To celebrate the 40-year anniversary of building equipment in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Komatsu recently rolled out two special machines: a milestone excavator and a 1980s throwback wheel loader.
Komatsu employees, dealers and customers, plus elected officials and community members, gathered on July 10 to celebrate the occasion and debut the factory’s 60,000th excavator, a PC490LC-11. This one-of-a-kind, 100,000-pound machine features a decal of the Chattanooga Market Street Bridge on the counterweight to mark the anniversary and was built for demolition, environmental and infrastructure contractor D.H. Griffin.
The PC490LC-11 came out alongside a restored 1988 WA450-1 wheel loader, nicknamed the “Ochi Loader” after the first Japanese general manager of the Chattanooga plant, Shohei Ochi. The loader was restored by Komatsu’s Chattanooga plant employees.
Restored 1988 WA450-1 wheel loader, nicknamed the “Ochi Loader”Komatsu
David Dolan, who began working at the Chattanooga plant in 1986 one year after it opened and is the most tenured employee at there today, was among those present at the unveiling.
The Chattanooga plant was Komatsu’s first manufacturing facility in the United States and today produces medium-size hydraulic excavators, articulated dump trucks and forestry equipment, alongside supporting the company’s engineering, product development and supply chain operations.
Powered byKomatsu moved production of its HM400 articulated dump truck from Japan to Chattanooga in 2023 and expanded its apprenticeship program with Chattanooga State Community College.
Komatsu PC490LC-11 Excavator Specs:
- Net power: 359 horsepower
- Engine: Komatsu SAA6D125E-7
- Bucket capacity: 1.47-4.15 cubic yards
- Operating weight: 105,670-110,220 pounds
- Bucketing digging force (11”1’ arm): 61,730 pounds
- Arm crowd force (11”1’): 48,060 pounds
Komatsu WA450 Wheel Loader (Model 1988-1995):
- Operating weight: 42,380 pounds
- Flywheel power: 237 horsepower
- Standard bucket capacity: 4.6 cubic yards
