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Like all earthmoving equipment, excavators play a key role in construction and landscaping. While excavators are commonly associated with digging foundations, they’re truly versatile machines with a range of possibilities. Thanks to dozens of compatible work tools, excavators can perform numerous general and specialized work site tasks. If you’re new to excavators, this guide will teach you how to use an excavator, as well as how to transport and maintain your machine properly and safely.
As heavy-duty construction equipment, excavators are designed to face rugged challenges, including digging, drilling and churning up hard earth and rock. They’re large, stable and durable machines up to any tough construction job. Since most excavators come equipped with tracks, these machines can easily traverse uneven ground, remaining stable with their wide weight distribution.
What does an excavator do? Primarily, excavators are meant for digging. As earthmovers, they penetrate soil, rock, dirt, clay and other materials, scooping it up with their front bucket attachment and depositing it away from the newly dug hole. Excavators come equipped with a heavy-duty bucket, which is attached to the stick-and-boom operating arm of the machine.
Inside the cab, the operator is able to rotate the machine, lift the boom and articulate the arm to position the bucket over the front idlers appropriately for digging and depositing. Digging over the sprockets puts extra stress on the final drives that propel the tracks and can lead to pre-mature bearing failure.
Whether you’re digging a hole for a foundation, a septic field, a ditch or a pool, an excavator is the best machine for the job.
The flipside of digging is backfilling — the process of reinforcing the ground by packing in holes and smoothing out the surface so it can support a structure. During backfilling, excavator operators use the displaced soil from the dug hole to fill in around the structure or to cover the hole completely. Tightly compacted backfill prevents the ground from shifting underneath the structure.
Backfilling is done when building a foundation or to cover up trenched ground where pipe, cable and irrigation lines were installed. The backfilling technique is done in layers to help further compact the soil and reinforce the stability of the structure. Keep in mind that excavators are designed to pull bucketed material towards the cab, so aggressive side dozing can lead to structural failure over time.
In construction, landscaping and forestry applications, tree felling is a normal part of resource-harvesting, lot clearing and land management. Felled trees leave behind stumps, which need to be unearthed and removed to prepare for construction or to make room for replanting.
Excavators are the most viable equipment for completely and efficiently removing large stumps. With an excavator bucket, an operator can dig around an old stump and unearth it effortlessly. When clearing stumps using an excavator bucket, operators can also try to preserve as much fill as possible in the bucket as they deposit the old stump aside. Attaching an excavator thumb work tool to your bucket will help grip stumps and their roots as you remove them. A durable three over two pin on or pin grabber grapple provides the ultimate stump removal. Operators can remove and manipulate stumps to get excess dirt and stone out prior to tub grinding to lower grinder repair costs significantly.
In addition to digging, backfilling and uprooting stumps, what else does an excavator do? An excavator can do dozens of other specialty duties thanks to a range of work tools available to attach to your Cat® excavator. Changing out your skid steer attachments is quick and easy, but the specific instructions depends on whether it has a manual or powered quick coupler. Here are a few other applications you can accomplish with a Cat excavator:
Operating an excavator takes patience and practice. As with all heavy equipment operations, running an excavator also requires vigilance. Operating heavy machinery is a major responsibility, and staying alert to your surroundings is key to keeping yourself, others and surrounding structures safe.
Depending on the size of the excavator, your level of experience and the type of job you’re working on, becoming certified as a heavy equipment operator may be worthwhile, if not required. If you’re new to running an excavator, there are some operating basics that are universal to all excavators, including those manufactured by Caterpillar. Below are some of the key instructions you need on how to run an excavator properly:
Excavators have standard sets of controls that are universal to all models. No matter which size, type or make of excavator you climb into, the same rules will generally apply. The first step in learning how to run an excavator is becoming familiar with its controls.
ISO controls: The left-hand joystick swings left and right, as well as moves the stick boom forward and back. The right-hand joystick raises and lowers the main boom up and down, as well as dumps or closes the bucket.
SEA controls:The left-hand joystick swings left and right, as well as raises and lowers the main boom up and down. The right-hand joystick moves the stick boom forward and back, as well as dumps or closes the bucket.
Before running an excavator, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the unique model you’re using. Always read the Operation and Maintenance Manual (OMM) thoroughly before doing any digging.
Before starting a Cat excavator, there are a few steps to take to ensure safe operation:
You have two options for how to drive an excavator. You can either drive the excavator using the foot pedals or the hand controls. For safety purposes, you want to only be traveling or digging at any given time. Until you develop expertise operating an excavator, don’t try to dig and drive at once.
Each track has an independent control, meaning you can leave one track still while you move the other track forward or back. Letting off on one pedal and engaging the other allows you to steer the excavator in the direction you’re headed. To put the excavator in reverse, just push the foot pedals with your heels or move the hand controls toward you, and the machine will back up.
