What is an excavator?

Excavators are vital for projects across various industries, whether grading, laying pipes, demolitions, mass excavations, clearing or general contracting. With many diggers for sale in the market today, it may be difficult to determine which excavator meets your needs. This article takes you through factors that you should consider when shopping for excavation equipment for your next project. It also gives quick tips for landing a good deal.

Determine the lifting capacity

The ideal excavator should have enough power to handle the tasks that you will be carrying out. When determining your power needs, check the kind of jobs that you may be performing over a long period and not just the job at hand. You may need a giant excavator for heavy earth-moving and mass demolition tasks. Look for a new mini excavator for sale if expecting to handle small tasks. Mini excavators have a capacity of up to 8 tonnes, standard excavators have capacities of up to 200 tonnes, while large ones may have capacities of over 500 tonnes

Determine how you will transport the excavator

You will be required to transport the excavator from one location to another to handle some projects. Therefore, you need to consider how the piece of equipment will be moving from one location to another. If you already have a trailer, ensure that the excavation equipment for sale you pick would fit your trailer. Otherwise, purchase a trailer according to the size of the earth-mover. In some places, you may need a permit to transport a giant excavator.

What are your required specifications?

Consider features like bucket capacity, engine power, storage capacity and engine power when making your consideration. Many excavators can support different types of buckets. Look at the maximum capacity that you can purchase. Engine make and power determines how long you can use the excavator continuously before doing repairs.

What is your budget?

Your budget is going to determine what kind of excavator for sale you can pick. However, it is recommended that you set a budget after determining the kind of excavators you need for your projects. You may consider looking for a new excavator for sale or buying a used one. The benefit of buying a used excavator is that you can buy a high capacity one at a lower price than you would if buying new. On the other hand, new excavators are less likely to give you problems for a longer period compared to used ones.

Shop around for excavators while comparing large and new mini excavator prices. Different brands come at different prices. It is good to compare features and capacities with the excavator price so that you end up with the best excavation equipment at your set budget. For used excavators, have them checked for quality and performance before making a purchase. You will find cheap excavators for sale.

Are excavator spare parts available?

You will eventually need spare parts especially if the excavator is doing hard work. If you are also in a remote region you should consider how easily you can access excavator spare parts.

Other considerations

You may check other excavator types and features. For example, you may consider an electric excavator rather than a gasoline one. You can also purchase a knuckle boom excavator that has an additional arm joint that gives it more flexibility when digging. There are also long reach excavators with arms that can reach up to 95 feet. Longer arms work well in dredging jobs and large building demolitions.

Excavator buying checklist

• Excavator capacity, power and specifications
• Size and transport needs
• Source of power; gasoline or electric
• Buy new or used excavators
• Excavator prices
• Availability of excavator spare parts

We have quality and affordable excavators for sale

Here at Camamach, we assist you buy the right type of excavator. Contact us today for a FREE consultation and pricing

Backhoe Loaders and Excavators have a similar general function -they are both diggers, but they have differences in design and versatility that make each of them them better suited to different jobs. Choosing the right construction equipment for the requirements is important for any project, so we’ve gone and written up this excavator vs backhoe comparison.

Excavators

Excavators as their name would suggest are purpose built for excavating. They have a large arm attached to a cab, both of which can rotate 360 degrees atop the undercarriage. Excavators come in wheeled and crawler variants.

Backhoe Loaders

Backhoe loaders are multi-functional machines built on a tractor chassis with a front end loader, and a rear excavator-style arm called a backhoe. The backhoe is limited in its rotation to a range of about 200 degrees. The backhoe itself consists of a bucket on the end of a hydraulic arm known as a dipper stick and boom that extends from the back of the tractor chassis.

Size

Excavators are

• Larger and more powerful (typically)
• More suitable for large construction sites, mining, drilling and demolition jobs.
• Less mobile

Backhoe Loaders

• Smaller and lighter
• More suitable for smaller scale projects, loading jobs and farming
• More mobility

Manoeuvrability

Wheel excavators exist, but most excavators are tracked, therefore more capable in rough terrain and mountainous environments such as mining sites. Backhoe loaders are wheeled and can drive on roads, making them a good choice for projects with more than one work site.

Multi-functionality

Backhoe loaders are more versatile machines than excavators. The front end loader allows for loading jobs to be performed, and the backhoe bucket can be swapped out for a large variety of implements like breakers, drills and hammers. The front end loader can also be swapped out for plows or forklifts. Excavators can use other hydraulic implements in place of the bucket, but the number is much smaller.

Newer mini excavators can now perform many of the functions that backhoe loaders can, however backhoe loaders continue to be used as versatile machines for farm and small-medium construction projects.

