Mounting a heavy excavator magnet boosts scrap sorting speed by more than three times over manual work. Traditional mechanical grapples struggle to gather scattered iron chips, small bolts, and messy rebar.
An electromagnetic plate grabs steel items instantly using a strong magnetic field. Operators move metal fast without using manual straps or clunky mechanical jaws. Turning the power on lifts tons of metal, and cutting power drops the load cleanly. The sealed moisture-proof design works well in wet sites, lowering injury risks for ground workers.
Operator Tip: Never touch the bottom plate with bare hands right after turning off the power. Long operating cycles build up high heat on the shell.
How Do You Select an Excavator Magnet by Digger Size and Hydraulic Parameters?
Selecting an excavator magnet requires checking carrier tonnage, working flow (lpm), and system operating pressure (bar). According to official factory specifications, the exact model parameters are listed below:
| Magnet Model | Suitable Excavator (ton) | Weight (kg) | Power (kW) | Outer Diameter (mm) | Working Flow (lpm) | Working Pressure (bar) | Matched Field Application |
| YGML02 | 4 – 6 ton | 1400 kg | 5 kW | 700 mm | 30 – 55 lpm | 170 bar | Small scrap yards, mini excavator workshop cleanup |
| YGML04 | 7 – 11 ton | 1500 kg | 8 kW | 800 mm | 50 – 100 lpm | 180 bar | Auto dismantlers, light scrap truck loading |
| YGML06 | 12 – 16 ton | 1890 kg | 8 kW | 900 mm | 90 – 110 lpm | 190 bar | Construction site rebar pickup, sorting |
| YGML08 | 17 – 23 ton | 2000 kg | 10 kW | 1100 mm | 100 – 140 lpm | 200 bar | Medium scrap yards, bundled steel handling |
| YGML10 | 24 – 30 ton | 2200 kg | 10 kW | 1200 mm | 130 – 170 lpm | 210 bar | Large scrap transfer yards, rail stacking work |
| YGML14 | 31 – 40 ton | 2500 kg | 15 kW | 1300 mm | 200 – 250 lpm | 250 bar | Shipbreakers, steel mills, heavy loading |
| YGML20 | 41 – 50 ton | 2800 kg | 15 kW | 1400 mm | 250 – 320 lpm | 250 bar | Port terminals, heavy slag, oversized scrap steel |
Where Do Contractors Deploy an Excavator Magnet on Jobsites?
- Scrap Steel Yards and Auto Breakers: An excavator magnet sweeps up loose bundled scrap, steel turnings, car plates, and shredded frames quickly.
- Demolition and Waste Clearing: The plate pulls buried rebar and tie wires out of crushed concrete piles easily to raise concrete purity.
- Railway Maintenance and Rail Handling: Operators lift heavy steel rails, tie plates, and track bolts for tidy stacking and fast truck loading.
- Site Clearance Teamwork: In scrap yards, magnets handle iron collection fast. Ground teams can pair them with a car dismantling shear to strip vehicles, use an excavator shear to cut heavy steel beams, or run a screening bucket to sort rock aggregates. For wet pond clearing, a hydraulic sand pump for excavator pumps slurry out fast.
Operator Tip: Rest the magnet flat on loose iron piles before switching on power. Energizing the unit in mid-air slams flying steel against the bottom plate, cracking the steel shell over time.
How Did an Excavator Magnet Help a Scrap Metal Yard in North America?
- Jobsite Challenge: Yard owner Jason ran a scrap metal site in Texas, USA. His team suffered from slow loading times using mechanical grapples on bundled steel. Dirt mixed into iron loads brought heavy penalty fees, and filling a truck took six long hours.
- Equipment Solution: YG Machinery engineers paired a hydraulic-driven excavator magnet (Model: YGML08, 1100mm outer diameter, rated for 17-23t carriers) to his 20-ton excavator.
- Real Business Results: The magnet separated iron from dirt cleanly, dropping impurity ratios below 1%. Truck loading times dropped from 6 hours to 2.5 hours. Yard cleanup output doubled, helping the team handle 400 extra tons of scrap monthly.
Operator Tip: Check the rubber seals on your junction box regularly. Water seeping inside during rainy days shorts out internal wiring and burns control boards.
Frequently Asked Questions About Excavator Magnet Selection
The 24V battery setup plugs straight into digger batteries, suitable for mini magnets. Hydraulic generator sets (like the YGML series) use auxiliary oil lines to turn a generator, providing stable voltage, higher magnetic lift, and reliable performance during continuous heavy work.
Yes. As internal copper or aluminum coils heat up, electrical resistance increases. This cuts current flow and reduces lifting strength by 15% to 20% naturally. Choose high-grade coils and control duty cycles to maintain lift capacity.
Yes, but you must select a submerged underwater configuration when ordering. Underwater models use special waterproof potting resin and anti-corrosion sealing to keep moisture out of the internal coils.
Contact YG Machinery for Your Tailored Magnet Quote
Ready to speed up scrap sorting and lower your site handling costs? The YG Machinery engineering team provides electrical matching, oil line layout advice, and direct factory pricing. Contact our technical team today to get current catalogs and jobsite operational videos!
