Wheeled Excavators vs Tracked Excavators: Pros and Cons.

No machine will likely ever compete with an excavator&#;s prowess for digging power, but on today&#;s worksite an excavator is often more than just a dirt digging machine -- it&#;s a versatile, tech-smart and tool-rich specialist. With the right set-up and the right operator an excavator can perform a plethora of unique jobs. If you&#;re looking to expand on your excavator workload, one of the first things you might be wondering is: tracked excavator or wheeled excavator?

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If you&#;re at that point in your research, we&#;ve put together this short article and infographic to hopefully help you along the decision tree.

Traditionally, why do excavators have tracks instead of wheels?

Tracks on any machine result in a lower profile making the machine closer to the ground and lowering the center of gravity. In situations where the ground is uneven or highly sloped or you&#;re working on loose gravel or soil the advantages of tracks are clear.

What are the advantages of a wheeled excavator?

Wheeled excavators are growing in popularity, year after year. When compared to the same sized tracked excavator a wheeled excavator offers more maneuverability in tight areas, faster movement across a work site, and less impact to the work ground.

4 Fast Factors to Consider &#; Tracked Excavators vs Wheeled Excavators

Tough Terrain or Ground That Needs a Lighter Touch

Simply put, the tracks on a tracked excavator come into contact with a large amount of the ground. If the ground is sloped or loose, that&#;s an advantage. If the ground needs to be protected -- like a city street or sidewalk -- the tracks can lead to damage and ground repair costs.

Size of the Job Site

If packing up one job on the site and getting to the next quickly is important, a wheeled excavator will get from job A to job B faster. If the excavator will mostly be working in one area, the increased depth of the dig and stability can help knock out the single job faster.

And, if the job site is actually spread across multiple locations, many wheeled excavators can fold up and hit the road for a faster trip without another machine to carry them along. 

Size of the Excavator

If you need to balance stability, ground concerns, and maneuverability, you might want to also consider the size of your machine. A smaller, tracked excavator -- or even a machine with rubber tracks -- can often perfectly balance your needs.

Type of Work

Trends aside, the world will probably always count on a tracked excavator for the tough digging jobs in rough conditions. Wheeled excavators, however, are often used on a site like a Swiss army knife with fast connections to specific tools and news uses like moving and placing heavy barriers or using job-specific tools.

In the end, your excavator choice will come down to your work, your needs, and maybe even a little personal preference. Hopefully, this article helped you narrow it down, and, regardless of your choice, if you find yourself needing a part, we&#;re here to help with your construction equipment parts needs.

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• HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOUR MUNICIPALITY? US.

As more county and city road departments look for cost-effective equipment, a common question I&#;m hearing is, &#;How do wheeled excavators compare to truck-mounted excavators?&#; There are pros to each product. However, wheeled excavators offer several advantages when it comes to road work and municipal projects.

Here are four ways wheeled excavators differentiate themselves from truck-mounted excavators:

1. Two-piece articulating boom &#; Look for wheeled excavators with a two-piece articulating boom. It lets an operator stretch farther, dig deeper and closer to the machine, and reach higher. This can be especially beneficial in giving operators more flexibility to go up, around and under obstacles like mailboxes, guardrails and bridges. Additionally, a two-piece boom can give you extra lift capacity in tight quarters. That touches on another differentiator: wheeled excavators typically have significant advantages over truck-mounted excavators when it comes to lift capacity and breakout force.
2. 360-degree rotation and visibility &#; The 360-degree rotation of a wheeled excavator increases convenience, safety and productivity. An operator can really take advantage of the full rotation with a short radius model

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   . They&#;re great for road work because an operator doesn&#;t have to close down a second lane of traffic. The Volvo cab gives full visibility from the operator&#;s seat into the trench, while outrigger pads give added stability and prevent damage to the asphalt. Wheeled excavator cabs also come with more visibility than truck-mounted excavators, providing operators with a 360-degree view into the trench from their seat.
3. Attachments &#; Wheeled excavators can be the Swiss Army Knife of your fleet and prevent you from investing in multiple machines because they can utilize the same attachments as crawler excavators. One big attachment differentiator against a truck-mounted excavator is the Steelwrist tiltrotator, which you can see in action here. This game-changer allows the operator to spin the bucket 360 degrees and tilt +/- 45 degrees for greater flexibility. The Steelwrist can power everything from buckets, compactors and grapples to sweepers and a variety of work tools, as this video from a customer in Arizona shows. Wheeled excavators can also adeptly unload and set jersey barriers, as seen in this demonstration clip.
4. Total cost of ownership &#; The cost-savings of purchasing a wheeled excavator goes beyond the initial purchase of the machine and continues throughout the excavator&#;s life. No commercial driver&#;s license (CDL) is required for a wheeled excavator, meaning the same person who operates the machine can also drive it. Compare that with a truck-mounted excavator, which you may need to support with both a driver with a CDL and an operator. Wheeled excavators can be fitted with a hitch to tow a trailer with multiple attachments and other jobsite equipment, eliminating the need for a separate tractor and low boy to transport the excavator and attachments.

Each of these products has a place in the market, but the wheeled excavator offers municipalities several more ways to promote productivity, safety and cost savings. To learn more, check out Volvo&#;s lineup of wheeled excavators.

Municipalities Switch from Truck-mounted Excavator to Wheeled Excavator

Local Texas officials are using cooperative purchasing to buy wheeled excavators to replace their truck-mounted excavators.

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Volvo EW180E Lets Community Put Wheels into Motion

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is carved into 52,000 acres between Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Mesa, Arizona &#; with the majestic Red Mountain as a backdrop. Its location and the progressive attitude of its Tribal Council make it unlike any other community in the United States.

Municipalities switch from truck-mounted excavator to wheeled excavator

Local Texas officials are using cooperative purchasing to buy wheeled excavators to replace their truck-mounted excavators.

Volvo EW180E Lets Community Put Wheels Into Motion

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is carved into 52,000 acres between Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Mesa, Arizona, with the majestic Red Mountain as a backdrop. Location and the progressive attitude of its Tribal Council make it unlike any other Community in the United States.

HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOUR MUNICIPALITY? US.

Click below to a government sales specialist. We can answer all your questions on wheeled excavators, as well as our cooperative purchasing agreements.

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