Excavators: arm geometry, lift-chart positions and the complete fitted package

Excavators should be compared with the fitted boom, arm, bucket and working-range drawing identified, then checked against the actual lift and transport requirements. A position that can be reached is not automatically a position at which the required load may be lifted. Kato’s HD512III catalog illustrates the geometry difference: its 2.10 m short arm has 5,220 mm maximum digging depth, the 2.50 m standard arm has 5,620 mm, and the 3.00 m long arm has 6,130 mm. Long versus short adds 910 mm, without proving equal force or capacity at that depth. The catalog’s lift notes separately limit its listed capacities by hydraulic and tipping criteria and require lifting-accessory deductions. At an expressly assumed chart allowance of 900 kg and a required 120 kg deduction not already included, 780 kg remains. Confirm the exact chart, load position and notes before applying such arithmetic to a machine.

Excavators need their actual arm and attachment identified

Kato HD512III maximum digging depths by published arm configuration
Arm	Maximum digging depth
Short, 2.10 m	5,220 mm
Standard, 2.50 m	5,620 mm
Long, 3.00 m	6,130 mm

Which configuration must be identified when comparing excavators?

Record the boom, arm, bucket or other attachment, counterweight, shoes or wheeled support arrangement and relevant options. Match the drawing and chart to that configuration. A model name alone can conceal materially different geometry, while a headline depth or operating mass cannot establish the machine’s suitability for every excavation, lift or transport requirement.

How do the HD512III arm options change maximum digging depth?

The Kato HD512III catalog lists 5,220 mm with the 2.10 m short arm, 5,620 mm with the 2.50 m standard arm and 6,130 mm with the 3.00 m long arm. Long versus short adds 910 mm depth.

Retain the listed configurations and drawing basis. Another Kato or arm assembly needs its own figures.

Does the longer arm preserve the same force and lift capacity?

Depth cannot establish tool force or lift capacity. A longer reach can change geometry and load demand without preserving another configuration’s force or capacity. Compare the relevant specifications and chart at the intended position instead of treating the extra depth as a uniform improvement in every kind of work.

Check the placement envelope and chart position

What other working-range dimension matters when loading a truck?

Check the relevant dumping height, reach and clearance at the actual placement position, with the fitted bucket and work method. Check dumping height and clearance for truck loading. The truck position and safe operating area must fit the usable envelope; nominal reach alone cannot establish a collision-free loading arrangement with adequate support.

Where must the excavator lift chart be read?

Select the actual horizontal radius, load-point height and direction of lift, with the specified configuration and ground conditions. Identify chart radius, height and lifting point. A nearby cell, a front value substituted for a side value or a rating for different shoes can describe another operation, even when the machine appears able to reach the load.

Apply the stated lift criteria and accessory deductions

What are the Kato chart’s hydraulic and tipping percentages?

The cited catalog states that listed lifting capacities do not exceed 87% of hydraulic capacity or 75% of minimum tipping load. These percentages limit that chart’s listed capacities.

Retain its firm, uniform support and equipment basis. Multiplying operating weight by either percentage cannot create a lift chart.

How are required lifting-accessory deductions applied?

Read inclusions before subtracting accessory mass. With an expressly assumed 900 kg allowance and 120 kg of required deductions not already included, subtraction leaves 780 kg. Those inputs do not rate the HD512III; they demonstrate why accessory mass and the source’s inclusion rules must be known before choosing a load.

Can the same attachment be subtracted twice to be conservative?

Determine what the applicable figure already includes and what its notes require to be deducted. Double-counting an included attachment gives a misleading calculation, while omitting a required accessory overstates the remaining allowance.

Record lifting point, configuration and individual masses. A generic rigging percentage cannot establish the required deduction.

Inspect running gear and establish the transport arrangement

What changes when comparing wheeled excavators?

Establish the road-travel configuration, tire and axle limits, permitted stabilizer or blade setup and the applicable lifting arrangements. Wheels cannot establish road permission or surface protection. The site support and route assessment still belong to the particular machine, configuration and planned operation.

What establishes undercarriage condition on a used excavator?

Measure the fitted running-gear components against their actual criteria and record repair history and required work. Equal hours do not establish equal remaining life, and one chain or roller measurement cannot price the engine, hydraulic system and structure. Keep the systems and findings separate enough for the purchase allowance to reflect the inspected machine.

Is there one excavator weight that requires a lowboy or permit?

