by Nick Drew | Thu 01 Feb 2024
Scandinavian Hymac’s … #ThrowbackThursday
The photos were taken in Sollentuna, Stockholm and posted by Björn Karlsson, and showed his late fathers old Hymac 580CT being replaced by a new 580DS in 1983. Aimed at the export market and especially for the Scandinavian market, the 580DS was launched in 1980 and was the last of the triple inline hydraulic pump designed excavators from the manufacturer.
Visually different with the all-black boom and dipper, the main difference between the UK home market 580D model and the export model 580DS, was that the latter was fitted with a slew brake, and new guarding was fitted to protect the often vulnerable track drive hydraulic piping.
Additional specifications on the Scandinavian models included an electric refuelling pump as standard, and improved insulation and cab heating systems for the harsh winter conditions.
Interesting to note in the shot with the two model’s side by side, how the cabs changed sides from the right on the 580CT to the left on the 580DS which became the global standard going forward.
There are still many venerable old Hymac’s running in Sweden as ‘hobby’ machines on farms and in forestry applications. One example of a 1986 model 580D c/w a hydraulic tilt bucket, can be seen in the video below captured in 2020 by Anders Jonasson.
We thank Björn Karlsson and Anders Jonasson for the use of their material here on the Digger Man Blog.