Overview

Excavator

• 360 degree rotation
• Bigger, more powerful machines
• Can  better handle rough terrain
• Purpose built for excavation
• Better for large projects and heavy duty workloads

Backhoe loader

• Can be driven on roads
• Smaller, tractor chassis
• Has front loader and backhoe excavator
• Multipurpose machine
• Better for agricultural projects and spread out construction sites.

Backhoe vs Excavator - which one is better for your project?

Its important to consider your project’s scope when choosing equipment. For larger scale projects with a heavy workload, an excavator is probably the way to go. If the project is smaller, a backhoe loader can carry out excavation functions whilst offering more versatility.

Of course if you are still unsure which is more suitable, ask an expert. We at CamaMach have years of experience and are happy to help, send us an email and we can make recommendations based on your site plans and requirements.

Looking for excavators? We have a selection from top brands like XCMG and SANY

Or if you are after a backhoe loader our catalogue includes SDLG, XCMG, and Lovol among others.

At CamaMach when sourcing spare parts for your machines we always ask for the serial number,  but what does a Sinotruk model serial number actually mean?

● VEHICLE CATEGORY - This code represents the class of vehicle
1- cargo truck
2- off road truck
3- dump truck
4- tractor
5- special truck
6- bus
7- passenger car
9- semi trailer

● MAIN CODE.
The main code is the total weight of the vehicle.

● BRAND CODE.
1- Gold Prince
2- Styre
3- Hojun
4- Yellow River
5- Hoyun
6- Styre King
7- HOWO

● ENGINE POWER CODE represents the engine power category.

Here's a useful table:

A-              P≤68 (hp)
B-     68＜P≤80
C-     80＜P≤95
D-     95＜P≤115
E-    115＜P≤135
F-    135＜P≤160
G-   160＜P≤190
H-   190＜P≤219
K-    219＜P≤265
M-   265＜P≤319
N-    319＜P≤384
V-    384＜P≤460
W-   460＜P≤552
X-     552＜P≤80662
Y-                P＞662

● WHEEL BASE CODE - shows the wheelbase in decimeters.
For example, 32 means there is 3200mm between front axle to the first rear axle.

● DRIVING MODE.
1- 4x2
2- 4x4
3- 6x2
4- 6x4
5- 6x6
6- 8x4
7- 8x8
8- 10x10

● MODEL SERIES CODE.
1 series - HOWO 7
3 series - HOWO A7
7 series - HOWO7 & A7
8 series - HOWO 8, HINO engine

● ENGINE EXHAUST CODE
A- EURO-II
C- EURO-III
D- EURO-IV
E- EURO-V
F- EURO-VI

● CABIN CODE says what type of cabin the vehicle has.
1- long cabin
2- short cabin
3- four door open cabin

Now lets take an example code of ZZ4257N344A1. from this number we can tell the product is a Sinotruk HOWO Tractor Head, with a horsepower between 319 and 384 (370) and a 6x4 drive configuration.

Interested in Sinotruk products?

The number of Brands in China’s heavy machinery and equipment manufacturing industry is high and growing. There are brands that specialize in specific things, such as HGXB Bulldozers, or some which make everything ( SANY ). So it may be surprising to hear that for more niche vehicles and certain generic products it can be better to choose an OEM manufacturer for your purchase.

So what is it?/What are the benefits of buying OEM 

At the end of the day, would you rather buy Nike shoes, or buy the same shoes from the factory that makes the shoes for 1/4 the price? That in essence is what buying OEM is.

Purchasing brand names carries with it a certain amount of assurance about the quality. When purchasing a SANY truck crane, one can rest assured it is going to function correctly. However this comes at a price premium. The brands procure much of their equipment from OEMs and put their names on them, and their brand is an assurance of the quality.

This is where OEM can come into play. By knowing what manufacturers produce the products for each brand, huge savings can be made without sacrificing on quality, as these smaller manufacturers are not spending the same amount on branding and marketing as their larger, more image focused partner companies.

How can I buy OEM?

So we have established that buying OEM has huge benefits for cost savings, but how can you as a foreign buyer discern which factories to contact?

At CamaMach we are very knowledgeable about the products we procure, through years of experience we have determined which manufacturers in China make the best products and for what brands. This way we have been able to find incredible bargains on quality equipment.

If you want a specific piece of equipment we can get it for you for considerable cost savings, with our assurance it is as good as the branded products.

What about after sales?

Spare parts, and after sales are a concern for any buyer of construction or mining equipment, but even more so for OEM. Fortunately finding OEM parts is even more possible. The reasons are simple, there are maybe one or two factories that make equipment for a brand, but 1000s of factories can make the spares for the equipment. Compared with assembling an excavator or bulldozer, fabricating air filters for said vehicles is relatively straightforward. At CamaMach we have many vetted suppliers of spare parts both OEM and original, so there's no shortage of after sales support for the products you buy from us.

