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Lifting & Access
Material handlers: purpose-built for scrap, ports and timber
Material handlers look like excavators but are built to lift and sort, not dig. They work in scrap yards, ports, timber yards and recycling plants with grapples and magnets.
Model guides
Popular material handlers reviewed
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Material Handlers compared
3 models · click a column to sort
| Liebherr LH 60 M | Liebherr | 58,500 kg | — |
| Caterpillar MH3024 | Caterpillar | 25,000 kg | — |
| Terex Fuchs MHL350 | Terex | 35,500 kg | — |
A material handler is built on an excavator-like platform, but optimised for lifting and moving loose or bulky material rather than digging. Typical features include:
- Elevating cabs that rise several metres for a view into trucks, barges and piles.
- Long, straight booms and sticks for reach.
- Grapples, orange-peel grabs, clamshells and magnets.
- Wheeled, crawler, rail-mounted or stationary undercarriages, plus electric versions powered from the grid.
Where they work
Scrap and metal recycling, port and barge handling of bulk materials, timber and paper mills, waste transfer stations and biomass plants.
Frequently asked questions
Can a material handler dig?
Not well. Material handlers lack the digging forces and buckets of excavators; they are designed for lifting and loading loose material.
Lifting & Access