Compact Excavator comparison 2014/15

2t class

Starting from scratch, the following brands have been considered in the first round: Hitachi, Takeuchi, Volvo,CAT, Wacker-Neuson, NewHolland, Yanmar, Kubota, Messersi, Doosan, Bobcat, JCB, Hanix, Hyundai, Kubelco, Sunward, Terex. For each brand, both new and older, second-hand models.
Most dropped out, due to availability in Europe or Germany, service questions, fitting size or technical primary reasons.

Test drives

Some points in evaluation: position of arm cylinder ("push" with cylinder underneath arm versus "pull" with cylinder above of arm), there are pro and cons, I favour the classical hydraulic layout of a ''push'' configuration since it offers more force at the same hydraulic presssure and cylinder dimension), space between seat and front glass (this depends on driver, I found the TB216 just 5cm uncomfortably too short), bearings (bushing preferred, but rare), design of arm, blade, undercarriage, cabin layout (heating, instruments, windows).
As an example, compare the support beams between the tracks and the central undercarriage in the images below. All forces (static gravity, dynamic digging, lifting) are relayed there to the tracks. Note different beam diameters and re-enforcement. Another aspect are the radii of hydraulic hoses: Manufacturers of those (e.g. Parker) specify a minimum bending radius, which is typically quite large (100mm and more). Tighter radii shorten the lifetime. Yet the hose path varies between manufacturers (see images below). This is related to the arm/cylinder layout, but some solutions achieve a nice straight hose path.
Engine compartment: a clean design is favoured, which leads to easily accessible every-day maintenance points, no externally accessible openings and parts.

All images, starting top left, clockwise: Takeuchi TB216, Volvo EC20C, Kubota KX019-4, Wacker-Neuson ET24, Wacker-Neuson ET18, Hitachi ZX18

second round of comparison

comparison of motor service space and rear access panel Volvo EC20, Takeuchi 216, CAT1.7 versus ET18

comparison of hose paths, Hitachi ZX18, Volvo EC20C, CAT/WackerNeuson

comparison under-carriage, mounts to telescopic tracks, JCB, Volvo, WackerNeuson/CAT

Weighted features

• exact control of Arm, best first: Hitachi, Takeuchi, WackerNeuson/CAT, Volvo
• reach of bucket tip at ground level (see PDF table with details)
• conclusive engineering as far as it is visible, engine, arms, under-carriage, best first: WackerNeuson/CAT, Takeuchi, Hitachi, Volvo
• extra features: WackerNeuson (2. door on right, number of hydraulic aux), Takeuchi (dozer blade)
• other aspects (unordered list): No externally accessible fuel cap, no externally visible control switches (e.g. battery main switch), completely removable front window (including lower part), heating outlet at front (so not to toast your feet in winter), straight hose path with minimal bends and large radii (hose lifespan), direct technical contact to manufacturer, leg room in cabin

comparison table(PDF): (sorry, the captions in this file are in German, but you'll figure it out)

Result

The ideal 110% Compact Excavator doesn't exist - yet. Of course, it is a question of personal taste and weighting of features. This one is more steered by engineering aspects than practical every day job experience. Yet the first will govern the latter.
I would like to see the hydraulics of Hitachi in a cabin made by WackerNeuson, the hose paths by Volvo, the blade by Takeuchi and the international service network of CAT.

Remarks

All data and specifications are stated without any warranty for their correctness. "Your mileage may vary", - your requirements for an excavator may be different than mine. It depends on the application and driver. Not all my comments on the images are included here.
Misc: Current CAT models in this weight class are made by WackerNeuson in Linz,Austria, according to type plate, give or take some modifications for CAT. The Volvo EC20 is likely manufactured by ex-Peljob in France. Furthermore, there are a bunch of manufacturers currently not present on the German market. If interested, you probably want to visit the next "Bauma" exposition in Munich. Wikipedia has some useful articles on the various brands and the takeover stories in the last years.

Peter Apian-Bennewitz, info[AT]pab-opto.de, Text and images by me, Copyright GNU_Free_Documentation_License . Reference to this text appreciated, is content is used elsewhere.