The new ZX180W-7 wheeled excavator is shown here with Landcros branding, which Hitachi plans to change to in April.
Equipment World
Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas revealed its first wheeled excavators for the North American market this month during its dealer meeting in Georgia.
The company, set to change its name to Landcros in April, displayed its 18-metric-ton ZX180W-7 at the meeting. The 22-metric-ton ZX220W-7 is also on its way to this continent. Both have been available in international markets. They are available for order and will be arriving here later this year or early next year.
Tim Secora, product manager for medium and large excavators, showed us around the ZX180W-7 at the dealer meeting.
For stability when digging, the operator uses the dozer blade on the front and dual outriggers in the rear. The ZX220W has outriggers front and back.
“It's all about safety with this machine,” Cicora says. “With a pneumatic-tired excavator, it's not like a tracked excavator. You want to be able to actually plant the machine firmly on the ground. So this is all in an effort to make sure it's plenty stable as you're digging and using multiple tools.”
The new ZX180W-7 wheeled excavator is shown here with Landcros branding, which Hitachi plans to change to in April.Equipment WorldThe ZX180W has a two-piece boom for working in tight spaces and being able to extend outward. “It allows you maximum flexibility and maneuverability.”
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The ZX220W has a mono boom and delivers higher digging reach, height and force.
At the meeting, the ZX180W was outfitted with a tiltrotator, which enables the operator better precision and productivity with attachments, as well as hydraulic quick coupling for changing work tools within seconds without leaving the cab.
“We think from an application standpoint, this is going to be very popular with a municipality or someone who's trying to do a lot of work with one person in the cab,” Cicora says. “You can trailer something with multiple tools on it, and you can swap them out with a tiltrotator and get a lot of work done from one person with one machine.”
Another benefit of wheeled excavators is their ability to travel over roads and across large jobsites. The ZX180W has a max speed of 22 mph, and the ZX220W can reach 17 mph — both much faster and maneuverable than a crawler excavator. Their pneumatic tires also don’t damage asphalt and other surfaces.
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The cab features a premium Grammer air-suspension seat, as well as a steering wheel and joystick steering.
Both wheeled excavators run on a 172-horsepower Isuzu diesel engine. They both feature cruise control and Ride Control, which suppresses vibrations on the operator from the front attachment. The hydraulics on the excavators are designed to increase fuel efficiency at high productivity.
Hitachi offers seven wheeled excavators internationally, but decided to initially bring its largest two models to North America. Cicora said the decision followed market research that determined those were the two most popular size classes here.
Wheeled excavators have not caught on as much in the U.S. as in Europe and other markets. “It is a little bit of a niche market,” Cicora says, “but it is something we see as growing.”
“It's got great applications that a tracked excavator really can't handle,” he adds. “It's not designed to compete with a tracked excavator. It's there to supplement and fill out our product lineup, because it does do some unique things. … It allows us to cover more bases with our customers.”
Hitachi sees the municipal market having strong potential because of the wheeled excavators’ versatility and ability to travel over the road.
“You can do roadwork, ditch work,” he says. You can also run mowers, brushes and a variety of other attachments.
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The new ZX180W-7 wheeled excavator is shown here with Landcros branding, which Hitachi plans to change to in April.Equipment World
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