It would make sense to have something similar to the Badger or the Swiss Kodiak. I noticed the British are acquiring a similar vehicle with a backhoe type excavator on it as well a dozer blade that can be exchanged for a mine plow. I work in construction and operated excavators for nearly ten years and there is no machine out there that is more versatile. I would imagine the small Badger fleet we have is getting on in the years and especially after having spent a lot of time in the former Yugoslavia and now in Afghanistan. Excavator hydraulics are extremely complicated and run at very high pressure so its often cheaper to replace a machine than to overhaul it. Plus the technology has advanced in leaps and bounds so controllability and efficiency has gotten a lot better. |