Abstract: The invention relates to an excavator for suction material, particularly for removing soil from underground pipes. The excavator has a pneumatic elephant trunk for removing the suctioned material and which issues into a storage tank for the suctioned material and to which is connected an exhaust fan. In the storage tank the suctioned material is separated from the suction air flow and is subsequently passed through a filter positioned between an elephant trunk opening and the exhaust fan. In order to ensure a good separation on the part of the filter for a long period of time, the filter is formed by a coarse filter and a fine filter connected to the latter. The coarse filter is formed by a labyrinth or cascade-like flow channel, which is bounded by reciprocally displaced partitions and whose flow cross-section increases in the flow direction.