Driving an excavator also depends on the grade of the terrain. When climbing up a hill, position the idlers at the back of the tracks to ensure the weight is primarily in the front. When descending a hill, the opposite is true. Position the idlers at the front of the tracks to keep the weight in the back. If the excavator has two speed travel, always use the slow position with the bucket or stick facing downhill, close to the ground, to act as a brake if the machine slides.
Modern excavators are able to rotate a full 360 degrees. The full-turn ability permits the operator to position the cab at any angle above the tracks. Being able to complete a full rotation is useful when digging or lifting at the front of the excavator and depositing soil behind it. Operators can do so without having to reposition the tracks.
An excavator cab is able to make a full 360-degree rotation because of its rotary unions — devices that supply hydraulic fluid to the rotating parts radially, allowing them to operate independently of the stationary base. Essentially, the cab of an excavator pivots on a spool that’s powered by its base.
To rotate an excavator’s stick and boom, you use your left-hand joystick no matter which control pattern your machine is in. You should always try to position the cab directly over the tracks when digging. This allows the machine to remain in the most stable position possible.
Also, the Cat® Tiltrotators for excavators provide 360-degree rotation and 40-degree tilting action side-to-side, allowing the machine to reach more work areas from a single position.
How to transport an excavator depends on its size and weight. Knowing how to transport an excavator safely is as important as knowing how to operate it. To ensure you can adequately transport an excavator, you need the right towing equipment. The trailer needs to be able to withstand the excavator’s weight, and the platform needs to be large enough to ensure there’s no excessive overhang.
It’s also important to factor in any attachment weight to the trailer’s hauling capacity. Make sure to get a trailer that’s rated at a much higher capacity than the machine itself to accommodate additional weight from work tools.
Hauling an excavator requires following proper steps to secure the machine to the trailer. Excavators generally have front and rear tie-down points. Secure the excavator to the trailer using chains threaded through these tie-down points. Check your OMM for details on how to properly secure your excavator.
When in transit, always ensure the boom, arm, bucket and blade are in the lowered position, pointing downward toward the trailer floor. Make sure that the undercarriage is free of mud and debris before transport.
Unloading an excavator safely requires you to follow key safety protocols to mitigate hazards and reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. To safely unload an excavator, follow these safety instructions:
Cleaning an excavator is part of routine maintenance that increases the machine’s service life and reduces the cost of repairs and replacements. To do so, you need powerful pressure washing equipment that can slice through caked-on mud and dirt. The high-pressure streams of water from a pressure washer allow you to precisely target tight spots, breaking up grime and gunk without needing to use a hand brush. In addition to using a pressure washer, you’ll also need to apply a degreasing agent to help facilitate the removal of stubborn grease.
To keep your excavator tracks in good working condition, it’s important to clean them regularly. After each use, you can quickly brush off the tracks by raising one track with your boom and running the track forward and back, allowing dirt to fall away. Repeat on the other side.
Once you’ve removed the bulk of the dirt, you can manually remove more dirt with a shovel. With the blade facing down, scrape along the tracks to remove dirt. This technique works on dust, mud, debris, ice and snow.
Temperatures below freezing requires extra care when cleaning excavator tracks. Machines need to be parked on timber or old tires to prevent being frozen to surfaces. Always make sure that the tracks are free to rotate by putting down pressure to break the pads free of the surface. Never try to rock the machine with the travel pedal to break it loose.
Routine excavator maintenance prevents costly downtime and unexpected failures. From hydraulic fluid maintenance and replacement to adjusting and changing your tracks, preventive maintenance is crucial to ensuring year-round operations.
How to check hydraulic fluid on an excavator: Always check hydraulic fluids before operating as part of your daily walk-around inspection. Ensure the stick is in the service position. Access the hydraulic fluid gauge in the side compartment and determine whether the fluid level is at or below the indicated level.
How to check for leaks: Hydraulic cylinders that leak not only pose environmental issues letting oil out, but they also let dirt in and can significantly shorten system life. Cylinder leaks should be repaired immediately!
How to add hydraulic fluid to an excavator: When your hydraulic fluid level is low, it’s important to add fluid before operation while the engine is still cool. Remove the plug and fill with the Cat-recommended class of hydraulic oil until the level is within safe operating range.
How to adjust tracks on an excavator: To prevent excessive undercarriage wear, you need to make sure your tracks are set at the appropriate tension. To tighten sagging tracks, first, raise one track off the ground using the boom. Starting with the middle roller, measure the distance from the track. Add grease using your grease gun until the track is tight enough at that roller. Carry on with the other rollers as necessary. Repeat on the other side. Never over tighten the tracks.
How to change excavator tracks: To replace your excavator tracks, raise one track off the ground using the boom and remove the idler to give the track slack.
Remove the nut and pry off the old track using a lever. Lower the machine and lift the new track onto the sprocket and carrier roller. Lift the machine again and push the track into place, adjusting the tension before moving to the other side.
For exact instructions on these maintenance tips and more, see your OMM for details on servicing and maintaining your model of Cat excavator. A general rule of thumb if you are using a hydro mechanical tool is to change hydraulic oil at ½ the recommended interval.
