Looking a buying a Fran use excavator. Was wondering about standability in boggy conditions. How much more difficult would it be getting around and working in soft conditions with a 65k machine vs a 45 k machine?
Depends on how experienced the operator is. A good operator could potentially work with a 270 where a bad one would be stuck with a 200. Working in soft, boggy ground takes finesse, and measuring every move. If you're going to be working over the front, they should be pretty comparable. Over the side is a different story. I'm sure some guys might disagree, but I went from a Case 9030B to a 210C, and the heavier machine will pump the ground out faster no matter how careful you are. The 210 is about 6000 lbs heavier than the 9030, but the undercarriage is the same. Best thing to do is get the specs for each machine and compare ground pressure numbers. If the bigger hoe has the same or more, there is no chance it will go where the smaller one will.
In soft ground conditions I'm going to pick the smaller machine every time ( easier to retrieve if it go's down ) LOL . Some jobs in these conditions we are clearing where we can take trees down then lay them out to walk on to stay on top . Do this in some river bottom ground where water table is high & quicksand is deep ( might be 40 feet down to bedrock). Not a place to be jacking around with a big machine . 20 to 25 ton hoe is about the perfect size machine for most farm work if accompanied with a similar size dozer or high lift . The old Hy-Hoe is rite at a 20 ton machine , It has what I call a ( square gauge carriage ) The young guys are wondering what the hell I'm talking about . With 30 inch wide grousers machine measures 10 foot six inch wide . Lineal ground contact between sprocket & front idler measures about the same . No long front , turn table sets in the center . Result is it turns easier & gets around pretty decent . Puts out a little over 5 PSI ground pressure when setting flat . HeavyEquipmentForums Long story short when working in soft ground the smaller machine is the way to go . Same way with dozers . D7 will outperform a D8 in soft ground .