First, look at the size of the dozer blades on the small machines in relation to the size of the excavator itself. Then have you ever tried using one of them to backfill? Due to the blade size, and the fact an excavator isn't made to push, the whole backfill process is slow.

Now, actual the answer. It's mainly because when your digging a hole that BIG it's much more economical to have a dozer backfill the hole, and then do the grading necessary to complete the job, than to do it with the excavator. This due to the two things mentioned above.

With the smaller machines they aren't digging that big of a hole, and the job often can be done more economically with the excavator using it's blade -vs- bringing in a second machine. Typically there won't be that much actual grading involved with the smaller hole to get the site back the way it was. Now it may take another 30 minutes to get the job done due to the slower speed, but the cost to bring in a second machine is greater than the cost of that extra 30 minutes of time.

Short answer. There's a lot more involved in backfilling a BIG hole than there is a small hole, and time is money, even more so when your dealing with the larger machines than the smaller ones.
 
Most rubber duck excavators has blades,the main reason tracked excavators don't have blades is the undercarriage,excavator undercarriage differs a great deal from dozers and is only meant to carry the excavator,Kobelco do build a full size excavator with a blade in the Blade Runner range and so does New Holland,go to You Tube there is videos of them working.
AJ
 
(quoted from post at 15:03:14 02/04/15) Most rubber duck excavators has blades,the main reason tracked excavators don't have blades is the undercarriage,excavator undercarriage differs a great deal from dozers and is only meant to carry the excavator,Kobelco do build a full size excavator with a blade in the Blade Runner range and so does New Holland,go to You Tube there is videos of them working.
AJ
Blades on small excavators keep the machine from sliding in hole while digging .
 
The main reason that small excavators have a blade is tipping and lack of counterweight. Try pulling dirt out of a ditch or picking something up at or around max reach with the blade up haha. You will quickly put the blade
 
(quoted from post at 03:12:21 02/05/15)
(quoted from post at 16:56:35 02/04/15) Why don't large excavators have blades??
The question was about large excavators
AJ
A large excavator with a blade would make the gross weight to heavy , would have to dismantle to move . Kobelco makes a medium size excavator with a blade on it .
 
(quoted from post at 06:35:18 02/06/15) I think you would also get it stuck much easier.nobody wants to stick a big excavator (don't ask) little one no big deal.
Yes , it seems the big excavators find a lot of deep mud holes and bottom out and some times can not get out under their own power .
 

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