TVEX EK-18 wheeled excavator in Moscow - sale and leasing

For questions regarding the purchase of this equipment (TVEX EK-18 wheeled excavator), terms of credit and leasing, service and warranty, please contact the plant’s dealers or official representative offices. TVEX EK-18 wheeled excavator can be supplied either directly from the manufacturer or from sites in Moscow and other regions of the Russian Federation .

Technical characteristics of the TVEX EK-18 excavator

People's excavators TVEX ET-25 and TVEX EK-12-60

L. Malyutin, photo by the author

Today, Tver excavators remain the best-selling, in other words, the most sought-after excavators on the Russian market: the average production rate is 160 machines per month - not bad at all. At the same time, do not forget about their prevalence and “familiarity” - many generations of machinists have worked on Kalinin equipment, as well as the simplicity of design, maintainability, and availability of spare parts.

The traditional products of Tver Excavator OJSC, wheeled excavators of the 3rd size group, will remain the main point of the plant’s production program. Market priorities will also remain - budgetary organizations, road and low-rise construction, i.e. the lower and middle price segments. But the number of competitors is growing. To the used excavators from Europe (the difference in the price of Tver machines and a 5-year-old “foreign car” is 20...25%), new Chinese ones have been added with a very attractive price, and the activity of Chinese entrepreneurs gives rise to serious concerns. In addition, European used equipment is getting younger, which means its consumer qualities are improving.

How does TVEX respond to the challenges of our time? Firstly, the production culture is growing and product quality is improving. Secondly, the model range is being modernized and expanded. And thirdly, which is perhaps the most interesting, the offer is expanding due to the variety of configurations and its variability. The buyer, based on his goals and financial capabilities, can “design” an excavator, choosing the appropriate engine option, hydraulic equipment, etc. It is important here that the quality of the load-bearing structures of the excavator meets the expectations of the buyer of the richest configuration. Tver will retain its specialization in wheeled excavators.

Experiments with tracked vehicles grew into a joint venture with the Kovrov Excavator Plant. Production will be at the Kovrov base, where components will be sent from Tver, including for the main production of the Kovrov plant. The GAZ Group decided that tracked excavators should be made by specialists in tracked vehicles, and wheeled vehicles – by specialists in wheeled vehicles. In general, specialization and concentration of production is one of the strategic tasks being solved today by the GAZ Group, which has gathered under its wing very weakly or completely unrelated enterprises, which in addition suffer from the disease of “subsistence farming”. Tver, for example, produces up to 90% of components for itself. These problems are chronic, closely related to the social sphere and require a balanced approach. Today, the issue of centralized production of hydraulic cylinders for the entire group is being considered. There is a similar project on SPU (slewing bearing devices). It is assumed that Tver will continue to produce them, but in larger volumes (for the Kovrovets plant).

What are Tver excavators like today? The new, brand new tracked ET-25 and wheeled EK-12-60 that were waiting for us at the factory yard, despite the difference in size and different chassis, have a lot in common in a number of components, approaches to design, layout and configuration.

The configuration of the presented EK-12-60 is not the simplest - it is equipped with a Deutz diesel engine with turbocharging, which is connected to the PSM pumping unit (Pnevmostroymashina OJSC). The dimensions of the engine compartment are just right for this engine, placed, as usual, with the pump on the starboard side and the radiators on the left. On imported cars, for fire safety reasons, the pump compartment is separated from the engine by a steel partition, so that if the hydraulics lose their seal, the working fluid does not get on the hot parts of the engine and ignite. This is not the case here. Moreover, in light of the same considerations, it is somewhat strange to see a muffler directly above the pumping unit. Moreover, this is an extra heat load on the pumps. In general, the layout of the engine compartment is somewhat ill-conceived. The air filter is placed, frankly speaking, not very well - in front of the radiators, which is not very good for cooling, and limits access to the radiator during maintenance. You can also work on the placement of the air and water pipes, then you can reduce the height of the engine hood, and visibility to the rear would be better.

