Purpose-built Kawasaki takes on an additional loader size class

With the 92ZV-2, Kawasaki has not only entered the 6-to-6.6-cubic-yard wheel loader market, it has done so with company design dictum: no stretched-out machines. “This is a purpose-built machine, with a rugged frame that incorporates several upgrades that will be added to the rest of our loader line,” says Gary Bell, Kawasaki Construction Machinery Corp. of America vice president and general manager.

Several standard features are centered in the cab area, including an air ride seat, AM/FM radio and CD, air conditioning and heat, adjustable declutch, adjustable dual-boom kickout control, idle management system, and dual-mode engine switch. Other standard features include reversible automatic fan with manual overdrive, wide front fenders with mud flaps, and the Kawasaki-exclusive auto brake, which protects the transmission from overspeeding or improper directional shifting.

Bell points out several features designed to underline the 92ZV-2′s beefiness, including the following:

• Dual Z-linkage, which not only offers high breakout force, but also gives operators more visibility in hopper and truck loading tasks;
• Heavy center pins;
• Weight designed into the full box section frame instead of using large back counterweights;
• Rubber gasket-sealed front glass, which reduces glass replacement downtime in comparison with silicone-sealed glass; and
• Bumpers extended to protect battery boxes.

Kawasaki is aiming at several markets with the 92ZV-2, including load-out applications in quarries or sand and gravel operations, hopper feeding in asphalt plants, log handling in mill yards, and hot slag applications in steel mills. For further information, go to www.Kawasakiloaders.com/92ZV.

- by Marcia Gruver, Editorial Director

Quick Specs

Engine: 284-net-horsepower Cummins QSM11 with 47-percent torque rise. Idle Management
System allows lower engine speed when idling for extended periods to conserve fuel.

Transmission: Kawasaki countershaft full powershift, four forward, four reverse

Bucket capacity: 6-to-6.6 cubic yards

Breakout force (general purpose bucket with bolt-on cutting edge): 50,900 pounds

Minimum turning radius (at outside bucket): 23 feet, 6 inches

Operating weight: 58,025 pounds

Pipe conveyor belt retains shape

Veyance Technologies says its new Goodyear Confine pipe-shaped conveyor belt uses finite element analysis technology to keep material and dust in, and wind and rain out. It is designed to stay sealed while traveling through curves and inclines built into in-plant and overland systems. According to the company, where conventional pipe conveyor belts collapse and twist, Confine’s patent-pending arrangement of steel-cable and fabric reinforcement helps the belt retain its shape.