Buying an Excavator? 11 Things to Consider During the Demonstration
Over the years I’ve helped a lot of customers evaluate different types and sizes of excavators to help ensure they’re buying a machine best-matched to their particular type of work.
EXCAVATOR DEMO CONSIDERATIONS FOR OWNERS AND FLEET MANAGERS
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): The initial purchase price is important, but it’s only one factor to determine how much buying an excavator can impact your earnings, plus what it will likely cost you to get the work done. Most dealers and manufacturers can help you determine the TCO of an excavator that will be working in specific applications. Make sure the excavator you go with will give you the biggest return on your investment for the time you intend to keep and run the machine.
Fuel Efficiency: If you can get the same amount of work done and burn less fuel doing it, that should be a factor in your decision-making process. Over time, fuel consumption can become a big number in your operating expenses, eating away at your profits. As a part of evaluating TCO, ask about operator features that adjust power for specific types of work. Volvo integrated work modes, for example, allow operators to get full power without running at full throttle, saving you on fuel costs.
Cycle Times: Check the cycle times to see how long it takes to lift from ground level to loading the truck and back. Be sure to use the same loading set up (same-level loading versus side loading, for example) to get accurate times. Cycle times are another factor to properly determine TCO of an excavator — you may learn that you can load more trucks faster, improving productivity (while lowering fuel consumption) over time.
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