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This was crucial on the Valley Metro Rail Line project. "We had to maintain vehicle and pedestrian traffic on the streets we were working on," Fouty says. "Having a little tighter swing radius made it a lot more practical to use."

Yet, some lift capacity may be sacrificed, depending on the model. "For the same horsepower, you don't get quite the lift capacity as you do on a track machine, just because of the stability of the unit," says Fouty.

But once outriggers are applied, it's another story. "When the wheel excavator is equipped with outriggers, it can lift as much as the next size larger track excavator," Cremeens states.

Jacobson agrees, adding, "Once the machine is stabilized on four outriggers... its lift capacity, especially over the side or 360°, may outdo the crawler machine - a big advantage in tight situations."

Overall, the differences between wheel and track models are minimal. "There are more similarities than differences with regard to performance between Caterpillar's wheel and track excavators," says Cremeens. "They both accomplish hammer, dig, trench and truck loading [functions] with comparable performance. The difference is that the track machine is right at home on a steep incline or in soft underfoot conditions.