Cat 320 Cost Per Hour: The Useful Number Is Built From the Job
The Cat 320 reference profile uses 172 hp net power, 49,800 lb operating weight, 22 ft max digging depth, 1.56 yd3 bucket basis, a 91.1 gal fuel tank, and a Heavy Equipment Hub planning fuel burn of 5.2 gal/hr. The current planning operating cost is $68.50/hr before operator labor, trucking, permits, attachments, supervision, overhead, profit, and project risk.
Formula: Equipment Cost Per Hour
A practical equipment-only rate starts with fuel cost, DEF, scheduled maintenance, undercarriage reserve, ground engaging tools, repair reserve, and ownership cost. Fuel cost per hour equals gallons per hour multiplied by diesel price. Ownership cost per hour depends heavily on purchase price, resale value, finance cost, annual hours, and how long the machine sits between jobs.
Quick Fuel Examples
At 5.2 gal/hr, diesel alone costs about $18.20/hr at $3.50 fuel, $22.10/hr at $4.25 fuel, and $26.00/hr at $5.00 fuel. At 1,000 working hours per year and $4.25 diesel, fuel is about $22,100 per year before DEF, filters, hydraulic oil, tracks, bucket wear, repairs, finance, insurance, and downtime.
Use Separate Rates for Trenching, Loading and Attachment Work
A Cat 320 working clean utility trenching should not carry the same reserve as a Cat 320 doing hammer work, demolition sorting, rocky drainage, or long travel between cuts. Separate the estimate by job type before quoting. Trenching needs cost per foot, truck loading needs cost per yard or truck, and attachment work needs hydraulic heat, tool wear, and downtime risk in the rate.
Cost Lines to Track on a Cat 320
- Fuel and idle: trench depth, truck spotting, grade control workflow, operator habits, work mode, and attachment demand.
- DEF and emissions: DEF quality, storage, contamination, regeneration interruptions, sensors, and derate risk.
- Undercarriage: track chain, pads, rollers, idlers, sprockets, tension, packed material, slopes, and abrasive ground.
- Ground engaging tools: bucket teeth, cutting edges, side cutters, coupler wear, thumb pins, and hammer-related wear.
- Maintenance and repairs: 500-hour service, fluid sampling, hydraulic filters, hose failures, leaks, final drives, and cooling package cleaning.
Cat 320 Cost Sensitivity Table
| Input | Low-Risk Pattern | High-Risk Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Undercarriage | Short travel, clean material, measured track sag, and regular cleaning. | Long tracking, rocky spoils, side slopes, packed mud, and no wear measurements. |
| Hydraulics | Normal bucket work, clean oil, documented filters, and stable temperature. | Hammer work, hot oil, wrong couplers, relief heat, and missing oil samples. |
| Utilization | Steady annual work that spreads ownership cost across productive hours. | Low annual hours, long idle periods, and scattered jobs with high mobilization. |
Where Cat 320 Costs Can Run Away
A 20-ton excavator looks economical until it is used like a larger machine every day. Long truck waits, oversize buckets, hammer duty, hot hydraulic oil, neglected track tension, and low annual utilization can move the real rate far above the planning number. Track cost per cubic yard or cost per trench foot when production data is available.
Bid-Rate Advice
Keep the Cat 320 machine rate separate from the operator, attachment rental, mobilization, haul permits, fuel surcharge, dump trucks, trench boxes, survey, supervision, overhead, and markup. For small utility jobs, mobilization and crew waiting time can matter more than a one-gallon fuel-burn difference.
Records That Improve the Next Bid
Save engine hours, gallons added, idle percentage, trench feet, truck loads, bucket size, attachment used, undercarriage photos, service notes, and operator comments. After several jobs, you can stop asking whether the Cat 320 is "around $70 per hour" and start seeing the real cost per trench foot, cost per truck loaded, or cost per yard moved in your own conditions.
Internal Research Path
After this cost guide, review the Cat 320 specs page, the Cat 320 hydraulic maintenance guide, and the Cat 320 vs Komatsu PC200 comparison to connect hourly cost with job fit.
Source and Verification Notes
Cat 320 spec values come from Caterpillar public product specifications. Fuel burn and hourly operating cost are Heavy Equipment Hub editorial estimates for planning. Replace them with telematics, fuel tickets, maintenance invoices, undercarriage measurements, finance terms, resale assumptions, and dealer service agreements before quoting real work.
