a wheeled excavator over a tracked one.
For example, a wheeled excavator’s reduced ground contact resistance reduces energy consumption for movement, leading to notable fuel savings over time. Comfort-wise, the smoother movement offered by wheels tends to create a more comfortable ride for operators compared to tracked machines leading to reduced fatigue.
Also, maintenance for wheeled excavators tends to be simpler, since they lack the many intricate components that make up the undercarriage of tracked machines.
Historically, the industry has been dominated by tracked excavators, but there’s a rising trend towards the adoption of wheeled versions, especially within urban sectors. This is driven by their versatility, lower environmental impact, speed and overall efficiency.
Final Thoughts
While both wheeled and tracked excavators have their advantages, wheeled excavators have distinct features that make them particularly favorable in certain scenarios. They come with unrivaled agility, speed, minimal surface impact, fuel-efficiency and adaptability to a variety of project requirements.
The EquipmentShare Shop carries a comprehensive range of OEM and aftermarket parts for excavators of different sizes. Whether it's a minor replacement part or a crucial component, EquipmentShare Shop can help ensure your wheeled excavator stays in top-notch condition. Don’t see the specific part you’re looking for? Reach out to our dedicated parts experts and get personalized assistance.
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