New Bobcat® 323 Mini-excavator digs deeper and faster

Mike Isherwood in Industry News

New Bobcat® 323 Mini-excavator digs deeper and faster

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The 323 incorporates a new advanced hydraulic system featuring variable displacement. The machine is equipped with a dual outlet torque-limiting piston pump which is able to sense and react to hydraulic loads for better utilisation of the engine's torque curve. This helps to minimise lugging, improve control while digging and reduce fuel consumption. The hydraulic system offers 30 l/min of auxiliary hydraulic flow to power attachments such as hydraulic breakers and Bobcat's hydraulic clamp attachment.

Equipped with cab and rubber tracks, the 323 has an operating weight of 1743 kg. Maximum reach at ground level is 4014 mm (compared to 3817 mm in the 322) whilst maximum digging depth is 2297 mm (compared to 2197 mm in the 322). The extra reach reduces the need for repositioning so, as well as digging deeper than its predecessor, the new Bobcat 323 mini-excavator offers a faster work cycle and more productivity.

The new two-speed travel motors provide a low travel speed of 2.3 km/h and a high travel speed of 3.8 km/h, increasing the machine's mobility around jobsites. The turf-friendly rubber tracks distribute the operating weight of the 323 mini-excavator over a larger area to lower ground pressure to 27.1 kPa and minimise damage to landscapes, paving stones and other established surfaces. Steel tracks are also available for harsher working environments.

The 323 is powered by the liquid-cooled, 9.9 kW Kubota Tier II D722-E28 diesel engine which provides a torque of 43.2 Nm at 2000 rpm.

Like the 322 model, the new Bobcat 323 mini-excavator has an expandable undercarriage which can be hydraulically retracted or expanded, allowing access to confined spaces and increased functionality in digging applications. When the undercarriage is retracted, the 323 mini-excavator is under one metre wide (980 mm), so it can gain entry to sites through narrow gateways, doorways and trenches, where larger machines cannot go. Once the 323 mini-excavator is in place on the excavation site, the undercarriage width can be expanded to 1360 mm for digging and loading applications.

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