Your Komatsu PC55MR

Common jobs for the Komatsu PC55

The Komatsu PC55 is a 5.5-tonne short-swing machine that suits built-up jobs. On Swedish sites it runs residential streets, yards and utility work where you do not want to slew into traffic. The short swing keeps the tail close to the machine, so you dig in the middle of a street or a courtyard without blocking more than necessary around you.

On a utility job the PC55 digs out services in the street and lays new pipe, in a yard it digs for drainage and grades ground. It loads stone and demolition debris into a container without slewing out toward the barrier. It is a machine for dense environments where you work near traffic and buildings.

For that it drives a digging bucket, a grading bucket and a light concrete breaker, all on the S40 hitch, plus a grapple when you load stone and demolition debris. At 5.5 tonnes the machine carries everyday attachments steadily, but think about weight when you reach out far with a heavy load.

Buckets and attachments that fit the PC55

For a 5.5-tonne machine you choose a digging bucket for excavation, a wide grading bucket for levelling and slopes, and a narrow cable bucket for utility and services. On utility jobs it is often the digging bucket and cable bucket you swap between, with the grading bucket out for reinstatement.

A sorting grapple belongs on the PC55 when you load stone, pull apart and sort spoil on tight jobs. The short swing lets you load near the barrier without slewing out, and at 5.5 tonnes the grapple sits steady as long as you do not reach out far with a heavy load.

All attachments run on the S40 hitch, the standard for mini excavators. With the same hitch you swap quickly between bucket, grapple and breaker without leaving the cab, which saves time on tight city jobs.

Hydraulic breaker and heavy attachments for the PC55

A 5.5-tonne machine drives a light hydraulic breaker for concrete and stone. On utility and street jobs the breaker is good to have when you hit rock in the pipe trench or have to take out old asphalt and concrete. At this weight you stick to a light breaker the machine can manage.

Check the oil flow against the breaker spec before you buy. On a machine this size it is the flow and not the weight that decides which breaker it handles. Match the breaker to your PC55 so it hits right and does not wear the machine.

An auger drive is useful on the PC55 for post holes, footing piles and planting pits. The auger bit is the part in the drive, and you choose the size by the hole. On a light machine keep the attachment weight down and do not auger at full reach.

S40 quick hitch and fit

The Komatsu PC55 runs an S40 hitch, the standard coupler for mini excavators. Check the attachments are listed for S40 before you buy. With a common hitch you build a set of attachments that all fit and that you swap quickly between tasks.

On a short-swing machine like the PC55 a tiltrotator can be fitted, and on tight utility and street jobs it can be worth it since you angle the bucket without moving the machine in a narrow street. On a 5.5-tonne machine it adds weight, so weigh the gain against more buckets you use every day.