Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/610317
AGGREGATES MANAGER December 2015 48 First Standard power-split transmission is expected to improve fuel efficiency by up to 30 percent compared to conventional drive loaders. LIEBHERRʼS XPOWER Wheel Loaders A s part of a press event in England, Liebherr in- troduced its new XPower large wheel loader lineup. Calling it a "significant milestone," Liebherr says it will use a power-split transmission as standard throughout its entire new XPower large wheel loader lineup, a decision it says will help give the machines up to a 30-percent fuel efficiency boost compared to conven- tional drive loaders. The loaders will debut at the bauma trade show in Ger- many next April, and will appear in the United States by mid 2016. The power-split drivetrain on the L 550 through L 586 models combines a hydrostatic drive and a mechani- cal drive, and uses a continuously variable transmission gearbox to au- tomatically adjust between the two drives, matching the drive to the job at hand. The hydrostatic transmission, for example, excels at short loading cycles going into a pile, while the me- chanical transmission shines in long distances and driving uphill. "We believe the power-split trans- mission is the future because it has the advantages of both types," says Martin Gschwend, sales director, Liebherr- Werk Bischofshofen. Another plus of this transmission: there is less internal LOOK by Marcia Gruver Doyle, Editorial Director Liebherr focused on fuel efficiency and ease of maintenance when designing its XPower loaders, which will debut in the United States in mid 2016.