what would be the smallest class of excavator you would recommend putting an extended boom on? I basically want to know if its reasonable and possible to extend the reach to 45ft on a 35-40,000 lb excavator. thanks for any help
Smallest hoe I've ever seen with an extended front is 200 class. I would be concerned that the rotec bearing might not stand up in a 160 class.
I've seen one on 120 I think it was a kobelco they used it on a barge on the local lake they liked it because it was lite and would get into shallow water
I've seen the 120's also. The big thing is how much dirt are you looking to swing. I would guess at 45 feet with a 160 you would be looking at a 1/4 of a yard, maybe a third. JMO
It can be done on any machine just $$$ and extra counter weight. I have run mostly cats, daewoo, case with the 52' reach and cats, case, link belt, Volvo with the 60' booms. Some say the swing bearing will not hold up going from a standard machine to a long reach but there are several that have both booms and a cradle to hold them and they switch them and adjust the pressures and dig. Some cut a thick steel plate and mount to the upper counter weight or lower counter weight for better balance. I have also had the pleasure to run several add a stick set ups, they work but it is not like a true long reach and have a different feel to the machine. I would try to get more than what you think you need due to keeping the machine level and not having to place yourself in a unbalanced position. When I was digging and needed 40' we would rent a 50+ machine and when we were at 50+ we rented a 60' machine even then depending on reach and depth you can come up short and have to be closer to the edge.
PS you may find a 50' machine complete cheaper than adding a long reach boom or buying a larger older machine with a 45' reach cheap that will do what you need.
Not that it's the same thing, but my mini excavator (13200lbs) can lift 300lbs (empty 24" bucket) at 42' with the blade not supporting the machine and no additional counterweight. The work I do with the jib or the jib and extension is considerably more profitable than any dirt I've moved, and it's a small portion of the hours I've put on the machine. I'm sure it takes some life out of the slew bearing, but the juice is certainly worth the squeeze in my application. It will be on the OP to decide what's suitable or not in his application. He will also have to determine what the minimum amount of production would be. Digging in silt, my 6 ton may be productive enough in some applications to reach 30' and still move enough to matter on niche jobs. On other jobs I wish I had a short dipper to help power through. This is my jib attachment with the proof of concept extension strapped to it. 42' of reach to the center of rotation.
Chap here in NZ has a 10t kobelco set up as long reach. Reckoned it works really well. Only has a little extra counterweight
35,000lbs is probably a little light for 45ft reach if you want a decent amount of productivity. Take a look at the link here http://www.land-water.co.uk/group-services/plant-hire-2/long-reach/zx-160-13m-super-long-reach roughly what you are looking for. They send these out self drive hire so must be pretty stable and strong. You could get away with more reach or less weight if you are careful. Just depends what you want to use it for. I get about the reach you want with an second dipper on a Cat320. No extra counterweight, just use Cat312 grading bucket. Takes a little getting used to, but it is a cheap option and you can use the machine in standard format when you don't need long reach. Graham
Is there any place to purchase extended arms for a 35,000 lbs excavator??
Are you planning to use this for demo, or pond cleaning? A high reach demo front is built much heavier than a long reach hoe. It is easy to wreck a long reach digging front doing demo.
I would be doing demo with it, we work in a larger city and there isn't much room to work so this size excavator is easier to move around, so I'm looking to get the highest reach with this size excavator.
Ok, it will definitely be worth your while to get a high reach front, not a long reach. I used to be in the business of demoing hotels in Myrtle Beach, SC, and I watched a few competitors brag about how much cheaper and lighter their long reaches were, and then scrap them. They have too small a cross section to take much twist or side pressure at all. I don't know what the smallest hoe is that they make high reaches for.