[Hawkeye269]

Spider excavators have been described as the mountain goats of the machine world. No matter how difficult the terrain, these agile excavators have the skills to traverse it... having said which, their application is so specific, not a lot of people even know they exist. Watching a video of one of these "walking" (or "spider") excavators for the first time, one can't but help think of post-apocalyptic Hollywood blockbusters woven around the theme of alien invasions... it's truly a sight to behold!

https://youtu.be/f_XiSfdIvo0

This video is of a Menzi Muck M545 digging out a reservoir in Switzerland on an extreme slope (Source: YouTube.com)

Now that I have your attention, let's get to know these curious machines a little better.

1. The What

These are a special type of all-terrain excavator which, like regular excavators, consist of a boom, stick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform (known as the "house"). The similarity, however, ends there. The house in this case sits atop an undercarriage consisting of "legs" or arm-like extensions. These are often fitted with wheels, as can be seen in the video posted above. The name "spider" or "walking" excavator stems from the ability to move all the extensions of the excavator in increments, especially across difficult terrain.

Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_excavator)

2. The When

Up until 1966, none of the conventional construction machines in existence at the time could be used for difficult work on the awkward alpine slopes of central Europe. It was in that year that Edwin Ernst Menzi (1897–1984) and Joseph Kaiser (1928–1993) came together to invent the walking excavator, which could be used on mountain inclines. Subsequently, Menzi Muck AG (based in Kriessern, Switzerland) and Kaiser AG (based in Schaanwald, Liechtenstein) would go on to independently develop more advanced models of such excavators.

Source: Menzi Muck AG (www.menzimuck.com/unternehmen/geschichte) & Kaiser AG (www.kaiser.li/company/company-profile)

3. The Why

The walking excavator's main design feature is its ability to move in a spider-like fashion to overcome any - or at any rate most - terrain obstacles. Special features are based on a sophisticated high-tech chassis and the patented boom: various hydraulic cylinders enable the vehicle to adapt its wheels and supports to any terrain. Other design features (including the undercarriage, the number of legs or wheels, whether the leg itself is fixed or has telescoping arms, etc.) vary widely with specialised roles, and indeed from model to model. Most modern walking excavators have rotating or powered wheels allowing them to roll or drive depending on the need.

Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_excavator) & Menzi Muck AG(http://www.menzimuck.com/en/product-...ing-excavators)

4. The How

Control is achieved through the complex use of joysticks and foot pedals. One big advantage of ownership is that there’s little risk of someone stealing the excavator as they’d need to figure out how to get it moving first!

The Kaiser S2 excavator was featured on the Discovery Channel's Daily Planet Extreme Machines show, where Mitch Coors explains what it takes to operate these magnificent machines:

https://youtu.be/CbEm2aKGVgk

(Source: YouTube.com)

[Aditya]

That's a first for me. Hadn't even heard of spider and walking excavators before you put up this thread. Now that you have my attention, I must say these are fascinating creations.

I was going through some of the pictures available online and my jaw dropped. Those arms give the vehicle so much flexibility and the ability to work on surfaces other vehicles will not dare to tread on.

Just look at these two:



Source

They just seem to be able to work everywhere and seem to be able to perform multiple functions:







Source

Somehow, I have never seen these in India. Any idea if we have any in the country? Development will be sped up massively.

[V.Narayan]

Thank you for sharing what a delight to watch them working. Never seen any moving machine with locomotive flexibility like this. Those operators need courage.

[Hawkeye269]

Originally Posted by Aditya

That's a first for me. Hadn't even heard of spider and walking excavators before you put up this thread. Now that you have my attention, I must say these are fascinating creations.
...
Somehow, I have never seen these in India. Any idea if we have any in the country? Development will be sped up massively.

While I haven't actually seen one in India, Kaiser AG has this to say on its website:

"The mobile walking excavator is not an excavator in the conventional sense of the word. Its strengths come into their own in areas where others are unable to compete. Whether deployed on steep slopes in Alpine regions, an Indian metropolis or Florida’s swamps, the KAISER mobile walking excavator never fails to attract attention."
(Source: https://www.kaiser.li/category/114-m...ing-excavator/)

More tellingly, Menzi Muck AG lists Kam-Avida Enviro Engineers Private Limited ("KAM-AVIDA") in Pune as its authorised service and sales agent (See: https://www.menzimuck.com/en/service...pacific/india/).

Apparently KAM-AVIDA officially imports Menzi models and rebrands them as the KAM-MATE for sale in India. According to their website, 6,552 of these machines have been despatched as on 31 August 2020:


See: http://www.kamavida.com/products/KAMMATE

In case you are wondering, "KAM" is a stand-in for "cleaning and maintenance," while "MATE" is an abbreviation for "Mobile All Terrain Excavator"

Here's an extract from their brochure setting out the technical specifications of some of the KAM-MATE models:


See: http://www.kamavida.com/products/KAMMATE

And here's a PDF copy of the brochure itself: 20170707082212KamMateM520andM540.pdf

Finally, here are a couple of videos of the KAM-MATE in action in India:

https://fb.watch/1viUfJe94U/

https://fb.watch/1viXaNpQyr/

Source: KAM-AVIDA's Facebook page

The original caption for the second video reads as: "Our Mobile All Terrain Excavator - the Kam-Mate A91 performed its maiden Swachh Bharat job last evening at an open nallah in Kondhwa, Pune, Maharashtra, India."

Note to Mods: I tried uploading the aforesaid videos in mp4 format but it appears that the forum only permits YouTube videos to be embedded in posts.