Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/846046
July 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 32 the intelligent site? It's already hap- pening. Komatsu announced its Smart Construction service in Japan in 2015, and its remote-capable dozers are part of that automated jobsite service. Electronics Horstman says electronics allow performance characteristics to be set to match operator preferences, soil type and application. Deere's Total Machine Control monitor lets an operator select forward and re- verse ground speed ranges, steering modulation, decel pedal mode and response, hydraulic speed and ag- gressiveness of direction reversals. He says the latter helps operators coming from torque converter ma- chines, who are used to some roll- out between directional changes, feel comfortable on Deere's hydro- static machines from the start. Jonathan Tolomeo, Komatsu dozer product marketing manager, says a third blade mode has been added to their Tier 4 Final ma- chines. This "fast" mode coordinates blade action to travel speed, and both characteristics can be adjusted by the operator. Other electronically controlled features include auto idle shutdown; a diesel exhaust fluid monitor with visual and audible alerts for low levels; and up to 100 ID codes, which can be assigned to operators, jobs or any other aspect of machine use the customer wants to independently track. Charles "Chuck" Murawski, also a dozer product marketing manager with Komatsu, says a faster com- puter processor provides smoother blade control at higher ground speeds. "This is important because operators want to finish grade in second and even third gear." Telematics are gaining accep- tance, and manufacturers are starting to tweak their telematics in response to increased customer de- mand. Deere, for example, now of- fers five years of JDLink as standard coverage with each new machine; coverage had been for three years. Machine control is also expand- ing. This can be tricky, and manu- facturers must be flexible in their offerings. Virtually all mid-size and larger dozers come with some sort of blade control. Many come pre-configured for 2D laser guid- ance. All manufacturers offer 3D machine control, although the type and technology vary. Case M Series dozers can come factory-installed with a Leica Geosystems 3D sys- tem, but its machines are also com- patible with systems from Topcon and Trimble. To help customers sort this out, OEMs are making sure their dealers have experts on hand to answer questions and make recommendations. machine matters | continued The latest addition to the Liebherr generation 6 line of dozers, the PR 716 Litronic fea- tures a compact cab for improved visibility that retains many of the features of larger generation 6 machines, such as ergonomically shaped joysticks, an intuitive touchscreen monitor and a choice of halogen or high- performance LED headlights.