Why Does This Giant Excavator Have Such Large Tracks?

In today’s installment of “Bigger isn’t always better”, we check out some insanely huge tracks fitted on a CAT 320D Excavator that seem to be the worst possible idea. The massive tracks dwarf the excavator itself, but seemingly just add a lot of weight with no visible upside beyond being big for the sake of being big.

When the video started, I expected the enlarged track design may allow the 320D to float and serve as a shallow-water excavating vessel, but if that’s the case, they did a poor job of demonstrating that. Instead, we get to watch the normally-capable machine flounder under its own weight while trying to cross a relatively small muddy creek. I would have expected a typical 320D to have no problem crossing a creek of this size, but this one had to use its bucket to pull itself across while the tracks struggled to find traction in the mud.

Maybe there is some kind of benefit that wasn’t shown in this clip, but if this is the tracks maker’s sales video, I don’t see these selling well at all.