2020's? Possibly?

[MVFD]

I was just on Volvo CE's site and came across this concept excavator.
Heres the link to the page, check it out.
Could be some good things to come in the future. Certainly far out :yup

http://www.volvo.com/constructionequipment/na/en-us/products/crawlerexcavators/SfinX%20concept/

[9420pullpan]

i saw this model of that concept at the 2005 conexpo

2945

[cat320]

don't think i care for that if that was the case i would probale buy all iculd before that change over if i was using them.seams like it would not be as stable and probaly sink mor do to having the weight on four points instead of spread out .

[iceberg210]

Really really cool ideas hopefully some of which will be implemented in the near future on new excavators. I would think a machine like that even today could sell pretty well if it were built without to many bugs and at a decent price competitive with other more conventional machinery.

[digger242j]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks as if each tracked section might adjust up and down, making it similar to the Schaeff walking excavator we had a thread about somewhere. (Too lazy to look it up right now.) That might be worth the compromise of a greater tendancy for each individual section to sink.

[Deas Plant]

Hi, Folks.
I wonder how much they pay the people who came up with that 'concept'. And how much 'wacky-baccy' do they give them while they're 'working' on these 'concepts'?

Firstly, you would lose a LOT of manouevrability by having 4 separate tracks like that plus it would be a LOT harder on the individual track frames and their legs and the undercarriage components simply because you don't have the middle section of the track to spin on. You are trying to force every part of the track sideways across/through the ground on every turn. You would virtually have to pick up one end or the other for every turn or have them all steerable like the wheeled excavators. And to steer them, you would have to make them turn individually on the ends of their legs. It's getting a little too complicated for this li'l black duck.

Next, I look at that skeleton boom and dipper and I think, "Jeez, I hope they do a better job of building that than they do on your average pin jib crane lattice 'cos they don't like sideways and twisting loads much at all. And what do excavators get constantly - sideways and twisting loads on the boom and dipper.

Now just for the mental exercise, can you imagine taking something like that into a rough shot rock face, cutting a bench, climbing up on top of said bench and loading dump trucks with the shot rock?

Just my 0.02 cents.

[Dusty]

i watched the vid and its all a nice idea and we all know how far the machines have come and not really changed in many years
but i remember all the fly by wire will never work and it is working so who knows what will come true

[MVFD]

I think the original design will never change, but they may make something like this for different applications. It has its pros and cons. I would like to something like that on the market, but alot needs to be changed and redesigned. my 2 cents

[Countryboy]

I try to keep an open mind to new ideas but I'm just not liking that one.

[jazak]

ditto. just looks way odd. Also looks easir to to get stuck with 4 seperate tracks.