so i am new to the whole excavator world, was looking at all brands and all sizes from 25k lbs - 35k lbs. i am just wondering what the numbers stand for. i assume that a cat 312 is the same size as a deere, kom, or hit 120, is that correct? is a deere 150 the same size as a komatsu 150? i also assume the 150 is a 15 ton machine?? any insight? tia
You pretty much have it right. Cat excavators are #'d a little different than the rest as they are 300 based. The last two digits are the excavator's metric tonnage. 301.8 = 1.8 metric tons, 385 = 85 metric tons. Most other brands use the same designation, Deere 200 = 20 tonnes, Komatsu PC400 = 40 tonnes. Some older models have a different system. A Deere 490E is 12 T, 992E is 40 T.