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Gorski at K-Five Construction notes, "We put more maintenance into our Gradalls for two reasons: They are an on-road vehicle, and for us, they are high-production units, so downtime is not an option. For our operation, when you get into owning and operating and your cost per hour, the Gradalls are less expensive because of higher utilization."

Performance characteristics
Because of the similarity in upperstructure designs, the basic performance characteristics between wheel and track machines also tend to be fairly comparable.

Because the upperstructure is lower to the ground, track excavators may offer more digging depth, says Thomas. "The track operator has better visibility without a steering wheel on the self-propelled excavators," he adds.

Stability of a wheel excavator may also be a factor if stabilizers are not in use. "Track machines have more breakout force and lifting power because they have more stability through the track," says Metzgar.

However, wheel models can offer a smaller overall footprint, making them well suited for urban areas. "The footprint is nice and compact, so they work in a little tighter environment," says Fouty at Archer Western. "They have a little narrower swing radius."