You have an excavator. You need to cut a narrow trench through hard rock. Or grind away old concrete pavement. Or shape a tunnel wall. A breaker hammer cracks and shatters – it leaves rough, uneven surfaces. A hydraulic drum cutter is different. It spins a drum with dozens of carbide teeth, milling away material like a giant rototiller. The result is a clean, precise cut or a smooth, flat surface.
A hydraulic drum cutter is an attachment that mounts on your excavator arm. It has a rotating drum with many carbide cutting teeth – between 22 and 84 teeth, depending on the model. Hydraulic oil from your excavator spins the drum at up to 140 rpm. The teeth chip away at rock, concrete, or asphalt. You can mill flat surfaces, cut slots, or shape tunnel profiles. Unlike a breaker that smashes, a drum cutter grinds and mills. It gives you much more control and a smoother finish.
YG offers 11 models of hydraulic milling excavators, from the YGM 140 (fits 3‑8 ton excavators) up to the YGM 1250 (fits 120‑160 ton excavators). Each model has its own displacement, torque, power, and weight. You choose based on your excavator size and the material you need to cut. These attachments work on rock, concrete, asphalt, frozen ground, and even tree roots. They are used in tunnel excavation, road milling, trenching, demolition, and mining.


YG Hydraulic Drum Cutter Models – Full Specs Table
Do not let the numbers overwhelm you. Focus on two things: your excavator weight and the material you cut.
| 3000 N · m | YGM 140 | YGM 160 | YGM 180 | YGM 210S | YGM 240 | YGM 200 | YGM 280 | YGM 350 | YGM 400 | YGM 800 | YGM 1250 |
| Engine Displacement | 398ml/r | 1340ml/r | 1340ml/r | 2680ml/r | 2099 ml/r | 2812 l/r | 2812ml/r | 4198ml/r | 8396ml/r | 20000 ml/r | 30000 ml/r |
| Speed Range | 0-100 r/min | 0-90 r/min | 0-120 r/min | 0-100 r/min | 0-85 r/min | 0-95 r/min | 0-120 r/min | 0-140 r/min | 0-80 r/min | 0-90 r/min | 0-90 r/min |
| Max Flow | 40 L/min | 174 L/min | 160 L/min | 268 L/min | 280 L/min | 400 L/min | 337 L/min | 580 L/min | 670 L/min | 1800 L/min | 2700 L/min |
| Rated Pressure | 28 Mpa | 25 Mpa | 28 Mpa | 28 Mpa | 25 Mpa | 28 Mpa | 28 Mpa | 30 Mpa | 30 Mpa | 35 Mpa | 35 Mpa |
| Max Pressure | 40 Mpa | 30 Mpa | 35 Mpa | 35 Mpa | 35 Mpa | 45 Mpa | 45 Mpa | 45 Mpa | 45 Mpa | 45 Mpa | 45 Mpa |
| Max Torque | 3000 N.m | 5200 N.m | 5600 N.m | 9000 N · m | 12800 N · m | 12800 N · m | 12000 N · m | 23500 N · m | 46500 N · m | 111300 N · m | 121400 N · m |
| Max Power | 22 KW | 45 KW | 50 KW | 80 KW | 65KW | 70 KW | 70 KW | 120 KW | 200 KW | 400 KW | 480 KW |
| Cutter Head | 22-44 pcs | 36-56 pcs | 44-68 pcs | 44-68 pcs | 48 pcs | 32 pcs | 60-76 pcs | 76 pcs | 76 pcs | 84 pcs | 84 pcs |
| Height | 650 mm | 840 mm | 830 mm | 840 mm | 1420mm | 1200 mm | 1420 mm | 1450 mm | mm | mm | mm |
| Width | 400-500 mm | 650-780 mm | 500-780 mm | 500-780 mm | 1000mm | 500 mm | 1000 mm | 1100 mm | None | None | None |
| Diameter | 390 mm | 460 mm | 470-500 mm | 470-500 mm | 620mm | 500 mm | 680 mm | 690 mm | None | None | None |
| Weight | 200 KG | 600 KG | 600 KG | 600 KG | 1650KG | 1650KG | 1600 KG | 1700 KG | 2600 KG | 5100 KG | 6000 KG |
| Excavator Class | 3-8 T | 10-15 T | 10-20 T | 18-25 T | 20-30 T | 20-30 T | 20-30 T | 30-50 T | 40-60 T | 80-120 T | 3000 N · m |
How To Choose The Right Hydraulic Drum Cutter?
Step 1 – Know your excavator’s weight. Look at the “Excavator Class” column. Pick a model where your machine’s weight falls inside the range. For example, a 25‑ton excavator can use YGM 210S (18‑25 tons), YGM 240 (20‑30 tons), YGM 200 (20‑30 tons), or YGM 280 (20‑30 tons). You have options.
Step 2 – Consider your material. Harder rock needs more torque. For very hard granite, choose a model with higher torque, like YGM 350 (23,500 N.m) or YGM 400 (46,500 N.m). For asphalt or soft rock, lower torque models will work fine.
Step 3 – Check your hydraulic flow. Your excavator must supply enough oil flow (L/min) and pressure (MPa) to run the cutter. The document lists “Max Flow” for each model. Compare that to your excavator’s auxiliary hydraulic output. If your flow is too low, the cutter will spin slowly and cut poorly.
Step 4 – Match the weight. The cutter’s weight affects your excavator’s balance. A 200kg cutter on a 3‑ton mini excavator is fine. A 1,600kg cutter on a 20‑ton machine is also fine. Do not put a very heavy cutter on a very small machine – your excavator may tip forward.


