In the middle of the Fifties, the first excavator for cemeteries was developed. This was a considerable achievement for the time, given the fact that aside from the hydraulic cylinders, all precision parts, including way and current regulation valves as well as hydraulic high-pressure pumps had to be made specially by hand.
At the end of the Fifties, the SCHMELZER company began to lay the foundation for serial production. The „Grave Excavator Hytrac 450 S“ was the first „in series“ excavator made, which at that time was used in nearly all large cities in Germany. Since then, more than 1,700 SCHMELZER excavators have been sold in Europe.
In the middle of the Nineties, the first SCHMELZER excavator was sold in the USA. The development of the grave excavator as it is known today is to a large degree influenced by our founder, Herr Ing. (grad.) Hermann Schmelzer.
