Kobelco, Leica, Engcon team up to create tiltrotator full-auto machine control
Starting next year, some Kobelco excavators will come equipped with the ability to automatically adjust bucket height and tilt through a new automatic tiltrotator function.
The technology, part of Kobelco’s new Information and Communication Technology system for machine control, is the result of a three-way partnership with the Japanese manufacturer and Sweden-based Engcon and Switzerland-based Leica Geosystems, according to Engcon.
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Volvo, Skanska begin field testing of electric site quarry, expect 95% carbon emissions reduction, 25% operational cost reduction
Volvo Construction Equipment and construction firm/materials producer giant Skanska have started their 10-week field test of Volvo CE’s Electric Site quarry concept. Taking place in Skanska’s Vikan Kross quarry near Gothenburg, Sweden, the test will help determine the production viability of electrifying each transport stage in a quarry– from excavation to primary crushing, and transport to secondary crushing.
Volvo CE/Skanska anticipate test results will show a 95 percent reduction in carbon emissions and a 25 percent reduction in total cost of operations. The Vikan Kross quarry produces aggregates for construction, asphalt and cement.
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Kubota positions Sidekick RTV-XG850 as a speedy alternative to pickups on jobsites (VIDEO)
On the sunny banks of the blue waters of Lake Lanier in Georgia, Kubota turned a former golf course into a media test track for its new gas-powered RTV-XG850 Sidekick “rugged terrain vehicle,” designed for work in a variety of applications, including construction.
The company says the Sidekick represents its desire to capture a slice of the fast growing “multipurpose vehicle” market – a vehicle that allows those in construction and other industries to transition from pickup trucks on the worksite to a less costly and more nimble means of getting around.
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Analyst: With truck orders booming and build backlog bulging, get used to waiting for new trucks
The best stretch in truck order history is going to continue likely through this year and well into next, analysts said last week at the ACT Research seminar in Columbus, Indiana.
The big question now, says Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT Research, is will the current hot streak make it to 2020? Vieth says ACT anticipates the boom will finally subside next fall, but in the meantime fleets should get used to waiting for new trucks. Class 8 orders today are coming in faster than OEM facilities can build, and the build backlog is growing.
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Deere upgrades G-Series skid steers, CTLs with big loader functionality thru new Boom Performance package
John Deere has introduced a new feature package for its four largest skid-steer and compact track loaders that the company says aims to make operators faster and more efficient.
The new EH Boom Performance package brings several boom and bucket functions that operators have come to expect on big loaders to Deere’s compact lineup.
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