Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/775605
EquipmentWorld.com | January 2017 33 Reverse trickle F or years, features – including electrohydraulics and work modes – have trickled down from larger excavators to smaller models. When first introduced, these features and the technology enabling them could be costly. But as the costs dropped, these features were included in lower- priced machines. Now it seems features are trickling up. Smaller excavators have become prime movers for a wide range of buckets, augers, compaction tools and more. These attachments and the bidirectional hydraulic flow needed to run many of them are becoming more common in larger machines. Specialty buckets for ditching and dredging and buckets with thumbs are being sized to fit these larger machines. The take rate for quick-attach cou- plings and auxil- iary hydraulics is growing as more customers have either an existing or an anticipated need for attach- ments. Among attach- ments, shears and hammers are the most popular as demolition gains prominence in excavators' applications repertoire. "The majority of our customers asking for machines in these size classes are using them in demoli- tion applications," says Marcus Barnes, excavator product special- ist, Liebherr. Even customers doing mostly digging expect quick-change ver- satility, says Kurt Moncini, senior manager for tracked products, Komatsu. "In trenching applica- tions where multiple buckets are used, such as underground utility, the time between bucket changes can be reduced to seconds. Changing buckets quickly to suit the task at hand is important be- cause you don't want to excavate more than necessary." Something else showing up on larger machines is demand for reduced-tailswing design. Once considered helpful only for smaller machines working in tight spaces, reduced tailswing is finding favor in all kinds of urban, bridge and road construc- tion. "Tight" is relative and traffic, adjacent buildings, and other barriers can make the work- ing environment on the largest site seem claustro- phobic. "Custom- ers inquire about reduced tailswing on even 50-ton machines," says Barnes, "so they can bring a large excavator to the job and still close only one lane of traffic." All this is in response to customers' need to do more work with fewer machines, says Moncini. "In infrastructure work, for example, we're seeing one excavator being used for demolition, load-out and reconstruction." Pressure for profit Pressure is as high as ever for profitability, and a key to profit is utilization rate. Many contrac- tors are now opting to own only when utilization rates reach as high as 80 percent, as opposed to previously when they considered The Hyundai HX380L has 13 percent faster cycle times than the 9A model it replaces. Available features include Boom Float mode for improved grading control, Fine Swing mode for improved load control when swinging, Intelligent Power Control for power optimiza- tion based on load demand, and Eco Breaker mode for selectable pump flow and improved fuel consumption when working with hydraulic attachments.