Fuel economy: how efficient is your earthmoving equipment?

With fuel prices on an upward trend and project budgets being tightened across the country, it’s a wise move to look at fuel efficiency as a deciding factor when choosing an excavator.

Fuel consumption in litres per hour is a great metric to compare machines. It gives you a quick way to make an informed choice by showing how much fuel you’re likely to go through over the course of a shift, or even over your entire project.

Whilst some manufacturers dismiss this metric as too simplistic, in reality, fuel usage is a strong indicator for most contractors to make a sound decision. With a lack of other real-world efficiency indicators, fuel burn is one that can be easily understood by all, and one that makes a direct impact on your bottom line.

How is fuel burn measured?

Construction equipment fuel consumption rate is measured in litres used per hour, which often includes a mix of both work time and idle time. It varies depending on the type of work you are doing, the operator’s skill and method of working, as well as the weather.

Some manufacturers point out that a higher fuel consumption rate may just mean that you are working more and idling less, so it’s important to remember that if your machine is logging a lot of idle time during a shift it is, of course, using less fuel.

However, as most machines would likely be operating at the same rate on any particular job, using heavy equipment fuel consumption as a metric is still relatively accurate.

To put it another way: no matter which brand of excavator you are using on your job, it would probably be operating at the same split of work and idle time. A switch in brand is not going to change the site conditions, work processes and other trades working around you, and therefore making a distinction between work and idle time is really splitting hairs.

Naturally, idling less and working more is the goal of any project, to keep things moving, make your equipment hire and staffing arrangements more efficient, and minimize fuel consumption. But in reality, this rarely happens on-site! Some idle time comes with the territory and therefore looking at average fuel consumption as an overall metric provides a ‘close enough’ figure to make an informed comparison between excavator brands.

The catch: fuel efficiency is often a trade secret!

Most manufacturers keep the hard numbers of fuel efficiency close to their chest, instead citing reductions in fuel costs compared to their own previous models.

On one hand, this is positive to see earthmoving equipment manufacturers putting a heavy focus on efficiency and reducing operating costs. Healthy competition amongst manufacturers means that leading brands are constantly looking to improve their designs and offer customers better fuel economy.

However, the hard numbers of actual fuel economy can be difficult to uncover, and therefore it is tricky to create a like-for-like comparison across different brands.

One manufacturer has openly shared their results from fuel efficiency testing in a live work environment. Take a look at this video from Kobelco where a fuel metering device was attached to a 25t excavator for a week to accurately measure fuel burn on a job in Western Sydney.

So, which excavator brands are best for fuel efficiency?

Kobelco is our brand of choice because their excavator range offers excellent power and performance on-site whilst keeping fuel expenses to a minimum.

Here’s what Kobelco have to say about one of their 20t excavators:

“The Acera Geospec SK200-8 saves 8,800 litres of fuel over the course of a year, amounting to around AUD$13,500 (when compared with the previous Kobelco model SK200-6ES). This equates to an average reduction of 20% in fuel consumption.”

Kobelco machines may not have the cult following of other excavator brands, but when you look under the hood, the Japanese manufacturer has designed their machines from the ground up in the relentless pursuit of maximum fuel efficiency.

With every part of their machines designed for efficiency, from hydraulic circuits to auto-off systems that avoid wasteful and excessive idling, Kobelco excavators are incredibly efficient and fuel-saving. Extra attention has been given to engineering solutions that make fractional gains across all areas of the machine. This equates to all systems being designed to boost fuel efficiency and reduce unnecessary fuel consumption, not just the engine and hydraulics.

Maintenance: the forgotten metric

Ultimately, no matter which brand of machine you choose, it is going to run more smoothly, perform more efficiently and use less fuel when it is well maintained.

Fortunately, Orange Hire is leading the way in low-hour earthmoving machines with an average fleet age of just over 2.5 years, all of which are subjected to meticulous maintenance programs conducted by trained and caring staff.

Excavator maintenance is a key factor in ensuring excellent and efficient excavator fuel consumption, so choosing a hire partner who maintains their machines well is critical in avoiding excessive fuel burn.

For more information about our complete range of shoring services and equipment, visit your nearest branch, email [email protected], or call our friendly team of experts at 1800 UR HIRE.