Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/953148
March 2018 | EquipmentWorld.com 20 machine matters | continued Standard flow on the 74-horsepower Caterpillar 906M is 19 gallons per minute; a high-flow option raises that to 31 gpm. Maximum pressure is 3,408 pounds per square inch; the boost flow option increases this to 3,191 psi. Cycle time for ground level to maximum lift is 5.5 seconds at 1,800 rpm. Gehl 650 and 750 (shown) compact wheel loaders have 45 degrees of articulation and 10 degrees of oscillation. Proportional auxiliary hydraulics are standard and acti- vated with a rocker switch on the joystick. The 650 has a 64-horse- power Yanmar engine, and the 750 a 74-horsepower Deutz. have a much higher rated operating capacity than SSLs and CTLs. The Volvo L20H compact wheel loader, for example, is rated at 4,500 pounds with 64 horsepower, while the highest- ROC skid steers in the current Equipment World Spec Guide, the Gehl V400 and Mus- tang 4000V, are rated at 4,000 pounds with 99 horsepower. In addition to claiming market share from skid steers and compact track loaders, com- pact wheel loaders are also pulling customers from larger wheel loaders and backhoes, says Kelly Moore, product and training specialist with Manitou Group, the parent company of Gehl and Mustang. Articulation and all-wheel steer To maximize turning performance and tight- en turn radius, manufacturers rely on two design features: articulation and all-wheel steering (AWS). With articulation, the machine has separate front and rear assemblies connected by a knuckle (more of a wrist, really). With AWS, the rear wheels also turn. Some machines have either articulation or AWS, while some have both. Brent Coffey, product manager for loaders at Wacker Neuson, says the company's articu- lated wheel loaders are the right choice when working in confined areas with tight turns and uneven terrain. Their AWS models have a rigid, one-piece chassis with no articulation, a design that prevents shifts in center of gravity at full turn. Coffey says that with three steering modes – four-wheel, front only and crab – and a 40-degree steering angle on each axle, the