With hundreds of products released each year, our staff sifts through the piles and selects the most innovative ones of 2007.

by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief, and Kirk Landers, Editorial Director

How we made our choices

When we ask readers how we can best help them keep track of changes in the products and services they use to produce aggregates, almost everyone wants an annual short list of the really important stuff.

No wonder. The sheer volume of introductions is overwhelming. Aggregates Manager covers hundreds of products each year in its RollOuts departments and Supply Lines features.

So each year, our staff reviews all the product introductions we’ve covered for the past year (our Top RollOuts “year” actually runs from the December 2007 issue through the November 2008 issue) to pick out 25 that we believe are worth further review. Our priorities are new concept products – which are rare – new series/new generation products in categories that relate to the aggregates industry, and other rollouts which serve our readers’ interests by increasing competition in a product category.

Inevitably, we omit deserving products, either because we just didn’t understand the significance of the product or because the announcing company didn’t communicate what was special about the product, or both. In either case, we apologize in advance for these omissions.

Case Construction Equipment

Production-class wheel loader

Case continued to expand its earthmoving machines into larger categories in 2008 by launching its 320-horsepower, 7.6-cubic-yard 1221E wheel loader. Designed for quarry work, road construction, and site preparation applications, the new machine features a large, isolation-mounted cab that is said to be among the quietest in the category. It features floor-to-ceiling glass in front and a sloped rear engine compartment for excellent sight lines front and rear. Maintenance features include ground-level service checks and remote drains for coolant, engine oil, and hydraulic oil. The 1221E also offers a Ride Control option that improves material retention and cuts operator wear and tear in load-and-carry applications.

Volvo Construction Equipment

E-Series Artics

Volvo says its new, seven-model E-Series articulated haulers are the first to offer a suspension system with automatic leveling and stability control on all wheels. The lineup ranges from the 26.5-ton A25E to the 43-ton A40E. Tier 3 engines have brought a surge of power: the A40E FS got a 12-percent increase in horsepower and a 19-percent increase in torque.

The A35E and A40E models also have a new fully-automatic nine-speed “fast adaptive” transmission that features an optimized gear shift pattern with a precise overlap of ratios to provide constant power transfer. All models have new frames, axles, and a new single-speed drop box with longitudinal differential and 100-percent lockup to reduce power losses and improve traction and fuel efficiency.