Less Than One Minute Maintenance: Change Out an Excavator Cab Filter

A cab filter in an excavator helps to filter the air going to the heater and air conditioning inside the cab. This filter removes the dust and dirt, ensuring that the air inside remains clean even while the excavator is doing very dirty jobs. After a time, the filter becomes so dusty that air struggles to pass through it. In addition, dust will begin to make its way past the filter and enter the cab. Checking and changing out the cab’s filter allows the excavator operator to have good quality air throughout the project. Here are several steps on how to change out an excavator cab filter on most models of excavators, including a CAT 314E excavator.

Some brands have the cab filter inside the cab itself. The filter may be under the seat or behind the seat. On the CAT 314E excavator, the cab filter is located outside the machine below the side rear window. You can open the panel using a key that is provided.

The filter is easy to see as it is right in front after opening the panel. To remove the filter, all you have to do is pull it out slightly. Then lift the filter up from out of the cab filter housing.

The new filter should be the same size and diameter as the old filter to ensure that it will fit into the cab filter housing. The outside of the filter — the part that will face outward — will have a smooth surface from edge to edge. The part of the filter that will face the inside of the machine will jut outward.

The bottom tabs of the filter will lock into the bottom of the cab housing. Once the tabs are locked in, push the filter back into the filter housing. The filter housing uses friction fit to keep the filter in place. Close the cab panel and lock it with the key.