Total Machine Control option offers three speed modes
John Deere’s J-Series backhoe loaders – the 310J, 310SJ, 410J and 710J – feature all-new power train components and numerous structural and electrical enhancements from the company’s previous G-Series. ZF power train components include the transmission, plus the front and rear axles. A standard powershift transmission offers smooth, clutch-free gear shifts. Multi-plate clutch engagement allows for on-the-fly mechanical front wheel drive engagement. Cruise control allows you to put the machine on the road using the dial throttle, with engine RPM returning to idle with a tap of the brake pedal. The Total Machine Control option, offered on the 310SJ and the 410J, integrates the control of every machine system.
Armrest-mounted joystick controls eliminate the pilot towers, giving more leg room and reducing the heat from pilot-operated hydraulic oil in the cab. TMC offers three speed modes – craning, normal and high production – which improve cycle times up to 20 percent over previous machines. The two main joysticks offer several controls, including four-wheel drive, extendable dipperstick and front/rear auxiliary hydraulics. With TMC controls, the backhoe can be operated with the seat rotated up to 90 degrees from the rear-facing position, allowing you to reposition the seat for such side-of-the-machine operations as truck loading or ditch cleaning.
Lift height, forward reach Increase productivity
With a 2,000-pound operating capacity, a bucket breakout force of 4,300 pounds and an operating weight of 6,230 pounds, New Holland’s L175 skid steer also features a turbocharged engine rated at 60 gross horsepower. The machine has a 10-foot lift height and 29 inches of forward reach. It has an optional two-speed configuration and deluxe cab with air conditioning. The machine also includes the company’s Super Boom vertical-lift linkage, a long wheelbase for stability, fast ground speeds and no rear towers to impair visibility.
Terex re-enters utility milling market
As part of a seven-model milling machine introduction over the next three years, Terex has added three utility mill models to its line. Available in the first half of this year, the Terex CMI PR165, PR220 and PR330 cold planers will help contractors tackle a variety of jobs, including cul-de-sacs, wedge and header cuts, bridge decks and shoulder excavation. The mills have a hydrostatic rotor drive that includes a built-in relief system that protects drive components from severe damage if the cutter hits an obstruction. A parallelogram cutter subframe design delivers a 24-inch elevation to lower and raise the cutter in and out of the cut.
Liebherr introduces first minimal tail-swing excavator
Liebherr’s new R924 Compact Swing has the features of a minimal tail swing excavator while maintaining powerful performance. With a swing radius of less than 6 feet, the Compact Swing has a 32-foot 10-inch reach and a 28-foot 3-inch dump height. The excavator has a 164-horsepower, four-cylinder diesel engine and an electronic regulating system.
Critical service points on the Compact Swing are grouped in one location and are ground accessible. The swing drive features a semi-automatic central lubrication system for maintenance-free operation.
The operator’s cab is ergonomically designed and gives the operator an unobstructed panoramic view of the jobsite. Automatic climate control is standard on the Compact Swing.
Cat moves up to largest backhoe size class
Caterpillar moved up into the largest dig depth class with its new 450E, which replaces the 446D. Applications for the machine, which has 17-foot, 3-inch dig depth, include heavy digging, pipe carrying and hammer work. Using a new extendible stick pushes the digging depth to 21 feet 4 inches. The largest backhoe in Caterpillar’s line, the 124-net-horsepower machine has a pilot-operated joystick control system. Thumb-ready sticks allow easy thumb installation, and combined-function auxiliary hydraulic lines enable support of one-way and two-way hydraulic attachments. Flow-sharing hydraulic values give proportional hydraulic flow to all implements and improve multi-function performance. Power-assisted brakes allow the machine to stop faster and hold their position on slopes.
Due to enhanced hydraulics and a new backhoe geometry, the 450E has a 10 percent increase from the 446D in backhoe and swing forces. The machine’s Cat C4.4 four-cylinder engine has 21 percent more horsepower and 10 percent more torque than the previous model. Cat also announced it would make the AccuGrade grade control system available as a factory option on all Cat backhoes. Available in two options, the site reference system and the laser reference system, AccuGrade gives you the ability to excavate to pre-determined coordinates.
Oshkosh takes on side roll protection
Oshkosh has integrated a side curtain airbag driver protection system on its S-Series front-discharge mixer trucks. The Rolltek Side Roll Protection System, originally developed by LifeGuard Technologies, is an effort by the company to address the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistic that 60 percent of truck occupant fatalities involve a rollover. The system uses a roll sensor to detect a rollover by monitoring the vehicle’s roll angle and rate, triggering safety devices in a programmed sequence. In the event of a side roll, the system tightens the seat belt to reduce driver motion, lowers the seat to its lowest position to increase survivable space, locks the seat down to eliminate movement, pre-tensions the seat belt to position the driver for contact with the side airbag and then deploys an inflatable tubular side-curtain airbag that protects and cushions the head and neck, preventing excessive head motion. Ready-mix producers will also have access to crash data before and after a roll event.
Small package delivers large heat output
Ground Heaters designed its Arctic Bear Cub indirect-fired heaters to be small in size but big in heat output. The series includes three models: the Cub 200, Cub 400 and Cub 700 (pictured). The Cub 700 produces up to 700,000 BTU per hour of heat output at an airflow rate of 8,240 cubic feet per minute with 2.09 inches water column static pressure. As with the Cub 400, the Cub 700 can operate on diesel, natural gas or propane. It’s available with an optional 125-gallon fuel tank.
