Put the two machines side by side and the similarity is striking: the LQR-100W and the LQR-100 both drill 500-1500 mm, both reach 20 m, both are rated at 100 kNm and both turn at 5-40 rpm. The difference is the undercarriage.
On operating weight they part company: 17 t against 23.5 t, a gap of 6.5 tonnes, or 28% lighter. That is not a stripped-down specification; it is a structural consequence of how each machine moves.
Start with where the weight goes. The wheeled rig works on four hydraulic outriggers, with the upper structure riding a wheeled chassis on the road. The crawler carries its track frames, drives and tensioning gear with it at all times.
The drivetrain differs too. The LQR-100 runs a Cummins 154 kW engine; the LQR-100W runs a Cummins 110 kW unit, 44 kW less. A wheeled machine does not drive tracks, so travel power disappears from the budget.
The winches are where the two nearly meet: both rate the main winch at 120 kN and both list 30 m/min maximum line speed. The real difference is rope diameter, 24 mm on the crawler against 20 mm on the wheeled machine.
The auxiliary winch does differ: 30 kN on the crawler, 20 kN on the wheeled unit, a 10 kN gap. That margin covers auxiliary lifting, and it deserves a separate check if your work involves it regularly.
Transport dimensions are close. Both measure 10,600 mm long and 2,600 mm wide; only the height separates them, 3,650 mm wheeled against 3,350 mm tracked, a difference of 300 mm.
Working height is 12,500 mm on both, and both use a 273 mm x 3 x 8 m Kelly bar, with a 340 mm x 4 x 6 m option on the crawler. Depth, diameter and rod together define what this class can drill.
The wheeled machine pays for its weight saving in footprint. Travel width is 2,600 mm, but with the outriggers extended the working width reaches 3,780 mm on a 2,400 mm wheelbase. The site has to find room for four bearing points.
The crawler has no such constraint: 600 mm track shoes and a 2,600 mm spread let it work where it stands, with low ground pressure that holds up better on soft or backfilled ground.
The logic is therefore fairly clear. For 12 to 20 m, scattered pile positions and road travel between them, the wheeled machine is the lighter option. For soft ground, clustered piles or long continuous shifts, the crawler tracks and stability suit better.
Look across the wheeled range: the LQ180-11 through LQ180-20 cover 10 to 19 m at 8 to 9 t, and the 20 m class is the 17 t LQR-100W and the 16 t LQR360. Twenty metres is the ceiling for wheeled machines.
The crawler line starts at 15.5 t and 15 m with the LQR-80 and runs to 42 t and 40 m with the LQR150. Beyond 20 m of pile depth the choice is crawler only; the wheeled range has no equivalent.
Side by side, the spec sheets only answer how much the difference is. Whether that difference is enough depends on how piles are laid out, whether the site can be entered, and how many moves a day demands. Settle those three, then read the table again.