Hydraulic excavator

A hydraulic excavator, comprising:

• a boom;
• a pilot switching valve for said boom having a boom-raising pilot port and a boom-lowering pilot port, and controlling operation of said boom;
• a boom-raising pilot conduit connected to said boom-raising pilot port;
• a boom-lowering pilot conduit connected to said boom-lowering pilot port;
• a boom-raising proportional solenoid valve provided in said boom-raising pilot conduit;
• a boom-lowering proportional solenoid valve provided in said boom-lowering pilot conduit;
• a control lever operated by an operator;
• a first pressure sensor detecting a pressure generated in said boom-lowering pilot conduit between said control lever and said boom-lowering proportional solenoid valve;
• a second pressure sensor detecting a pressure generated in said boom-raising pilot conduit between said control lever and said boom-raising proportional solenoid valve;
• and
• a controller controlling an opening degree of said boom-lowering proportional solenoid valve based on the pressure detected by said first pressure sensor, and controlling an opening degree of said boom-raising proportional solenoid valve based on the pressure detected by said second pressure sensor;
• wherein
• an amount of increase in current per unit time from the controller to the boom-lowering proportional solenoid valve when said controller outputs, to said boom-lowering proportional solenoid valve, an instruction signal for instructing an increase in opening degree is smaller than an amount of increase in current per unit time from the controller to the boom-raising proportional solenoid valve when said controller outputs, to said boom-raising proportional solenoid valve, an instruction signal for instructing an increase in opening degree.