Menzi Muck M5 spider excavator 2020 Machine Spotlight

It has the presence of a Transformer and the moves of a contortionist. It could probably hip-hop dance in the street, but dancing is the last thing on its list of abilities.

Menzi Muck is perhaps one of the most remarkable pieces of construction machinery ever put into production, with one of the oddest names.

The Swiss-made machine is all arms and legs, graphically illustrating its spider excavator genre. Examples have been working in Europe since Mr Ernst Menzi created his “walking excavator” in 1966, and a few are in operation around Australia.

Ernst Menzi and Joseph Kaiser together invented the walking - or spider - excavator, then each separately developed their own excavators in Switzerland and Liechenstein respectively.

The Menzi Muck 2500 was the world’s first walking excavator and was launched in 1966 to solve problems with conventional machinery working on slopes.

It had a 25hp two-cylinder Hatz diesel engine. Despite its ability to meet the criteria of working on inclines, only two were made before the design was improved to create the adjustable jibs, feet and wheels.

The name Muck identifies the model (there is also a tracked excavator called the Menzi Master) with the name borrowed from a German fairy tale titled The Story of Little Muck about a misshapen but streetwise recluse, which carries the message that it’s superficial to judge people only by their looks. Like its namesake, the Menzi Muck is extremely efficient despite its ungainly appearance.

SEE MORE REVIEWS:

JCB Hydradig Wastemaster excavator review

Mecalac 6MCR skid excavator review

Sydney-based Glen Kimpton is a director of Spider Excavators Australia, the Australian agents for Menzi Muck. He is also a director of Envirocom that deploys specialist excavators for tasks including the removal of trees and shrubs, clearing land in difficult terrain and removing reeds from lakes.

Examples of Envirocom's recent work include clearing land on incredibly steep terrain in Katoomba, overlooking the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains; working in city parklands for Greening Australia; and managing some biobanks in Western Sydney.

Kimpton said his company was also looking at work on the Snowy Hydro project, which would be ideal terrain for the spider excavators.

Envirocom has one Menzi Muck M5 and two other spider excavators by another company, Euromach, in its fleet of machines for hire.

“Spider excavators are the equivalent of ‘normal’ machines approximately 70 per cent larger,” Kimpton said.

“For example, a 13-tonne spider is the equivalent of a 20-tonne excavator in its reach and digging power.”

The machines are also incredibly flexible and strong. Menzi states that its M5 is a 13.5 tonne machine that can lift 9.8 tonnes at 3m and 4.3 tonnes at 6m. It has an excavation depth of 5.47m and a maximum discharge height of 7.7m.

Kimpton said both the Menzi and Euromach brands are efficient at their job, but he has a preference for the Menzi.

“It’s the Ferrari of spider excavators,” he said. “They are a bit more expensive than Euromach, but there are features on the Menzi that are superior and make it a better machine for more difficult conditions.

"The Menzi has claws and rams that extend beyond the tyres and don’t impede travel or the view of the job. It also has legs that go up and down and are able to steer in any configuration.”

Kimpton added the Swiss company is great to deal with.

“Anytime there’s a problem they were right on to it and will send workshop diagrams, all the wires are labelled and we even had a mechanic fly out from Europe to fix a problem with one of our machines and service the machine while he was here,” he said.

“It was a problem we couldn’t fix but he did it in about five minutes.

“The engines are from John Deere or Deutz and the hydraulic pumps are from Bosch-Rexroth, so it’s all top-quality gear.”

The M5, in particular, has a John Deere or Deutz turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine rated at 115kW. The smallest A20 has a 1.1-litre Kubota diesel at 17.6kW while the smallest model in the M series, the M2, has a 2.9-litre 55kW diesel.

Menzi Muck makes four spider excavator models from two tonnes to 13.5 tonnes with derivatives of each. All have four legs that can independently move in and out, up and down.

Most have all four wheels independently steerable, while some are two-wheel drive and others four-wheel drive. Some have longer legs with smaller wheels at the front and claws on the end which are designed for work on steep terrain.

There is also a Sensor Steer option that automatically faces all wheels in one direction while steering, but keeps the wheels independently steerable. This allows the machine to do interesting things like crabbing at an angle along the side of hills.

“Sensor Steer is where all arms turn, so you’re not churning up the ground,” Kimpton explained.

“They have sensors so they know the angle of the wheels. It’s easier to operate than the standard models. This system is optional on all but the top models.”

He added all Menzi models have extendable dipper arms that work in close and tight and can also extend right out for distance work.

The machines also come with ROPS standard cabins with cast-metal protection panels; reverse camera; five LED headlights (three forward, two rear); LCD dashboard; seven-vent heater and air ventilation; as well as a digital radio and CD audio system.

“We use the M5 for the biggest and most complex ground conditions, and the Menzi A91 for work in water, mainly because it’s the older machine,” Kimpton said.

“We are looking at getting the M2 as the next machine for the business.

“We are seeing increasing interest in these machines, especially from landscape businesses.

“Not many people knew of the brand a few years ago but now it seems many people in the industry are getting to recognise them and ask questions.

“There are even jobs coming up which specify spider excavators.”

Although interest in the machines has been increasing, getting the right operators is proving to be difficult at the moment, Kimpton said.

“Not everyone can operate these and working in extreme conditions has proven to be difficult for many operators,” he said.

“Training is really about seeing if someone can do it or not. It’s not suited to everyone as it requires some multi-tasking - like rubbing your stomach and tapping your head at the same time.

“It’s very much a machine that requires plenty of practice because a lot of the operation isn’t logical. There’s also completely different control locations on the Menzi and Euromach.

“They have steering and claw controls in the reverse, so up is down on one and the reverse in the other. Even left and right controls are switched in the Euromach.

“I treat the back of the Euromach as the front and the only difference then is that the steering is reversed - turn left to go right, for example.

“Most of the work we do is on steep terrain and operators need a lot of care to remain stable and not knock anything while digging.”

The Menzi Muck range certainly lives up to its title of the “Ferrari of spider excavators” with its construction and component quality, as well as its price.

Kimpton said the M5 ranges between $550,00 and $600,000 depending on options and the smaller ones are around $130,000 for a two-tonne model.

“The Menzi is a specialist tool. It’s not as good for general excavation work, so in some cases, they’re not necessary and users are better off with a conventional machine.”