Assess the complete secured load and route. Establish actual mass, dimensions, distribution and secured configuration instead of applying a universal pickup or lowboy threshold to every machine. A published operating mass cannot supply all loaded axle values, and a class name cannot determine oversize status in every jurisdiction.

Match the task to site controls and the complete quotation

Which site hazards cannot be resolved by a larger specification?

Buried services, overhead lines, unsupported excavations, people and nearby structures need the applicable site controls and competent plan. More reach, mass or breakout force does not establish permission for demolition, tree removal or unsupported trench work. Identify the intended operation and suitable equipment and procedures rather than choosing from the largest headline figure.

What should an excavator quotation make explicit?

Request the fitted working equipment, applicable charts and attachment approval, transport arrangement, condition findings and service scope for the actual task. Label production and cost assumptions separately.

Compare mini excavators, backhoe loaders and lift-capacity definitions. Return to machine classes.

Define the excavation before choosing the machine

Record the required depth, bottom width, reach from a permitted standing position and where excavated material must go. A trench, a footing and a truck-loading job can demand different parts of the working envelope. Keep the selected bucket and coupler with the drawing rather than judging the job from maximum dig depth alone.

Mark the constraints around the work: access, buildings, the edge of an excavation, overhead space, spoil location and the place a truck can safely stand. The machine must fit its working and travel positions. A depth that appears adequate in a catalog cannot establish room for the rear swing, a suitable spoil location or sufficient support at the planned standing point.

Use the actual configuration throughout the comparison. Boom and arm length, shoes, counterweight, bucket, coupler and other installed equipment belong beside the model designation. If a seller quotes a base specification while offering a different arm or heavier attachment, obtain the corresponding documentation rather than carrying the base figures into the job plan.

Read working range and tool force as different measurements

A working-range drawing identifies where the fitted equipment can reach. For trenching, check the useful depth and reach needed from the permitted position, including the trench's actual profile. For loading, check the bucket's discharge height and reach at the truck position.

The largest depth and largest reach in a brochure need not occur at the same point.

Bucket-curl force and arm digging force describe different actions. Keep the manufacturer's label, tool configuration and any stated boost condition with each value. A large bucket-force number cannot be substituted for lifting capacity, while a longer arm's depth advantage does not establish identical force through its whole envelope.

Assess a proposed change of boom or arm using its own drawing, force data and load chart. A two-piece boom, offset arrangement or long-reach package adds a different geometry to investigate. The general name does not establish clearance, service requirements or approval for a specialized task such as demolition.

Obtain the actual supported equipment package.

Check the lifting position through the complete movement

Start with whether the manufacturer supports the intended lifting operation and attachment. Establish the load and center, designated lifting point, rigging, support configuration and required direction of lift. An excavator that can dig at a position has not thereby demonstrated a supported suspended-load rating there.

Read the applicable chart at the required radius and height for the actual configuration. Preserve front, side, blade or stabilizer distinctions and the chart's lifting-point reference. Where a symbol identifies a hydraulic limit, keep it with the figure.

The Kato catalog's published percentage criteria are already part of its listed capacities; they are not additional multipliers to apply again.

Determine what the chart includes before accounting for attachments and lifting accessories. Keep separately established masses beside each required deduction. A coupler or tool included in the rating must not be subtracted twice, and an omitted rigging item must not be concealed inside a guessed allowance.

If a configuration or chart position is absent, resolve it through the correct documentation before planning the lift.

Check the pickup, movement and placement positions rather than only the first point. A load moving farther away or into another lifting sector can encounter a different allowance. Keep the ground, exclusion arrangements and operating procedure with the plan; a supported chart entry is not evidence that unknown fill, a trench edge or an obstructed swing area is suitable.

Match the bucket and hydraulic attachment as a complete installation

Identify the bucket's application, geometry, mass and supported carrier connection. A larger volume can change the carried material mass and the working load without making the excavation faster. Keep the actual material and task in the comparison rather than assuming the largest bucket available suits every soil and truck.

For a breaker, grapple or other powered tool, obtain its operating requirements and the carrier's installed auxiliary arrangement. Flow, pressure, return backpressure, case drain, controls, attachment mass and protection can all matter. A hose connector that fits is not evidence of the complete match, and total pump output is not automatically continuous flow available at one tool.

Confirm that any advertised auxiliary option is fitted to the offered unit and that the required settings and instructions are available. Keep the coupler's locking and inspection requirements with the tool package. An approved attachment on another machine of similar weight does not establish approval for this particular boom, arm and hydraulic configuration.

