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Liebherr or Volvo, wheeled with elevating cab?

SeaMac

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Jun 2, 2012
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27.2730° N, 80.3582° W
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Hello fellow Operators,

A question if you will, provided money was no object and you had a choice of Liebherr or Volvo wheeled excavators with elevating cabs which would you choose and why?
 

joispoi

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Mar 1, 2008
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1,284
Location
Connecticut
In your this particular case, I would look at which dealer could offer better support and keep the machines up and running. Both are good quality machines, but even good machines break down from time to time.

For a while, the Liebherrs were compared to BMW's in terms of smoothness and operator comfort, they had some minor electrical bugs that required intimate knowledge of the machines to troubleshoot efficiently. I don't know if that is still the case with their machines today. The scrap yard in my town runs Liebherr machines and they seem to make a profit.
 

SeaMac

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Jun 2, 2012
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joispoi- Thank you for your input. The closest Liebherr dealer to me is in Georgia whereas the Volvo dealer is 30 miles south. I would like to keep all my machines from one manufacturer if possible. Unfortunately Volvo does not offer a stationary/electric excavator that I'm aware of. My machines will be used in a C&D recycling facillity and one will do nothing but feed the picking line and can be stationary, two others will be wheeled. In my area is a very successful underground utility contractor and they have since the beginning used nothing but Liebherr excavators and swear by them. Thanks again for you input.

Regards,

Sean
 

SeaMac

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KWD- I'll look into the Terex/Fuchs machines tomorrow, I would be very surprised if there's a support network here in South Florida. I do appreciate the input however, thanks...
 

SeaMac

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Okay then,

So I looked up the Terex/Fuchs machines, they're good machines but, word 'round here is "stay away from Terex" no support....at all! Looks like it will end up being a Liebherr, seems they're soon to release some new compact wheeled excavators in the US and as far as I am aware they will have elevating cabs as an option. This is very good news too, no one else makes a compact wheeled excavator which is rather odd if you think about it. Wheeled means "go anywhere on any surface without damage" compact means "fit into really tight spaces" you would have thought that combining the two attributes would've been a no-brainer.
KWD- I'll look into the Terex/Fuchs machines tomorrow, I would be very surprised if there's a support network here in South Florida. I do appreciate the input however, thanks...
 

xcmark

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Feb 28, 2010
Messages
357
Location
Foxboro , Ma.
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construction
Back a few years ago there was a rental company that had a Gehl mini with wheels for rent , first wheelie that was around 12,000 lbs I had ever seen. I also drove by a local Liebherr dealer and they had a 924 and a 934 with the elevated cab and demo / scrap boom on them. The 934 is a BIG unit , the tires are around 5' tall. I am going to try to load pictures from my phone...... I may need the help of a 12 year old to get this done!
 

CABLE_UP

New Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
3
Location
upstate NY
Those little buggys are very neat! I have never seen that sort of gadget before. They look like a lot of fun to run. Also I do not think my opinion is to be viewed as of any importance as I am more of a crane man, but I used to Rig/Oil on a 120 ton Liebherr and it was the bees knees! I loved cleaning and greasing it and standing on the deck looking in the cab! (someday I'll sit in there! :D) It was so beautiful in there and the operator used to love Liebherrs too and despised Terex. Again doubt it helps because those were cranes but thanks for showing me these cool rigs anyway!!!
 

SeaMac

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I worked as the Electrician for an Italian based foundation contractor, they make a lot of their own equipment and their crane operators would always say that Liebherr made the best crane. Funny too, the operators would fight over running the Liebherr as opposed to the Manitowac or Soilmec.
It was so beautiful in there and the operator used to love Liebherrs too and despised Terex. Again doubt it helps because those were cranes but thanks for showing me these cool rigs anyway!!!
 
Last edited:

CABLE_UP

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Jun 8, 2012
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upstate NY
I worked on Manitowoc cranes for a couple of years. Although I do love Manitowocs I still feel the Liebherr is a more refined machine. I do not think that Manitowoc makes a wheeled excavator, if they did I'd have to go with that one. Good luck with your decision!
 

SeaMac

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I'm fairly certain Manitowoc - excuse the original misspell - doesn't make hydraulic excavators. And yes, I am close to making a decision and leaning heavily towards Liebherr, they make a Waste Handling specific machine not just an option package like Volvo.
I worked on Manitowoc cranes for a couple of years. Although I do love Manitowocs I still feel the Liebherr is a more refined machine. I do not think that Manitowoc makes a wheeled excavator, if they did I'd have to go with that one. Good luck with your decision!
 

blueman

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Apr 3, 2009
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45
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NC
Seamac,
Volvo (and others) have smaller wheeled models, they just don't offer them in the US today. They had an EW55 (now EW60) that didn't spark much interest here, but is quite popular overseas.
As for Volvo v Liebherr, don't underestimate the value of local dealer support if you're going to hold on to it for any lenght of time. But you have to decide what you need and are willing to pay. Liebherr is a leader for full size scrap machines, Volvo isn't. But both are active in waste and multi-tasking machines. Looks like you're looking at much small sizes so it depends what you will do with the machine - are you running a metal recycling yard, or waste transfer station, or what?
 

SeaMac

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Location
27.2730° N, 80.3582° W
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Hi blueman,

Actually, I was going to bid on the C&D Reccyling contract at a local transfer station, have since found out that Waste Management Inc. has a hard-on for the entire facility which means us little fish haven't much of a chance at winning the contract. I am familiar with both Volvo and Liebherr machines and Liebherr currently has the A 914 Compact Wheeled in the US with the A 918 Compact Wheeled becoming available later in the year neither machine has an elevating cab. As for product support, our local Volvo dealer is not thought of in high regard and although the Liebherr dealer is miles away in Bartow, FL they have excellent product support with roving technicians.
Seamac,
Volvo (and others) have smaller wheeled models, they just don't offer them in the US today. They had an EW55 (now EW60) that didn't spark much interest here, but is quite popular overseas.
As for Volvo v Liebherr, don't underestimate the value of local dealer support if you're going to hold on to it for any lenght of time. But you have to decide what you need and are willing to pay. Liebherr is a leader for full size scrap machines, Volvo isn't. But both are active in waste and multi-tasking machines. Looks like you're looking at much small sizes so it depends what you will do with the machine - are you running a metal recycling yard, or waste transfer station, or what?
 

John C.

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It's odd you don't mention Cat. I've seen a couple of M18 models up here with the elevating cabs.

Is that maybe a little big for what you want?
 

SeaMac

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Jun 2, 2012
Messages
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Location
27.2730° N, 80.3582° W
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I have nothing against CAT, but do not care at all for the local dealership. I am no longer looking into bidding on this project so my search for a Material Handling machine is over. Thanks for the reply though...
It's odd you don't mention Cat. I've seen a couple of M18 models up here with the elevating cabs.

Is that maybe a little big for what you want?
 
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