Buy spare parts now       Looking for OEM?

For other inquiries send us a message and we will get back to you quickly!

It is a significant move for the Chinese government to hold CIIE to give firm support to trade liberalization and economic globalization and actively open the Chinese market to the world. It facilitates countries and regions all over the world to strengthen economic cooperation and trade and to promote global trade and world economic growth in order to make the world economy more open.

Countries around the globe have been pushing for Balance of Trade. CAMAL has been attending forums which are aimed at trade improvement with China. CAMAL is currently attending the first CIIE in Shanghai China with a goal to solve Export problems to China. President Xi Jingping opened the event and gave a keynote speech with main points being:

• China will  ease barriers for the following industries

Financial services, Agriculture, Mining and Education

• China will Increase purchase of Imported goods by lowering the tariffs involved
• China will create a better business environment with reasonable system of rules including punishing intellectual property violators. China would work to protect the interests of foreign companies.
• China will import as much as $30 trillion in goods and $10 trillion in services within the next 15 years.
• China intends to make Shanghai the world’s leading financial centers by the year 2020

The event has had thousands of companies attending from various countries. Kenya being one of the countries, there is a national exhibition going on with an aim of winning more market for the Kenyan products i.e. coffee.

From this event, CAMAL intends to assist more people to export to China. The firm has deep understanding of demand cycles in China. CAMAL will therefore find the right market for products in China. CAMAL will also add value to the exporters to China by doing the negotiation on the clients behalf.

Overview of China’s mining sector

Although Africa is home to some of the largest mining deposits, China retains the title of the world’s largest mining sector. It is a leading producer of minerals such gold, lead, zinc, coal, tin, iron and silver and the world’s foremost producer of rare earth, accounting for over 90 percent of the global production. Ironically, China is also the world’s top consumer of the same minerals and often has to rely on imports to deal with the internal deficit. There is no doubt that the future success of the Chinese economy is dependent on the ability to secure long-term access to mineral and metal resources.

Consolidating the mining sector

According to China’s Ministry of Land and Resources, there are over 100,000 mining companies in China with more than half of these classified as small-sized enterprises. So many small companies have resulted in inefficient mining in many areas and high-risk operations as smaller mines tend to be the epicenters of mining accidents, particularly in the coal sector. To address these issues, the Chinese Government has been consolidating the mining sector. As consolidation takes place, the smaller companies face these options:

• Increasing output to government-directed levels – Companies with enough capital and reserve levels can simply increase output and comply. However, considering high output requirements and restrictive capital expenditure costs, this option is not always feasible;

• Partnering with bigger players or other companies to reach the required output – This is the favored approach of most companies. However, competition between companies, difference in their cultures, divergence in cooperation terms, etc. mean this route is not always feasible;

• Exiting the market – If the above two options are not viable, smaller companies must exit the market either by shutting down or going overseas. This is an opportunity for African companies, especially those seeking partnerships.

Opportunity for African companies

In some provinces such as Hebei, smaller (and often private) companies are being pushed out of the iron and steel sector. Some of these companies’ technology and processes are inherently not problematic; the key issues driving consolidation are low output value and a drive to reduce high energy consumption and high polluting industries. African companies’ opportunities can be summarized as follows:

1. Opportunity for technology transfer – The opportunity for technology and expertise transfer is real. Given the vast scale of China’s mining sector, what is considered small scale here may actually be large scale in parts of Africa. Smaller players that cannot meet the output are forced out of the industry. But where shall they go?

2. Opportunity for capital investments – As the small companies are pushed out of the domestic sector, they will either put their capital into other domestic sectors or go abroad in search of viable projects.

3. Opportunity for exports – As the smaller companies exit and the global mining slowdown continues, China’s mineral deficit will continue to drive commodity imports, especially of high-grade minerals.

4. The “going out” drive – It is not only the smaller players that are seeking to move out of China. With a steel sector that has been producing over capacity for years and facing decreasing government subsidies, even larger players have been moving out of China. Sinosteel, one of China’s largest iron and steel companies, has signed a cooperation deal with the Kenyan Government to jointly develop a steel plant in the East African nation.

African companies need strategic partners

It would be naïve to think that all the companies that have been pushed out of China’s domestic sector are viable partners. In fact, there are many that are indeed problematic in terms of excessive energy consumption, environmental damage, inadequate technology and poor safety records. This is why African companies must be strategic in selecting their Chinese mining partners. They should understand the implications of the offered technology/processes, particularly in terms of the environment. One needs to only visit the polluted areas in Inner Mongolia to understand that sometimes the best lessons coming out of China for African companies may be what not to do.