Tag: machine matters: Page 2

Construction Equipment

How smaller ride-on trenchers are more capable than ever thanks to big machine muscle

Today’s smaller trenchers muscle through whatever’s thrown their way Trenching is often done in homogeneous soils, but for customers who contend with rocks, roots and other obstructions mixed in with soil, OEMs of ride-on trenchers of up to 75 horsepower are finding ways to improve the performance of their machines in these demanding conditions. Toro’s […]

September 5, 2016

Construction Equipment

More Than Small: The renaissance of the compact excavator

Compact excavators also have experienced bracket creep; the category was once capped at machines weighing 6 tons, then went up to 8 tons, and currently includes units weighing 10 tons and lower. The range is now broad enough that some in the industry are defining subsets as micro, mini, midi, and compact with no adjective […]

May 30, 2016

Construction Equipment

How dozers are leading the way toward smarter, more productive heavy equipment of the future

Electronics continue to lead the dozer technology parade, but there have been two big shifts in the way electronics are used. First, nearly all machines offer electronics packages as standard or optional equipment, where these features were once restricted to high-end models. Second, electronics packages come in lots of sizes to fit a variety of […]

May 24, 2016

Construction Equipment

How 3- to 8-cu. yd. wheel loaders settled into a period of refinement

Transmissions Two types of transmissions are commonly found on wheel loaders: hydrostatic and torque converter. With torque converters, the lock-up feature is standard on some models and optional on others. “Hydrostatic is simpler and has fewer moving parts,” says Mike Stark, product specialist, heavy wheel loaders with Doosan. “Another benefit of hydrostatic is better power […]

March 7, 2016

Construction Equipment

Focus on these skid steer brand differences to choose the best loader for your needs

Skid steers have so much standard and optional equipment in common it may seem all machines are created equal, or nearly so. But look closely at the details and you’ll uncover real differences that will affect how well a machine fits your needs. The similarities The market has settled on a number of features shared […]

January 18, 2016

Construction Equipment

These 3 directional drilling design advances pack more power, versatility in HDDs than ever before

The International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) in Louisville at the end of this month promises an innovation showcase from makers of horizontal directional drills. Intelligent hydraulic systems, telematics, configurable controls, standardization of controls and displays that can be customized from the type of information shown to colors displayed to units of measure are […]

September 2, 2015

Equipment Experts

Why are larger, 35- to 50-ton excavator sales up? Machine’s evolution, industry’s recovery are factors

It’s more ripple than tsunami, but there’s been an increase in sales of excavators toward the upper end of the midsize category. Why? No one’s sure. “It could be that there are more larger projects,” says Kurt Moncini, large excavator product manager for Komatsu America. “It could be acceptance of Tier 4 Final technology. It […]

July 2, 2015

Construction Equipment

Why are larger, 35- to 50-ton excavator sales up? Machine’s evolution, industry’s recovery are factors

It’s more ripple than tsunami, but there’s been an increase in sales of excavators toward the upper end of the midsize category. Why? No one’s sure. “It could be that there are more larger projects,” says Kurt Moncini, large excavator product manager for Komatsu America. “It could be acceptance of Tier 4 Final technology. It […]

July 2, 2015

Equipment Experts

DOZERS REDEFINED: How electronics and machine control made mid-size dozers smarter

There’s a direct correlation between power and fuel consumption; more power requires more fuel. Higher injection pressures, careful design of the piston and combustion chamber, turbocharging and other mechanical ploys improve combustion efficiency and help ensure maximum power is extracted from each unit of fuel, but they don’t change the fundamentals. More power still requires […]

July 1, 2014

Machine Matters

DOZERS REDEFINED: How electronics and machine control made mid-size dozers smarter

There’s a direct correlation between power and fuel consumption; more power requires more fuel. Higher injection pressures, careful design of the piston and combustion chamber, turbocharging and other mechanical ploys improve combustion efficiency and help ensure maximum power is extracted from each unit of fuel, but they don’t change the fundamentals. More power still requires […]

July 1, 2014

Machine Matters

How to build out the perfect work truck by taking advantage of dealer spec’ing technologies

Not long ago spec’ing a vocational truck meant going to a dealer, picking from a limited list of wheelbases and axle ratings, selecting a few options for the cab and then welding, drilling and cutting until all your equipment fit. Those were the Dark Ages of truck building. What we have now is a period […]

November 1, 2013

Equipment Experts

Hydraulic advances make mid-size excavators more versatile than ever

The 21-to-25-metric-ton class excavator is one of the most popular size classes in the United States. While mid-size excavators are digging wonders, they also excel at other tasks. Today’s contractors need maximum utilization rates to remain profitable, which often requires machines tackle duties outside their normal modes. Advances in design and technology also have […]

February 27, 2013