Inspect the running gear and working equipment on a used candidate

Obtain the appropriate undercarriage measurements and criteria for tracks, links where fitted, sprockets, rollers, idlers and guides. Keep the component findings and replacement history separate. A recent track replacement is useful evidence but cannot establish the condition of all mating components, while a single percentage cannot describe every wear item.

Record the work environment and travel history where supported by the machine's records. Abrasive material, turning and repeated travel are relevant to running-gear assessment without producing one universal life in hours. Compare actual condition and itemized repair quotations instead of assuming equal meter readings imply equal undercarriage expense.

Inspect boom, arm, bucket and coupler condition using the applicable safe assessment method. Retain measured play, damage, repairs and leakage with the findings rather than treating a loose bucket as a diagnosis of one pin alone. The swing bearing, hydraulic system, engine and structure also need their own assessment; new running gear cannot settle those systems' condition.

Compare tracked and wheeled support arrangements explicitly

For tracked equipment, identify shoes, gauge and the actual configured envelope, then match their permitted application to the supporting surface. A wider nominal shoe changes the configuration to assess; it does not guarantee that weak ground will support the machine or that every hard-surface task benefits from that choice.

For a wheeled excavator, retain tires, axle requirements, road-travel arrangement and the prescribed working support using its stabilizers or blade where fitted. Road mobility can be useful to a job without establishing unrestricted public-road use or a promise of no surface damage. Use the appropriate working chart and support conditions for that configuration.

Plan transport and price the usable package

Prepare a transport inventory for the excavator as it will move, including its fitted tool and separately carried attachments. Establish the secured dimensions, mass and distribution for the actual trailer and hauling vehicle. There is no universal excavator weight that independently determines a pickup, lowboy or permit requirement; the complete equipment and route decide those questions.

Keep loading geometry, suitable support, component ratings and securement in the movement plan. A machine fitting between trailer fenders does not establish that it can cross the ramp-to-deck transition or that axle loads will be suitable after positioning. A dimensional permission also cannot increase the trailer's or tow vehicle's rating.

Request a quotation that identifies the working equipment, installed hydraulic options, relevant charts, transport scope, condition findings and required service. Compare hire, purchase or contracted work over the same defined tasks and period, with assumptions visible. A lower base-machine price can leave an essential tool, repair or movement unpriced; a complete package makes that missing scope visible before the job.

Find model specifications for your excavator shortlist

Use the model links to find specifications and compare versions. Match the exact designation and configuration in each section, including the attachment and source edition. A grouped comparison can cover several versions; it does not supply the lifting chart or operating approval for an unidentified machine.

John Deere model lookups

Kubota model lookups

Bobcat model lookups

Takeuchi model lookups

CASE model lookups

Cat model lookups

New Holland model lookups

Yanmar model lookups

JCB model lookups

Komatsu model lookups

Volvo model lookups

Hitachi model lookups

Kobelco model lookups

Hyundai model lookups

Doosan model lookups

Gehl model lookups

Mustang model lookups

Liebherr model lookups

Terex model lookups

Link-Belt model lookups

Sumitomo model lookups

Kato model lookups

SANY model lookups

SANY SY210 and SY230 specifications

Check a documented HD512III configuration against the offer

The linked Kato HD512III catalog gives a specific equipment basis for its service-data weight, not an allowance for every attachment package. Its standard figure identifies a 2.5 m arm, 500 mm grouser shoes and a 0.50 m³ ISO bucket. Keep those details with the operating mass when comparing an offered machine.

Manufacturer catalog example: retain the stated quantity and configuration
Quantity	Published statement
Engine	Mitsubishi 4D34-TLE2A, four-cylinder turbocharged diesel
Displacement	3.91 L
Rated output	68 kW at 2,050 rpm, ISO net
Operating weight	12,100 kg with the catalog's standard equipment basis
Hydraulic pumps	Double variable piston pump and gear pump; maximum discharge flow 2 × 121 L/min

The engine output is a net power statement at its specified speed. The pump flow is a separately labeled maximum, not output promised at a single attachment connector. Neither value establishes that the complete tool, control and return arrangement matches a proposed breaker or grapple.

For a used-machine inquiry, retain the installed engine, arm, shoes, bucket and hydraulic option alongside this catalog example. Ask for the relevant records where the actual equipment differs. A replacement arm or tool should not retain the standard weight or working figures silently, while the source's operating mass is not a scale measurement of the machine and separately carried equipment on a trailer.