New size category for Mustang telehandlers
Mustang Manufacturing’s 519 telehandler represents the manufacturer’s entry into a new size category. The 19-foot 1-inch maximum lift height machine can turn within its footprint and features a four-cylinder Deutz diesel turbocharged engine. With a lift capacity of 5,500 pounds, the machine has a 3,000-pound capacity at maximum lift height. The 10,000-pound machine has an overall height of 6 feet, 4 inches.
Quad-track trencher tackles tough conditions
By placing an independent track system on each end of both axles, the RTX1250 trencher from Vermeer gains in side-hill stability, traction and flotation. The quad track design, developed in conjunction with Loegering Manufacturing, also eliminates break over points and maintains ground contact for a steadier ride when maneuvering over abrupt high or low spots in the terrain. The tracks can be swapped for tires or a dual track system when needed in different applications and ground conditions. As with the rubber tire versions of the trencher, the RTX1250 allows four wheel steering and crab steering. The trencher is propelled by a 120-horsepower engine, accepts trencher, plow, rock wheel or backhoe attachments, and digs up to 72 inches deep and 18 inches wide.
New full-sized excavators have more horsepower, shorter cycle times
Case’s new CX B Series line of full-sized excavators offer a 17-percent increase in horsepower over previous models using a new electronically controlled, common rail Tier 3 engine. Hydraulic horsepower is increased 4 to 10 percent. Regenerative hydraulics, long used on Case’s boom and arm, are now added to the bucket curl to speed up cycle times to move more material. The B series can store up to 10 auxiliary hydraulic flow patterns to quickly adapt to different attachments. A single expanse of glass in the right-hand window gives the operator better visibility. An optional skylight is available.
Compact laser simplifies operations
Small and compact, the Rugby 55 laser from Leica features watertight seals, variable head speeds, selectable scanning modes and an alkaline or rechargeable battery pack. The laser’s Scan-90 feature moves the scanning or stationary beam in 90-degree intervals through four axes, and the beam-down mode automatically positions the beam below the laser for faster setups over a point. Mounted on a tripod or batter board clamp the Rugby 55 can also be used to set out corners and align forms and foundations.
Low-cost TPS simplifies layout chores
Topcon Position Systems introduced a new line of low cost total stations with its Pocket Layout software to give contractors precision layout capabilities normally handled by surveyors using more sophisticated systems. The “green label” total stations include the GTS-102N and GTS 105-N feature 2- and 5-second arc accuracy respectively. Both have full numeric keypads, a 10-hour battery and a “point-to-guide” feature for fast alignment in staking tasks. A laser plummet also speeds setup.
Tracks takeover where wheels dare not tread
When muddy, uneven or poor underfoot conditions threaten to slow down or stop the use of your telescopic boom lifts, Loegering’s Quad Track System can bolt directly to the wheel hubs of most models and power you through the problem. The 3,236 square inches of rubber track these four undercarriages present to the ground protect turf and other sensitive surfaces as well as keep you up and running during the wet-season.
New Bobcat skid-steer loader features large operating capacity
Bobcat’s S330, with an 85-horsepower liquid-cooled diesel engine, has a 3,300-pound rated operating capacity and a 10-foot 10-inch lift height. The S330 features a vertical lift path, a hydraulic system monitor with automatic engine shutdown, an operating sensing system to assist in service troubleshooting and a transversely mounted engine for easy maintenance. A two-speed travel system offers a 6.9-mph normal speed and a 12-mph high travel speed. Fingertip auxiliary hydraulic controls are standard, and operators can quickly switch between attachments using the Bob-Tach Mounting System, also standard on the S330.
Even with a boost in horsepower and an increase in weight, the S330 remains less than 74 inches wide. At 142.9 inches long with a standard bucket, the S330 is comparable in length to the S250 and S300.
The S330 comes equipped with a new cooling system that increases the loader’s cooling capacity by 30 percent, using a variable speed fan that rotates at full speed only when required. The cooling system improves performance in extreme operating conditions such as heavy digging, in high ambient temperatures or on high-elevation jobsites.
Cordless hammer drill maintains power from first hole to last
Hilti’s new TE 7-A cordless rotary hammer drill puts 36-volt lithium-ion batteries to work drilling holes from 5⁄16 to 3⁄4 inches in diameter in masonry or concrete. The company’s lithium ion battery technology provides full battery power from the first to the last hole and can charge up to 50 percent capacity in 18 minutes or 100 percent in 36 minutes. Each battery comes with an LED charge indicator that tells you how much power is left.
Heard on the show floor
Hybrid excavator: Following a preview at the Intermat trade show in Paris last spring, New Holland unveiled its prototype 7-metric-ton hybrid crawler excavator, developed in partnership with sister company Kobelco. New Holland says with both a 2.2-liter diesel engine and a lithium ion battery-powered motor the hybrid will offer a 40-percent reduction in both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, compared with New Holland’s current E70 excavator. The company did not announce a production date.
Behind curtain No. 2: Terex CMI put its Series 6 concrete slipform paving kit in an invitation-only curtained area during the show. Terex says the Series 6’s enclosed box construction delivers a 24-percent stronger frame than its previous paving kits and can reduce kit change-out time by a minimum of 22 hours. The kit’s strong box design with internal cross bracing delivers nearly a nearly zero deflection profile. Dowel guide pins align kit sections, while wedge locks eliminate the gap between the segments, available in 1-foot, 1.5-foot, 2-foot and 3-foot sections. The kit, in field testing, will be in production later this year.
Branding news: The CMI name will transition to the Terex brand by ConExpo next year. Terex will also establish new nomenclature for its compact wheel loaders and excavators – wheel loaders will have the “TL” prefix and compact excavators the “TR” prefix.
