RollOuts
May 2007
Your complete guide to new and updated equipment and supplies in the aggregates industry.
by Kirk Landers, Editorial Director
The 2020 Wheel Loader
Volvo Construction Equipment used
BAUMA, the
world’s largest construction show, to exhibit its new Gryphin, an
extreme concept wheel loader incorporating the features of a loader in
the year 2020.
Along with its futuristic look, the concept machine uses an electric hybrid power source, nearly eliminating emissions, and gets its wheel drive from electric motors inside each wheel. By eliminating today’s transmissions, drivelines, and axles, Volvo says the Gryphin has much higher ground clearance and is an extremely quiet machine. The new approach also makes possible the Gryphin’s independent suspension system, which improves comfort, reduces vibrations entering the cab, and allows engineers to give the machine variable ride height. The machine can be lowered for high-speed haul cycles, or raised to increase ground clearance in rough terrain or increase dump heights.
Views from the operator station are excellent in every direction thanks to all-around glazing and lattice see-through pillars, says Volvo. The glass in the cab is “intelligent” — it heats up in cold weather to prevent frost or condensation, and it becomes darker in bright sunlight to reduce glare.
A solid but lightweight boom improves lifting performance and reduces torsional stresses, and allows a better view of the work area than today’s booms.
Modular impact beds
ASGCO Manufacturing has rolled out a line of modular impact beds that protect conveyor belts and help control spillage in the conveyor-loading zone. The beds come in 18-inch long units and in widths to match conveyor belts; they are closely fitted to form the bed length needed. The company says its impact bars allow the tightest segment fit in the industry, eliminating materials from getting caught between bars.
Compact dozer line debuts
Dressta North America has introduced the M-series version of its 4-model line of compact dozers, ranging from the 74-horsepower TD-7M to the 101-horsepower TD-10. The machines feature left-hand joystick control, left pedal braking, and right pedal deceleration. They employ a torque converter, mechanical drive power train, and fit within the 8-foot, 6-inch width for easy transport with blades attached.
Super compact trommel
McCloskey International developed its new 512
REGT trommel to meet the world’s most demanding road restrictions. The
screening plant is 30 percent shorter in length, 2 inches narrower in
width, and 3 feet lower than the wheel-mounted 512 that preceded it. The
new unit has the same 5- by 12-foot drum as its predecessor, and
features several larger components, including an oversized, 42-inch-wide
conveyor, 36-inch feed conveyor belts, 30-inch radial conveyor belts,
and a larger hopper.
New fabrication techniques play a significant role in the unit’s compactness. The use of folded steel plate in the chassis in place of traditional welded construction gave engineers more strength and flexibility for their internal configuration of the trommel, according to McCloskey. The new crawler undercarriage also contributes; it can hydraulically raise and lower itself 36 inches in elevation, helping to increase its angle of departure for easier loading onto trailers and for dealing with difficult terrain. With the tracks retracted, the unit has a 10-foot, 10-inch overall height for easy transport on a trailer or for being loaded by smaller machines such as skid-steer loaders.
More portable and productive
Telsmith
says its new 3258 portable crushing
plant is more portable, more productive, easier to maintain and safer.
The new plant travels at 13 feet, 6 inches high and 10 feet in width,
and its grizzly feeder, loading hopper, and grizzly bypass chute
comprise one modular unit that can be removed as one piece to simplify
travel in weight-restricted areas.
The Telsmith 3258 hydraulic jaw crusher features a 32-inch gape and a 58-inch-wide crushing chamber and is said to out produce other crushers in its class. Telsmith says its fingertip controlled hydraulic adjustment cylinders are unique and help to reduce maintenance requirements and increase uptime. Uptime is also enhanced by the hydraulic overload system, which automatically protects the crusher from tramp metal. The unit’s chassis has a standard tri-axle air-ride suspension and an optional fourth axle can be pneumatically elevated off the ground to reduce wear and tear during tight onsite maneuvering.
Secondary cone crusher debuts
Fintec Crushing and Screening has introduced its
1080 track-mounted cone crusher to the U.S. aggregates market. The unit
combines Fintec’s expertise in track-mounted chassis design and a
Sandvik H3800 crusher engineered with the Sandvik CSC (cubical shape
crushing) technique to produce material for tight spec standards. It has
a 6.5 cubic-yard hopper capacity and a 7.5-inch maximum feed opening.
The hydraulic-adjust crusher allows a coarse closed-side setting of 0.5
to 1.5 inches and a medium CSS of 0.33 to 1.0 inch. Crushing chambers
are available for extra coarse to extra fine applications.
Safer conveyor belt return
The Safe-Guard return idler guard has been
developed by ASGCO to prevent injuries from pinch points and to catch
the return idler if it falls. Its slotted cage is designed to prevent
material build-up and for easy cleaning. Removal of two pins opens the
side of the cage for easy maintenance access.
Upgraded artics
John Deere has installed Tier-3 engines in its four-model line of articulated haulers along with other upgrades that the company says have increased productivity and uptime. The 380-horsepower 350D and 413-horsepower 400D get compact 12-liter V6 engines and a new retarding system that works with the transmission retarder to improve brake life. The 265-horsepower 250D and 285-horsepower 300D move up from 8.1-liter to 9.0-liter engines, which the company says deliver superior fuel economy across the operating range. The company also claims its haulers have best-in-class payload-to-weight ratios.
Beefier pulley
Superior says it has developed a beefier Super Pulley to withstand rugged applications. It has thicker wing caps, which the company says extends pulley life three times that of standard Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) pulleys.
Reel for oil hoses
Alemite’s new high-flow modular reel is used for dispensing oil for gear boxes on mining equipment. The modular design makes possible many options, including a motor for quick, easy rewind of long hoses.
Meets new oil specs
Chevron has announced that its API CJ-4 and CI-4
PLUS diesel engine oils meet Caterpillar’s new ECF-2 specification for
use with the company’s pre-2007 engines for highway trucks and
construction equipment. The CJ-4 oils also meet Cat’s ECF-3
specifications, designed for 2007 diesel engines fitted with diesel
particulate filters and use 15 ppm, ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel.
Two new utility-class hoes
Hitachi
has rolled out two new dash-3 models in
its excavator line, the 47,000-pound ZX200LC-3 and its
reduced-tail-swing stablemate, the 53,400-pound, ZX225US LC-3. Both
machines are powered by a 164-horsepower diesel and are said to be
heavier, stronger, faster, and quieter than their predecessors, while
also being more fuel efficient.
The ZX200LC-3 has three new performance modes: economy, performance, and high performance; in E mode, it can get 13 percent better fuel efficiency than its dash-2 predecessor. The undercarriage, X-beam, side frames, idler brackets and front attachment have all been made stronger to improve durability. The unit has more horsepower, swing torque, and drawbar pull, and it carries 10.6 gallons more fuel and hydraulic oil. Engine oil requirements have been reduced by one-half gallon.
Also new with the dash-3 models is a larger cab with a wider seatback, more legroom and 47 percent more glass on the right side for better visibility.
The “Ultrashort” ZX225US LC-3 is a performance match to the ZX200LC-3, but with a swing radius that is shorter by 3 feet 6 inches and more weight.
