Mecalac 6MCR skid excavator review

Mention Mecalac to contractors and chances are you will be met with looks of confusion. The French brand is perhaps no household name, but if word spreads about the capability of its machines we will start seeing at least one Mecalac on every job site.

Mecalac’s MCR range of machines can effectively replace three machines on the job site. Labelled a skid excavator, it can do everything an excavator can, yet with a simple flick of a switch in the cab it goes into full skid-steer mode. With an impressive reach height above and below the ground, it can also do triple duty as a telescopic handler for material handling purposes.

Founded in 1974 in the French city of Annecy, Mecalac says innovation is at the very core of its designs. It came up with the “rubber ducky” wheeled excavator design with articulated chassis over 30 years ago, and has evolved the design ever since.

When the MCR range was first released in 2009, it took the construction world by storm and claimed several overseas design and innovation awards.

While Mecalac has been distributed in Australia since 2005 by Perth-based dealership, Digrite, it wasn’t until recently that the brand decided to officially enter the local market as a manufacturer and expand its Australian footprint.

Mecalac Australia Managing Director, Phil Shepley, recently took the 6MCR model on a demo tour around the country and when it made its Victorian stop, we jumped at the opportunity to assess the fascinating machine in detail.

The six-tonne 6MCR is the smallest model in the range, which goes all the way up to 15 tonnes.

“It's 100 per cent tracked loader, 100 per cent excavator and 100 per cent telehandler,” Shepley said.

“It's designed from the ground up to be a tracked loader, but you can flick the switch and drive it like an excavator, and then flick the switch again to drive it like a loader.”

The machine is compact with a well-designed cab, sleek curves and a quality finish, highlighting the thought and effort that went into its design. A three-piece boom usually associated with European designs is located to the right of the cab, allowing operators full visibility of its movement from their seat.

With a width of 2m and a zero-tail-swing configuration, the 6MCR skid excavator is an ideal machine for use on urban job sites for any application, be it digging, stockpiling, loading, or materials handling.

What truly sets the 6MCR apart is its 10km/h travel speed, which Mecalac said is at least twice that of a conventional excavator. Combined with a body that rotates 360 degrees, it effectively shaves off a huge chunk of time in loading or stockpiling applications.

The Mecalac 6MCR runs a hydrostatic closed-loop track system. It has the same drive motors and pumps as a normal track loader, giving it speed and precision.

“With the 6MCR, you get the same pushing power, speed, and advantages of a track loader,” Shepley said.

“But because we have rotation on the top, we can come into a pile of dirt at 10km/h, pick up the dirt and start tracking backwards at 10km/h while rotating the top of the machine.

“By the time we get to where we want to unload, we're facing it, we can dump, and then we travel back to where we were originally.”

A reach height of 6m far exceeds that of a conventional track loader, giving it an edge when unloading into trucks with high sidewalls, for example.

The 6MCR is powered by a Tier 3 Deutz engine offering 75hp, which is far more powerful than many other excavators in the same weight category.

That power is useful especially in track loader applications to allow the undercarriage to move at full speed, while still allowing full use of attachments and rotation of the body without loss of power.

“The pumps for the undercarriage are completely separate to the pumps for the equipment so we can be going at full speed while still being able to move the boom and run the attachment,” Shepley said.

“Because we have the big engine, we can run a large equipment pump for high-flow auxiliary hydraulics. Because of the high flow we can run larger-diameter cylinders, therefore we get the force for lifting.”

In excavator mode, the Mecalac 6MCR is well placed to perform any regular excavator function, like digging, backfilling, even lifting.

“If you're doing drainage or heavy lifting, the six-tonner can lift 2.8-tonne in front of the machine, accommodating anything from soakwells to septic tanks,” Shepley said.

Another unique feature is the three-piece boom, instead of the standard two on other machines. This gives the 6MCR increased reach and the ability to work in closer to the cab, as well as better breakout force.

“We do get offset as well with the Mecalac 6MCR”, Shepley said.

“It's a mono boom style setup where it's fixed on the bottom but we have offset in the top dipper stick so we can actually offset outside the track frame if needed.

“So this allows you to, for example, trench over the other side of the fence or offset dig further than where your tracks can go.”

Thanks to its lifting capabilities, the Mecalac 6MCR can also operate as a forklift or telescopic handler to handle pallets, for example.

Operators simply switch attachments from a loading or digging bucket to a pallet fork from the comfort and safety of the cab, and Bob’s your uncle. Then they simply run the machine in skid-steer mode, which allows easy manoeuvrability and precise control of the attachment.

While the lift height is certainly impressive, it is the depth of where it can reach below the machine that truly sets it apart from conventional material handlers.

“We can get up to a 6m height with the pallet forks but more importantly we can do sub-3m,” Shepley said.

“It's the only machine on the market that can be used to drop pallets below ground level, which comes in handy for when you need to reach into a gully or pit.”

“The forks are certified for lifting and we've got anti-drop valves in every circuit. So from negative three up to six meters, we're certified with anti-drop valves.”

Designing the Mecalac MCR range to take on such a wide range of jobs without compromise on speed and efficiency certainly posed a number of challenges. One was having the right engine to ensure the machine has enough power to handle the different attachments and applications, which Mecalac has covered.

Another challenge was having a coupler strong enough to handle an assortment of attachments, from a loader bucket to an excavator bucket to a pallet fork. For that, Mecalac has designed its own Connect quick coupler that enables operators to change attachments within seconds, and is sturdy enough to handle attachments big and small without any risk of detachment halfway through a job, for example.

“A standard excavator hitch is not strong enough to run a skid-steer attachment, but the Connect Hitch is larger, simpler and reversible,” Shepley explained.

“It has all the advantages of an excavator hitch but without the reduction in breakout force and has a lot more strength and rigidity, so we can run wide buckets and heavy attachments without any failures.”

The Connect quick hitch is also easy and safe to use, allowing operators to switch attachments within about 10 seconds without having to leave the cab.

Upon hopping into the operator’s seat, the spaciousness of the cabin is immediately evident, with excellent visibility all round.

Mecalac uses ISO controls for its MCR units, which allow seasoned operators to feel right at home in the machines. A simple dial on the right-hand console allows operators to switch between loader and excavator mode.

In loader mode, the left-hand joystick controls the movement of the machine while the right joystick controls boom and attachment functions. In excavator mode, both joysticks switch to conventional excavator functions, i.e. house and dipper controls on the left and boom and bucket controls on the right. Travel levers and foot pedals on the floor in front of the operator control the movement of the unit.

Noise levels were relatively low from the operator’s seat and the air suspension seat absorbs all shock and impact from traversing uneven terrain, providing for a very comfortable experience overall.

After closely evaluating the machine and witnessing its capability, I was struggling to understand why the Mecalac product isn't a common sight on work sites – for sheer versatility, it's simply hard to beat.

Admittedly, with pricing starting from $112,000 plus GST, the 6MCR costs a bit more than a conventional 6-tonne excavator or track loader, but its ability to effectively replace several machines in the fleet represents a huge cost saving.

“If you compare the MCR to a high quality machine of about the same size, you're looking to pay about 30 per cent more than the other machine, but it’s 50 per cent cheaper than buying both,” Shepley said.

“If you're the type of customer who takes advantage of the machine's performance, that 30 per cent is going to be money well spent.

“You really have to come and give it a test drive to believe us… once you've experienced it, you really can't go back.”

Find out more about the Mecalac range at Mecalac.com.au

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