Top, Professional and Reliable Manufacturer of Various Machinery – YG Machinery
Excavator Milling Head
excavator asphalt milling head
mini excavator drum cutter
Have you ever encountered these frustrating scenarios: Urban pipeline trenches need to cut through sandstone, and the sound of a hydraulic breaker vibrates the entire street, rattling the windows of nearby apartment buildings; tunnel walls need shaping, leaving the blasted rock walls pitted and uneven, requiring manual leveling with pneumatic picks; old concrete pavements need milling, and the hydraulic breaker exposes the reinforcing steel, making cleanup time-consuming and labor-intensive. The common thread in these problems is: what you need isn’t “smashing,” but “milling.” An excavator milling head (also called an excavator drum cutter, rotary milling machine, rock milling head, or drum-type milling machine) is an attachment that uses a hydraulic motor to drive a high-speed rotating drum with tungsten carbide cutting teeth to continuously mill, grind, and excavate hard materials such as rock, concrete, and asphalt. It doesn’t rely on impact, but on “biting”—like a giant rotating file, milling away layers of material, resulting in a smooth cut, low vibration, and low noise.
YG’s horizontal and vertical milling heads cover excavators ranging from 6 to 60 tons and have been exported to over 50 countries and regions in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. They are widely used in tunnel construction, municipal trenching, concrete demolition, road milling, mining, and underwater operations. If you are interested, please contact us for more product information.
YG’s Excavator Milling Head Attachment Features Core Functional Characteristics
1. Continuous Milling, Far More Efficient Than Pneumatic Picks and Manual Work
The hydraulic motor drives the drum to rotate continuously at 55–95 r/min, with the cutting teeth constantly cutting into the material. Customer tests show that in soft and medium-hard rock, milling efficiency is 2–3 times that of pneumatic picks and manual work.
2. Low Vibration, Low Noise, Minimal Disturbance in Urban Construction
Compared to hydraulic breakers, the milling head reduces vibration by 60–70% and noise by 15–25 decibels. It is more compliant with regulations than hydraulic breakers for construction near hospitals, schools, and residential areas, and for nighttime operations.
3. Precise Cutting Surface, Tunnel Shaping Accuracy Up to ±5mm
The rock surface milled by the drum is smooth, and the contour is controllable. After shaping the tunnel inner wall, shotcrete can be directly applied, reducing over-excavation and backfilling. The shaping accuracy of the horizontal milling head can reach ±5mm.
4. Underwater Operation Capable, Maximum Depth 30 Meters Without Modification
The sealed gearbox and waterproof motor design allow the excavator drum cutter to operate directly underwater, suitable for river dredging, underwater foundation excavation, port cleaning, and other applications, with a maximum water depth of 30 meters.
The cutting teeth feature a plug-in design, allowing for replacement in minutes with just a wrench. The tungsten carbide tips offer high hardness and wear resistance, resulting in a lifespan more than twice that of ordinary alloy steel teeth under normal operating conditions.
6. Full Model Coverage, Compatible with 6-60 Ton Excavators
From 6-ton mini excavators to 60-ton large excavators, YG offers corresponding models. Horizontal 5-speed and vertical 4-speed options are available, and connection frames and hydraulic interfaces can be customized according to the excavator brand.
What Practical Problems Can Using a Milling Head Solve for You?
Benefit 1: No more complaints about vibration and noise during urban construction.
You’ll avoid resident complaints, nighttime work stoppage fines, and excessive vibration data from surrounding buildings caused by the high-frequency impact of rock breakers. An excavator equipped with a rock milling attachment working near a hospital during the day typically keeps vibration monitoring data within safe limits.
Benefit 2: Smoother tunnel and trench cuts, reducing over-excavation and backfilling.
Tunnel walls excavated by conventional blasting or rock breakers are uneven, requiring additional shotcrete backfilling for over-excavated areas. Milling heads achieve a profile accuracy of ±5mm, reducing over-excavation by 15–25%, directly saving on concrete and labor costs.
Benefit 3: Replaceable cutting teeth, simple maintenance, and no downtime for spare parts.
Tungsten carbide cutting teeth feature a plug-and-play quick-change design, allowing operators to replace them on-site in minutes. You don’t need to send the entire attachment back to the workshop or wait days for spare parts. Keep a box of cutting teeth on-site for continuous operation.
Benefit 4: One excavator, multiple uses, doubling equipment utilization.
With hydraulic quick-change couplings, you can switch between bucket, breaker, and milling head within 30 minutes. You don’t need to rent a separate machine for each work condition; a 20-ton excavator with three attachments can cover excavation, breaking, and milling.
Benefit 5: Direct underwater operation, no additional modifications required.
