The first manual excavator has been around for over 130 years, evolving from steam-powered bucket rotary excavators to electric and internal combustion engine-powered rotary excavators, and finally to fully automatic hydraulic excavators utilizing mechatronics technology.
Due to the application of hydraulic technology, in the 1940s, suspended excavators with hydraulic backhoes mounted on tractors were developed. In the early and mid-1950s, towed full-rotation hydraulic excavators and tracked full-hydraulic excavators were successively developed. Early prototype hydraulic excavators used hydraulic technology from aircraft and machine tools, lacking hydraulic components suitable for various excavator operating conditions, resulting in inconsistent manufacturing quality and incomplete parts supply.
From the 1960s onwards, hydraulic excavators entered a phase of widespread adoption and rapid development. The number of excavator manufacturers and product varieties increased rapidly in various countries, and production surged. Between 1968 and 1970, hydraulic excavator production accounted for 83% of total excavator production, approaching 100%. Excavators were originally manual, and over 130 years after their invention, they have evolved through various drive systems, including steam, electricity, and internal combustion engines. Hydraulic technology was applied to excavators after the 1940s, and the commonly seen tracked, fully hydraulic excavator was developed in the 1950s.
The three most important parameters of an excavator are: vehicle weight (mass), engine power, and bucket capacity. In 1951, the first fully hydraulic backhoe excavator was launched by the Poclain factory in France, opening up entirely new possibilities in the technological development of excavators.
