Kobelco’s smallest excavator arrives in Europe 

Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. (KCME) announced the arrival of its smallest excavator to the European market. The SK08, which has an operating weight of just 1,035kg, is a super-compact

Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. (KCME) announced the arrival of its smallest excavator to the European market. The SK08, which has an operating weight of just 1,035kg, is a super-compact mini excavator that is ideal for working in confined areassuchas on residential job sites where space is restricted, or assisting larger machines with the demolition of buildings from the inside.  

Mini excavators are key to Kobelco’s overall product line-up and the manufacturer is committed to continually developing the range to ensure that the smaller machines areas productive as possible. While the SK08 has been designed with a small working footprint, the machine still benefits from the same high performance and quality characteristics the Japanese manufacturer has become renowned for. 

The SK08 is ideal for working inside buildings as its slim upper structure allows the machine to pass through doorways and enter narrow passages of just 700mm wide (with 730mm-wide protecting structure removed). In addition, the SK08 is equipped with a crawler extension/retraction mechanism as standard and the crawlers can be further retracted to just 680mm to avoid obstacles underneath the machine.

The SK08 has a tail swing radius of 725mm and a maximumtail overhang of 305mm.The machine’s boom swing, which provides a digging width of up to 310mm outside the left crawler (crawler retracted) when the boom is swung 85 degrees to the right, also enablesthe smooth digging of side ditches close to walls. The SK08’s 7.7kW high output engine delivers 10.0kN of digging force and its generous working range includes2,830mm digging reach and 1,460mm digging depth. 

The SK08’s reinforced structure is designed to with stand tough working conditions, such as on demolition job sites, and excellent lateral stability is assured due to outer flange-type lower rollers. The position of the bucket cylinder hose inside the arm and hose protection cover on the back of the boom,a s well as boom and dozer cylinder protection covers, also help to prevent damage to the hydraulic cylinders and piping.

This machine also uses a direct type of hydraulic control that is simple to use. This enables the operator to directly move the hydraulic spools instead of using a pilot type system. Although the pilot system is more ergonomic, direct control is more dependable, particularly on demolition job sites where working conditions can be challenging. 

Like Kobelco’s larger machines, easy maintenance of the SK08 is ensured via a number of important features. These include a wide opening hood for easy access, corrosion-resistant aluminium radiator and fuel filter with easy water drainage. In addition, un necessary downtime can be avoided through the use of long-life hydraulic oil, which has a replacement cycle of up to 1,000 hours.   

Commenting on the introduction of the SK08, KCME Product Marketing Manager, Peter Stuijt, said: “The new SK08 is Kobelco’s smallest mini excavator and its arrival opens up a whole new market for us. Europe’s infrastructure is developing rapidly and as a consequence, the demand for small yet high performance excavators has also increased over the past 12 months. This machine is therefore ideally placed for Europe’s busy constructionsector, including residential areas where there are space restrictions”.