The pump unit is connected to the flywheel by a SENTA clutch and consists of a gearbox, two adjustable pumps and one unregulated pump. The pump unit gearbox is serviceable. A diesel engine with a power of about 60 kW is started with a 12 V starter. By the way, there is a more budget option - with an MMZ diesel engine.

The EK-12-60 hydraulic circuit is built on domestically produced devices, some of them are manufactured by TVEX itself. The radiator block is also, one might say, domestic - it was manufactured (in Minsk). Two radiators - the engine cooling system and the hydraulic system - are made of aluminum, the thermal conductivity of which is better than that of copper. The radiators are rigidly connected, which is simpler and cheaper, and they are blown by one engine fan. Radiator parts are unified for all engines. In case of sudden cold weather, a German Hydronic 10 starting heater is installed. Recently, the heater was prudently included in the basic package, as was the Separ filter-water separator.

An interesting feature of the Tver “wheelers”, which distinguishes them from their imported “colleagues”, is the pneumatic system. It ensures the operation of drum brakes, gear shifting of a two-speed gearbox, turning on (off) the front axle, and turning off the permanently closed parking brake. The EK-12-60 pneumatic system operates from a standard Deutz engine compressor and includes receivers, sensors, valves, etc., located on a turntable. Through the central manifold, the platform pneumatics are connected to the actuators of the running gear. The design of the chassis recognizes many products from the domestic automobile industry. Using common, simple, proven and inexpensive parts and assemblies is the right approach when creating a budget car.

A mechanism for quickly changing attachments with hydraulic control adds some variety to the budget theme. A rather impressive hinge train has already been developed for it. To work with a hydraulic hammer or other attachment with one hydraulic circuit, the working equipment is equipped with hydraulic wiring.

TVEX has developed a cabin that is unified for all excavators. For a budget car, its design and equipment are very good. The chair offers several adjustments, including weight adjustment. The steering column is tilt adjustable, the windshield rises under the roof, and there is a sunroof in the roof. Climbing into the cabin is not difficult - the steps on the running frame are not high from the ground, there are handrails. To exit the cab, you need to lift the entire left console, and not the lever, as on most foreign cars. The steering does not require effort - the hydraulic drive works. The control of the working equipment is via joysticks with a servo drive. The lever on a ball joint is mounted on a four-spool control unit with the ability to simultaneously activate two spools and is connected through hydraulic servo control to the excavator's hydraulic power system. No electronics, everything is simple, reliable and inexpensive. There are no devices that significantly increase the cost of the car, such as an on-board computer, CAN bus, etc. Only in the dashboard there are very few electronics.

The Zenit 8000 cabin heater is installed under the seat and is powered by the engine cooling system. Air circulates directly through the heater grille; there are no air ducts or diffusers. The thirty-degree heat did not allow us to evaluate the capabilities of the heater, and the air conditioner, like the autonomous heater, is installed only upon request.

The tracked ET-25, still produced in Tver, was equipped with a Yaroslavl YaMZ-236 diesel engine. For this reason, it has a very high engine hood - the air cleaner is hidden under it. The engine is cooled by copper radiators. A modification is provided with the installation of a Perkins 1106C engine with electronic control; it is planned to install a Deutz engine. The layout of the engine compartment is more free - the dimensions allow it. The pumping unit has two adjustable and one unregulated pumps; Bosch-Rexroth hydraulic motors are installed in the platform rotation and travel mechanisms. The crawler undercarriage was manufactured in Kovrov. The running frame is rectangular, not X-shaped. I would like to note the quality of cutting the steel sheets and the smooth welding seams. It can be seen that the welding is carried out by a robot. An interesting feature of the carpet trolley is the track tension mechanism. Working fluid from the excavator hydraulic system is pumped into its hydraulic cylinder. The system is original and quite complex, but it protects against excessive pressure in the hydraulic cylinder if a solid object gets between the track and the tension or drive wheel, which can stop the track.

