Excavators might be the ultimate base machine to modify — there is certainly no limit to the creativity that can be infused into customizing an excavator. While OEMs do offer custom configurations and options, contractors and modification specialists around the world are the best at tailoring machines to unique local applications.
I’ve been fortunate to travel in Canada and to other countries to see some incredible customized excavators that work in the dirt, on the rails, on the water, and in the woods. Most designs start with a phone call from a contractor, a challenge that presents itself on a project, or an initiative to better serve a contractor and improve their bottom line with a tailored equipment solution.
What fascinates me most about custom excavators is that they are the ultimate reflection of the builder — how they see a problem and the solution to that problem — translating their thoughts into steel, welds, and hydraulics. While some customizations may be repeated by other operations, each of these machines is unique in the way it was built to address the specific problem it was tasked with. Because, as we all know, no two job sites are exactly the same.
In the dirt
KPCL Dirt Movers’ Cat 395 excavators with muskeg buckets
How do you move a lot of material in a hurry? A bigger bucket usually does the trick. KPCL Dirt Movers’ (Kelly Panteluk Construction) two Cat 395s are a fine example of why bigger buckets can really make a difference on large earthmoving projects.
KPCL was tasked with excavating 1.6 million cubic yards of fly ash at a coal-fired power generating station in southern Saskatchewan. Fly ash is the byproduct of burning lignite coal to generate electricity; it is captured and turned to a slurry for long-term storage in ash lagoons.
The reality is, OEMs tend to be conservative when outfitting their excavators with standard buckets, but contractors often encounter materials and conditions where a much larger bucket would be a better pass match for the haulage fleet and would increase production.
For this project, KPCL outfitted the two mass excavation configuration Cat 395s with 10-cubic-yard muskeg buckets built by Weldco-Beales Manufacturing out of Edmonton, Alberta. Muskeg buckets were designed for northern Alberta’s muskeg (boggy peat), yet have found their way into other applications due to their wide applicability for earthmoving. A muskeg bucket is deeper than it is wide, allowing for higher capacity. A spade nose lip increases ease of penetration. The larger bucket proved to be an ideal pass match for loading KPCL’s fleet of Cat 745 ADTs.
When you think of configuring a mass excavation machine, 3D machine control might not come to mind, but both excavators are fitted with Trimble 3D. The technology is used to track excavated quantities; take point shots in the pit bottom, which surveyors can’t access due to water; and ensure the underlying clay liner is not excavated through. Once the project is complete, the machines will find their way onto KPCL’s other large earthworks projects in Saskatchewan.
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