The standard sealed design supports direct operation in water depths of up to 30 meters. For river dredging, underwater foundation repair, and port maintenance, you don’t need to rent specialized underwater equipment; simply attach the hydraulic drum cutter to the excavator, and it’s ready to go underwater.
How to Choose the Right Milling Head for Your Excavator Attachments?
1. Excavator tonnage and hydraulic flow rate are the primary matching conditions.
Milling heads are highly sensitive to hydraulic flow rate. For example, the recommended flow rate for the HX-Z1 is 220 L/min. If your 20-ton excavator’s auxiliary hydraulic circuit only has 150 L/min, the drum speed will drop significantly, reducing milling efficiency. Always check the excavator’s auxiliary hydraulic circuit flow rate and pressure before purchasing.
2. Material hardness determines the torque level.
Soft Rock (Sandstone, Mudstone, Frozen Soil): Medium to low torque is sufficient, such as HX-X2 or ZX-2.
Medium-Hard Rock (Limestone, Weathered Granite): Choose a high-torque model, such as HX-Z2 or ZX-4.
Concrete (Including Reinforced Steel): Choose a horizontal wide drum type; the cutting teeth can simultaneously cut the reinforcing steel.
Narrow Trench Finishing: Choose a vertical type; the smaller drum diameter ensures precise excavation width.
3. Milling width must match the working surface size.
The milling width of the ZX series vertical milling heads is determined by the drum diameter (400–580mm), suitable for narrow trenches. The HX series horizontal milling heads have a milling width of 420–1150mm, suitable for large-area shaping. Don’t use an 1150mm-wide HX-D to dig a 300mm cable trench—it’s like using a kitchen knife to sharpen a pencil; it works, but it’s awkward.
4. Select the cutting tooth type according to the material.
Soft rock and asphalt: Standard tapered cutting teeth, good penetration.
Hard rock: Thickened tungsten carbide layer cutting teeth, high wear resistance.
Concrete: Flat-head cutting teeth, combining impact and cutting.
Frozen soil: Special long-shank cutting teeth, deep cut without tooth jamming.
5. Confirm the sealing rating for underwater operations.
Standard models support water depths of 30 meters. For operations exceeding 30 meters or long-term operation in seawater environments, custom-made deep-water sealing packages and sacrificial anode corrosion protection are required. If your project involves underwater conditions, please inform the manufacturer in advance.
6 Frequently Asked Questions Buyers Ask About Excavator Milling Heads
Q1. How hard a rock can the excavator milling head cut?
A1: YG milling heads are suitable for soft to medium-hard rock (uniaxial compressive strength ≤80–100 MPa), such as sandstone, mudstone, limestone, and weathered granite. For solid, hard rock exceeding 100 MPa, it is recommended to first split the rock with a hydraulic breaker before milling, or contact the manufacturer to select a model with higher torque.
Q2. Can an excavator drum cutter and a hydraulic breaker be mounted on the same excavator?
A2: They cannot be mounted simultaneously, but you can switch between them within 30 minutes using a hydraulic quick-coupler. A common setup involves using a breaker for primary breaking and a milling head for precision finishing.
Q3. How often do the cutting picks need replacing? Is it expensive?
A3: It depends on the abrasiveness of the material. In soft rock and frozen soil, the lifespan of the picks can reach 300–500 hours; in hard quartzite, they may need replacement after just 50–100 hours. The cost per pick is low, so it is recommended to keep 10–20 spares on-site.
Q4. Can the hydraulic drum cutter be used underwater? What is the maximum depth?
A4: Standard models support direct operation at depths of up to 30 meters without modification. Depths exceeding 30 meters or seawater environments require a customized deep-water sealing and anti-corrosion package.
Q5. What if my excavator’s auxiliary hydraulic flow is insufficient?
A5: Insufficient flow results in low drum speed and weak milling performance. You can choose a smaller model or install a flow control valve and booster pump on the excavator. Provide us with your excavator model, and YG’s technical team will help calculate the best matching solution.
Q6. How do I choose between horizontal (transverse) and vertical (longitudinal) milling heads?
A6: Remember this rule: choose horizontal for milling “surfaces” and vertical for cutting “trenches.” For tasks such as tunnel profiling, road surface milling, slope trimming, and large-scale concrete demolition, choose the horizontal type (milling width: 420–1150 mm); for municipal utility trenches, cable trenches, frozen soil excavation, and milling alongside foundations, choose the vertical type (milling width: 400–580 mm). If the job involves both types of work, equip one of each; a quick-change coupler allows for switching between them in 30 minutes. Choosing the wrong type can result in a threefold difference in efficiency.