What Can You Cut With A Hydraulic Milling Excavator?
- Tunnel construction and tunnel repair – You can shape tunnel walls, cut benches, and smooth surfaces.
- Special foundation work – Cutting narrow trenches for foundation walls or piles.
- Building demolition – Instead of a breaker that shakes everything, a drum cutter grinds away concrete and rebar quietly and precisely.
- Road milling – Removing asphalt or concrete pavement.
- Mixing sand and gravel – You can use the drum cutter to blend materials.
- Open-pit coal mining – Cutting coal or overburden.
- Frozen ground cutting – Working in cold regions where the ground is frozen solid.
- Tree root milling – Grinding out roots without digging huge holes.
- Other fields: Steel industry, forestry, and more.
If you work in any of these jobs, a hydraulic milling excavator will save you time and give you a better finish than a breaker.


Is A YG Hydraulic Drum Cutter Right For You?
If you are tired of using a breaker that shakes your machine and leaves rough, uneven surfaces, try a hydraulic milling excavator. It mills, grinds, and shapes instead of smashing. You get cleaner trenches, smoother tunnel walls, and more precise demolition cuts. YG offers 11 models from the tiny YGM 140 (3‑8 ton excavators) to the massive YGM 1250 (120‑160 ton machines). Each model has a detailed spec sheet – torque, power, flow, weight, and cutting teeth count. You can match the cutter to your excavator and your material.
These attachments work in tunnels, on roads, in mines, on construction sites, and even for forestry. They cut rock, concrete, asphalt, frozen ground, and tree roots. The investment pays for itself in faster work and less rework.
YG Machinery also offers other hydraulic attachments: shears. Contact YG directly with your excavator’s make, model, and weight. Tell them what material you need to cut. They will recommend the right hydraulic drum cutter model, provide a quote, and advise on any customizations. Do not guess – ask the experts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The YGM 140 fits 3‑8-ton excavators. It weighs only 200 kg. Perfect for small machines working in tight spaces.
Regularly check the teeth for wear. Grease the drum bearings (grease fittings are standard). Inspect hoses for leaks. Change hydraulic oil per your excavator’s schedule.
Horizontal type spins the drum parallel to the ground – good for milling flat surfaces and trenches. Vertical type spins perpendicular – good for cutting vertical walls or slots. Contact YG for details.
