March-April 2011

Compact Equipment News From the Front

The compact equipment market has more than come of age, and manufacturers are catching up—with the emphasis on versatility, operator comfort, and serviceability.

Tweet

“Eventually, almost every contractor is going to buy, rent, or lease a piece of compact equipment,” says Jason Williamson, compact excavator marketing supervisor at Caterpillar. “Over the last 10 to 15 years, the capability, productivity, and versatility of these little machines have increased almost exponentially.”

So what’s new, different, and exciting in the compact equipment industry? What are manufacturers talking about—and how do they see the market? Operators say they’re looking to make their machines more versatile, which means increased hydraulic capacity and an easier switch between what’s on the end of the stick. They also want better visibility and improved comfort, including a larger cab and upgraded controls. Manufacturers have added fuel efficiency and improved serviceability.

But how to choose? Case Compact Equipment Marketing Manager Curtis Goeptel offers suggestions. “First, consider your application. When it comes to skid-steers, if you’re doing a lot of lift and carry, digging piles, and filling up trucks, a vertical unit is going to be a better choice because it lifts straight up and will have a little more reach and height for dumping. If you’re doing a lot of digging, grading or prying concrete, rock and stones, a radial machine is going to make more sense because the arm pattern nestles the loader arm against the chassis, which means you’re pushing directly against the chassis and not the arm.

“Second, buy the right size machine. A lot of people take the default position of buying the biggest thing they can. But their money could be better spent to dial in the machine that does what they want it to do. Third, buy an established, reputable brand—you’re going to have a better network behind you. And fourth, more than brand, more than price, deal with a dealer who’s going to take care of you and who will meet your service needs. At the end of the day, you may have the best piece of machinery, but you’re not going to like it if you can’t get service and support.”

Tom Connor at Bobcat thinks it’s important to take a trial run on whatever machines you’re considering and put them through their paces. “It’s important to check on things like published lift capacities,” he says, “but I don’t know that I’d put all my money on any one of those specs.”

“For contractors to know what they need to about advances in machine technology, operator comfort, and generally what’s out there, it doesn’t get any better than ConExpo or ConAg,” says Erik Wilde, vice president of product marketing at Komatsu. “All the OEMS are there. You can hear what they have to say and make comparisons. You can find out what’s happening in our environment.”

What follows is a pre-show heads-up.

After four years of planning, Bobcat is knee-deep in its launch of M series excavators, all new from the ground up. Three models offer better ergonomics and a more comfortable cab, fingertip pilot controls (no pivot points or linkage points to wear out and get sloppy), premium service access-cooling system parts that separate without tools, an approximate 10% reduction in grease points, and all zerks accessible from a standing position. New model nomenclature reflects standard operating tonnage. Options include a longer arm for more reach and a new extendable arm for two of the M series models.

“A lot of compact excavator customers have moved from a skid-steer attachment backhoe to a compact excavator,” Connor says. “Breakers on skid-steers obviously do the job, but once you run a breaker on an excavator, the visibility and agility really take it another step. At Bobcat, our emphasis was on optimizing performance without compromising size and weight. With skid-steers and track loaders, engine power is an indicator of performance, but in an excavator you have to have far more advanced hydraulic systems.”

Ease of changing attachments plus good service convinced plumbing contractor Richard Brown to buy Bobcat. “It was the most expensive, but I can do things like change buckets fast,” he says. “When I’m digging a sewer line, I can take a handful of gravel out of the truck, sprinkle it on the pipe and change back to my digging bucket in seconds.” Also coming is a new loader series that reflects changes in the excavators.

The new line of Case skid-steers includes two new 1,300- and 1,500-pound chassis, Reconfiguring the chassis for Tier 4 engines resulted a new a cab-forward design and a longer wheelbase, 20% or longer on some models, for a more stable platform. To increase lift capacity, Case has also ditched its old rear bumpers for a flexible system of counterweights. And it upgraded digging and breakout capacities by relocating cylinders for a lower center of gravity coupled with a more aggressive angle into the bucket. “This increases the push into the bucket and from the cylinders for a greater breakout force,” says Geoptel, “which we think is a better answer than simply cranking up hydraulic pressure.”

