Bigger and stronger components featured in new LBX HD excavators

Some jobs are tougher than others on earthmoving equipment. Working conditions, weight requirements, and other factors can add difficulty and potentially call for a machine that is better adapted to those challenges.

The X4 series of excavators from LBX can handle most situations, but for those that need an excavator that brings that extra effort the company has turned to its experience in forestry and added three heavy-duty machines to its line. Three X4 HD excavators, the 210, 250, and 300, have added beefier undercarriages and a variety of more rugged offerings for use in demolition, pipeline, land clearing, and other jobs.

While the excavators retain many of the X4 features, they have been built bigger literally from the ground up, according to Randy Phillips, product manager with LBX.

"The undercarriage on these machines is actually part of our forestry line. It has a high, wide undercarriage with one size up travel motors, lower rollers, and upper rollers. For instance, the 210 would use 250 components, the 250 and 300 basically use 350 forestry components," Phillips explained.

Wider undercarriage stance and higher clearance

Compared to standard excavators, the HD models have an 11 to 17 percent wider stance along with 40 to 50 percent higher ground clearance, which provides additional stability and higher lift capacities, according to LBX. The machines are also equipped with full-length track guards, which protects the undercarriage when working on inclines and in other situations that could potentially cause damage to the tracks. Two bar grousers are also used, Phillips noted.

"If you're in a land clearing application, the two bar grouser is going to do a much better job going through the bush, in a wooded environment, for example. It will have more traction and clean out better."

The business end of the excavators has been updated as well, with the addition of a heavy-duty boom and arm and a high lift bracket. That addition provides another three to four feet of additional height, Phillips said, for use in demolition applications, loading tub grinders, and other roles that need more reach from the machine.

The boom and stick are designed with a material thickness greater than a standard excavator, Phillips noted, providing additional strength for those heavy duty applications. Hydraulics have also been bolstered with the addition of combination hydraulics as standard on the HD machines, he said.

"It has open and close and rotate functions, so that if you're using any kind of tool, it can range from a single action tool like a hammer to something like a grapple that would rotate - it can do all three types of hydraulic functions," he described. "The versatility of these machines is endless."

Cab carries over from base X4 line

While the undercarriage and front of the X4 HD machines have been bolstered, the cab and structure hold on to the comfort and capability of the X4 line. Power is provided by an Isuzu Tier 4 Final engine, generating power with a low fuel and DEF consumption rate while going without a diesel particulate filter.

The cab itself features a high-resolution, 7-inch LCD monitor and a rear-view camera for added visibility at the back of the unit. The operator will be comfortable in a high-back air suspension seat with heat and tilt functionality. On-board Bluetooth, Free Swing, and straight travel pedal are all available from the factory. Proportional joysticks pair with the combination hydraulics for additional versatility and performance.

The new machines have been drawing interest from a variety of industry sectors, including some that might not necessarily be focused on excavators. A machine on display at the ISRI trade show drew interest from scrapyard owners and for use in demolition roles with shear attachments, he noted.

"Not all scrapyards are paved or concreted. People liked the additional ground clearance, and the fact that the machines had the standard combination hydraulics - that meant they could run a hammer, a grapple, or anything else that needed a rotate circuit," Phillips said.