(Fatherland) – These little-known excavators are some of the greatest construction machines in history.
Walking excavator, also known as spider excavator, is a specialized type of excavator that can operate on any terrain.
Through a series of joints, extendable legs, stabilizers, tilting wheels and buckets, these machines possess a range of extraordinary capabilities that you are unlikely to think of. The simplest is to move like a crab or spider.
Recorded appearing in 1966, walking excavators were born at the hands of engineer Josef Kaiser, at the factory of his friend named Ernst Menzi. More than 50 years later, both Kaiser and Menzi continue to develop and sell these remarkable machines, even though their relationship has turned from friends to competitors.
They were originally designed to operate on the harsh slopes and difficult terrain of the Swiss Alps, where conventional crawler excavators cannot operate.
Early machines had just a pair of simple single-axle wheels at the rear and a pair of kickstands at the front. They will move around using hydraulic arms and buckets to lift their legs and pull the wheels around.
By the early 1970s, engineers began placing wheels and stabilizing legs on hydraulic arms, giving them the ability to sit balanced on a variety of slopes. From there, they gain more leverage, grip and stability for lifting and scraping tasks. In the late 70s, telescopic hydraulic technology became popular, allowing legs and their wheels to stretch even further.
Spider-man excavators today are considered amazing mechanical beasts. They can extend, retract, lift, and lower their legs through joints in the hips, knees, and ankles. Each wheel is powered by a hydraulic motor, and comes with steel claws or crawlers to keep it stable on any terrain. The legs are individually controllable, allowing the cab to tilt and rotate, and they can also generate more force than crawler excavators twice their weight.
These machines easily dig up slippery, muddy slopes that no conventional excavator would dare to attempt. At the same time, they can traverse holes and gaps, climb over obstacles and essentially tackle more types of terrain than any other excavator.
However, you cannot find superheroes on every street corner doing the jobs of normal people. The same goes for spider excavators, because 99% of current excavation jobs can use conventional excavators, at a much cheaper cost.
The massive and complex hydraulic systems of walking excavators also require regular maintenance, adding to operating costs. And the last thing is that learning to drive a machine with extraordinary capabilities is also extremely difficult and complicated. As one owner of this device shared, you won’t have to worry about them being stolen.
