Hydraulic shovel excavator

The hydraulic shovel is very similar to the rope shovel which it is steadily replacing in many quarry applica- tions. The rigid, cable operated boom and stick are replaced by a jointed boom actuated by several hydrau- lic cylinders. The bucket can be precisely positioned and directed normally towards the face/rock-pile rather than constrained to travel in an arc.

The hydraulic shovel is used to dig directly into soils, weak or blasted rock and load into dump trucks. The accuracy of digging and loading, rapid cycle time and high 'break-out' forces create a very versatile and useful machine capable of both high output and selectivity. The excavator is crawler mounted and relatively manoeuvr- able and has a bucket capacity between 5 and 35 m 3.