Hydraulic Excavator Facts
Excavators are found on every mining and construction site the world over. From bucket excavators to hydraulic excavators, these powerful machines have revolutionized the way we move earth. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss some of the most interesting facts we could track down about excavators.
1. The First Hydraulic Excavator: The first hydraulic excavator was built in 1882 and powered by steam. Sir W.G. Armstrong & Co. of England built this innovative combination of hydraulics and cables. Sadly, it was neither highly popular nor highly functional. Also, it was not fully hydraulic, but rather more of a hybrid design.
Fifteen years later, in 1897, the Kilgore Machine Company developed a fully hydraulic excavator that was far more successful. It used no chains or cables, relying instead on a set of four steam cylinders. The Direct Excavator, as it was known, is considered the first world's first hydraulic excavator.
2. The World's Heaviest Excavator: The world's heaviest excavator is also the world's heaviest land vehicle: the Bagger 293 bucket wheel excavator. Manufactured by the German company TAKRAF, the Bagger 293 weighs 14,200 tons and requires a crew of five operators. Its official name is the MAN/TAKRAF RB293, and it can remove 8.5 million cubic feet of earth in a single day. When this monster has to be moved, it travels at about 1 km/hr. It originally cost about $100 million dollars to build, and it currently resides in Germany. The Bagger 293 is even large enough to be seen on satellite photos!
Excavators come in all sizes — from the tiny micro-excavators to the massive RH400. Their history, including a whole slew of world records, is fascinating. Excavators, diggers, and 360s are vital to today's mining and construction industries, although most of us don't need one as big as the Bagger 293 or the RH400.
Hydraulic excavator book will be provided in English version once you place an order with us. This is an necessary handbook for an advanced digging machine.
