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Product Report: Smooth shift artists

June 12, 2007 |

Getting feedback from experienced grader operators and owners was a key – and from all indications, prized – part of Volvo’s design process on its G900 Series motor graders. And the engineers made copious notes as this group had no shortage of opinions: While the operators loved the tighter turning radius and what they termed “perfect hydraulics” on the prototype machines, they had one repeated request: please relocate the often used powertrain switches from the side panel to the center pedestal. Volvo complied, although it was no easy task, requiring a significant rewiring of the cab.

But Volvo knows keeping grader operators – long considered at the top of the skill chain – happy and productive is a paramount concern in grader design.

“Operators measure grader productivity by how much material it can cut and push or, in other words, how much it can translate its engine power into traction while maintaining control,” says Brian Lowe, product and communications manager, Volvo Motor Graders. And so the company strengthened this productivity on the G900 Series by using wide-stance blade lift cylinders coupled with a low-angle side-shift cylinder, giving the machines a stable grading platform. The structural design concentrates on placing its power and weight to maximize blade down force and drawbar pull rates.

Proportional Demand Flow load-sensing hydraulics, combined with a twin-gear, direct-drive circle turn system, create a precise, responsive tool, holding and turning the moldboard smoothly while moving under full load.

Smoothness on the go
All seven models have three standard power ranges, depending upon the transmission gear selected. These power ranges work to enhance overall fuel efficiency by matching engine power to the application.

The standard eight forward/four reverse HTE840 transmission is offered with an optional automatic transmission that allows operators to choose between three operating modes: manual, autoshift (which lets the operator select the target gear, allowing the transmission to automatically shift through turns and grades as needed) and travel.

Volvo also offers the optional HTE1160 11 forward/six reverse transmission, which it claims as an industry first. “More than 70 percent of our orders to date have chosen this option,” Lowe says. “It allows you to go slower for fine grading, be more precise in the middle gears and travel more efficiently in the high gears.” Autoshift is standard on the HTE1160.

The two all-wheel-drive machines, the G946 and G976, offer three drive systems in one: a four-wheel tandem drive, a six-wheel drive for both traction and high-speed snow clearing, and Volvo’s front-wheel Creep Mode for precise fine grade control. In the Creep Mode, you grade using only the hydrostatic front-wheel drive while the rear tandem wheels roll freely behind, minimizing scuffing and rework. (For a quick look at the essential specs on all seven models see the chart on this page.)