An Overview of Vital Excavator Parts

Excavators are rugged and durable machines built for heavy-duty work on construction projects, farms, and ranches. They come equipped with various complex parts, and knowing about them can help you keep your machine in tip-top shape.

Check out this guide to learn more about the vital components of excavators, and for more information, swing by RECO Equipment. You will find us in Ohio, Indiana, & Pennsylvania, so reach out today.

1. Undercarriage Parts

Your excavator’s undercarriage comprises four primary parts:

The Tracks: Your excavator moves on its tracks instead of wheels. These are a series of reinforced rubber track plates with pins and run-over rollers.

The Track Frame: This is your robust rectangular frame with a center pin to let the frame swivel. It consists of the swing bearing, slew ring, and swing gear.

The Final Drives: This component powers your machine’s tracks to move together and separately. It features a gearing system and hydraulic motor connected to your excavator’s engine via a drive shaft.

The Blade: This optional attachment is useful for grading.

2. House Parts

The excavator’s house sits over its undercarriage and is comprised of the operator’s cab, the counterweight, the engine, and fluid tanks.

The operator sits in the cab when operating the machine, and its enclosure ensures the driver enjoys maximum visibility all around. The cab also offers protection from the elements, dust, and debris at your worksite.

The counterweight provides an excavator with the weight needed to prevent the boom from tipping over the machine when extended. For more maneuverability, get a model with a more compact counterweight.

Excavators come outfitted with a diesel engine for maximum power. It gives the machine strength to control its hydraulic pumps and keep them going.

You will want to keep your fuel and hydraulic fluid in the fluid tanks in the rear housing near the engine.

3. Arm Parts

The unique design of excavators features a long arm that bends in the middle. It is comprised of a boom, a stick, a bucket, and attachments.

The boom, also referred to as the arm, is the upper portion of the digging arm attached to the excavator’s house. Standard models control a machine’s up-down movement, but knuckle booms can also move left and right.

The lower end of the boom is called the stick or dipper arm, and it is attached to the boom via a hinged joint. The stick helps pull your bucket through the ground when digging, and you can choose an excavator with a long or a short stick, depending on what suits you better.

The metal container attached to the stick of your excavator is the bucket. You can use it to scoop up loose material like dirt or gravel. If you want to use your machine to dig holes or split logs of wood, you can replace the bucket with attachments like augers, drills, and log splitters.

We hope you find this guide handy when shopping for excavator parts. If you have more questions or are still in the market for a new excavator, visit RECO Equipment. We have an impressive inventory of heavy equipment for sale, and our friendly staff can help you pick a perfect excavator for your worksite. We are in multiple locations throughout Ohio, Indiana, & Pennsylvania, so stop by today.