How much can it lift?

[badranman]

Hey guys. I'm going to be renting a Cat 315L from the Cat Rental Store for a job we have. How much weight can this lift at let's say max reach? We have to move some pretty big boulders and I think we can roll them, not too sure about lifting them though. Can't find any info on Cat's website. Thanks.

 

[jazak]

I would also like to know this as I have a job to do next spring where I will need to rent this same excavator from the local dealer. Thanks for any info.

 

[Wulf]

There should be a lifting chart in the operators manual and there would likely be a decal in the cab. The maximum lifting capacity will likely be limited by machine stability rather than hydraulic limitation... i.e. you could lift the boulder but as you lift the boom and push the stick out the machine may tip over. The capacity also changes whether the machine is lifting over the idler or sideways (over the track).

The rental store should be able to advise on the right machine for the job

 

[rino1494]

At maximum reach, you are looking at about 7,000lbs. You can always lift more over the corner of the tracks. Never do heavy lifts over the side.

 

[jazak]

Thanks

 

[digger242j]

Besides which, you're not going to know exactly how much each boulder weighs until you've got hold of it. It's not like a manhole section or something where the manufacturer could tell you what it's supposed to weigh. Of course, I know it'd be nice to have some kind of idea in advance. My point is, even if you learn the rated capacity of the machine, unless you've weighed each boulder individually, it's still going to be a matter of having to be careful not to over-reach once you've picked it up. It's the kind of operation that has the potential to turn ugly in a hurry...

 

[badranman]

Thanks for the replies. I understand what some of you mean by not knowing the weight of each boulder and it varies ie: over the side, I was just looking at getting a rough idea of what'll do. I don't see us picking these up but more rolling them into place.