Comparing Trenchers To Compact Excavators
Comparing Trenchers To Compact Excavators

Both Of These Machines Are Affordable, Popular, Highly Productive, And They Both Have Helped Lay Alot Of Cable And Pipe In The Ground. While Theyboth Can Do The Work, There Are Differences Asto How They Perform When Stacked Up Against Eachother In Residential Utility Installations.Size And PriceThe Average Dig Depth For Utility Installations Inresidential Applications Is Between 40 And 48inches. The Basic Trencher That Digs To The Abovedepth Will Boast A 20 - 30 Horsepower Engine Andcost Around 40,000 Dollars. The Most Popular Type Of Compact Excavator Is The2.5 Metric Ton Size Class, And It Uses A 30 HPengine And Costs Around The Same Price. The Biggest Difference In The Two Surfaces When You Need The Trencher To Dig Deeper. The 2.5 Metricton Excavator Has No Trouble At All Digging To 8feet Or More, Although A Trencher That Can Digthat Deep Will Require An Engine With Around 100horsepower And Cost Upwards Of 90,000 Dollars!Life CostsNot Counting The Bucket Teeth And The Replacementof The Rubber Tracks At 2,000 Hours, Fuel Androutine Maintenance Are Your Only Daily Costswith A Compact Excavator. The Digging Chain, Teeth,and Sprockets On The Trenchers Are Consideredwear Items And Need To Be Replaced Often. Evenwith The High Consumable Costs Of Trenchers, Thedifferences Will Tend To Even Out When Productivityis Taken Into Effect.ProductivityFor Straight Line Trenching At An Average Depth,trenchers Will Flat Out Lead Compact Excavators.Under Reasonable Conditions, A Trencher Can Workthree To Four Times Faster Than That Of A Compactexcavator. Another Area Where Trenchers Reallyexcel Is Wooded Areas, Where Tree Roots And Logscan Make For Slow And Sloppy Digging When Using Abucket. VersatilityWhen It Comes Down To It, Compact Excavators Cando A Lot Of Things That Trenchers Can't, Especiallywhen They Have Attachments On Hand. If You Aredigging With A Compact Excavator, You Can't Goanywhere Near As Fast As You Can With A Good Qualitytrencher.Keep In Mind That A Trencher Isn't A Single Mindedmachine Either. Most Styles Of Trenchers Can Beoutfitted With A Backhoe Attachment That Attachesto The Front End. Whenever Concrete, Rocks, Orasphalt Stands In The Way, The Boom And Chain Canbe Replaced With Rock Teeth And A Wheel. In Softsoils, You Can Set Up A Trencher With A Plowattachment And Plow In Cables Faster Than Usingany Other Available Method.When It Comes Down To Choosing, Keep In Mind Thatit All Depends On Your Needs. There Are Somecases Where The Compact Excavator Is Best To Choose, While There Will Also Be Jobs In Whichthe Trencher Is Going To Do The Best Work.PPPPP(word Count 466)