ET-25 is also equipped with a starting heater and a water separator filter. There is no pneumatic system, the actuator drives are hydraulic. Working equipment with a “permanent” bucket. The excavator is equipped with additional hydraulic equipment (hydraulic hammer, hydraulic shears) upon request. The cabin is unified, distinguished by controls for a tracked undercarriage and a YaMZ diesel engine (there is a stop lever).

The control of the working equipment differs from imported machines - the functions between the levers are distributed differently, but you quickly get used to it. The Deutz diesel engine is, of course, much quieter than the YaMZ, but there is no significant difference when working on wheeled and tracked excavators - the hydraulic circuits are the same. When idling, frighteningly sharp movements of the working equipment, rattling and swaying in the final positions are observed, which is quite understandable. Under load, everything changes: movements become smooth and predictable. You quickly get used to the levers and no longer feel the difference with an electronic joystick. And the power is quite at the level, only the arrow creaks for some reason.

In principle, everything is the same as on a “foreign car”. Except that the joystick is a little lighter and more ergonomic. Height-adjustable armrests would also be very useful: keeping your arms suspended all the time is not very convenient.

It is incorrect to compare Tver excavators with world brands. Wrong price range, level of technical solutions, comfort. But it turns out it is possible. They are very good at their work and, perhaps, will not lag behind eminent rivals, although there are shortcomings. TVEX engineers still have a lot of work to do, but their simple and affordable machines will always be in demand and in large quantities.

Digging parameters of the TVEX EK 18 excavator

Recommendations

Dismantling and destruction of brick, concrete and reinforced concrete structures of medium strength, including cutting reinforcement, destruction of metal structures, cutting scrap metal, charge. Loading and unloading bulk and non-bulk cargo from gondola cars.

A bucket with a volume of 1 m3 can be replaced with:

• Replaceable handles L=2200 mm, 2800 mm, 3400 mm and with buckets V=0.77 m3,0.65 m3, respectively.
• Hydraulic hammer MG-300, designed for destruction of concrete and reinforced concrete road surfaces, brick structures, unreinforced concrete and other similar works, including loosening frozen soil and compacting loose soil.
• Hydraulic shears NG-1624
• Ripper 225-00-40.17.400
• Log grabber 313-00-40.12.000 with a lifting capacity of 3 tons for loading and unloading operations and stacking logs and other lumber. The log grabber can be equipped with a full-rotation rotator.
• Digging grab and grab for bulk materials.

There is an option with two pairs of outriggers.

The engines fully comply with all international environmental requirements and have a number of significant advantages:

• twice the service life and warranty period compared to domestic engines;
• 10% more torque;
• ensuring fuel savings of 10-20% depending on the type of work;
• reduction of maintenance time by 20% due to increased intervals between maintenance;
• reduction of noise and vibration at the operator’s workplace.

Materials used by Tverskoy Excavator OJSC, https://www.tvexc.ru.

Equipment used on EK-18

Photos of the TVEX EK-18 excavator on the Internet indicate that this machine is equipped with a bucket (the so-called backhoe) with a volume of 0.65 to 1 cubic meter according to the used handle length. The E170W is also equipped with a similar bucket.

How replacement attachments can be used:

• Hydraulic driven hammer type MG-300;
• Hydraulically driven shears type NG-1624;
• Baking powder;
• Log gripping device;
• The maximum permitted load capacity is 3 tons;
• Digging grab installation;
• Loading grab installation (five jaws).

The EK-18 wheeled excavator and reviews about it indicate that the owner of such equipment will enjoy the work. Its digging depth is 5.77 meters, and its unloading height is 6.24 meters. The movement speed of TVEX EK-18 is 20 km/h, and the fuel consumption of EK-18 is 8.6...9.5 liters, depending on the selected mode.