Cabs are larger and quieter with better visibility and better heating and air conditioning, featuring electro-hydraulic controls so operators can switch from ISO to H pattern. Improved serviceability means among other things improved access for daily checks. Case has also introduced bundled options to help dealers build machines to better fit individual customer needs.

Caterpillar’s new D series of mini-hydraulic excavators features two zero-tail-swing machines, the 303.5D CR and 304D CR, and the 305D CR and 305.5D CR compact-radius machines, which limit upper-body tail swing to 5.5 inches or less. Like Bobcat, Cat’s model numbers now reflect operating weights.

All four of the new models are more stable, accomplished by increasing undercarriage width for the 303.5D CR and 304D CR, and heavier counterweights for the 305D CR and 305.5D CR. “Customers want to be able to use long sticks to utilize the most reach they can on compact-radius machines while being able to carry things like quick-couplers and bigger buckets and work tools,” Williamson says. “On our two larger models we believe it’s an acceptable compromise between having approximately 3.5 to 5.5 inches of overhang and being able to deliver significant stability, operator comfort and lifting performance. Practically speaking, it will improve the machines’ work capability because they’re able to lift a little more from a tipping standpoint as well as utilize our digging forces.”

Photo: TMX The TMX mini-excavator can be towed from job to job.

Photo: Bobcat With its soft footprint, the T320 CTL is a go-anywhere performer.

 

For 3- to 5-ton machines in both the C and D series, Cat has introduced a new hydraulic pin-grabber coupler. The wedge-locking mechanism holds the back pin tight and features a secondary lock integrated into the front hook for a visible, audible check that the bucket or attachment is connected. Operators can also quickly turn the bucket around and use it like a front shovel to reach into corners of an excavation or underneath pipes and sidewalks. In all, Williamson says, Cat’s goal was to retain the good features of the C series while addressing customer ‘pain points’ of nomenclature, stability and a new coupler.

Distributor Andy Lewis likes the Boxer [Boxer Equipment, Ponco City, OK] stand-on skid-steer for its “very, very low center of gravity,” increased hydraulic flow, and better productivity. “In a standard skid-steer, you’ve got to get out to change an attachment, which takes time. With the Boxer you jump on, jump off, do what you need to do, and you’re back on in 15 seconds.”

The Boxer comes in three series—roughly small, medium, and large—and is available in gas or diesel. The smaller units have a light footprint, 3–4 psi, good for finish grading. The tracks on 500 series machines go in for narrow access, a Boxer exclusive, and the platform is spring-loaded to protect operators from fatigue. Dedicated equipment includes a 118 trencher and 106 power barrel. Otherwise, the Boxer takes all brands of attachments. The four and five series models also have a crawl valve to manipulate attachment speed and power.

At Southern Shade Tree Co. in North Carolina, what Brett Lovett likes is Boxer’s lifting capacity, which he says is good for moving something as big as a 1,500-pound root ball—“Very impressive for that kind of unit.” Lovett has two 500-series machines, one gas, one diesel, one of which is dedicated fulltime to trenching. “We have to plant anywhere from one to four big trees in front yards and fine-grade every lot and install irrigation. I won’t say the machines are used every hour every day, but pretty close.”

Like Case and Cat, John Deere went directly to customers for input on its new D skid-steer series. The machines feature a new V-Plenum cooling system-radiator and hydraulic coolers are side-by-side and larger, which allows equal fan cooling for both. The fan is 30% larger and is positioned rearward of the coolers and instead of pushing air into the coolers it draws hot air away.

“Moving dirt is important,” says product marketing manager Gregg Zupancic, “but being comfortable is critical. Customers told us they’re getting in and out of their skid-steers 10 to 12 times a day and wanted better ingress and egress. We also pressurized the cab for lower noise levels and to keep dirt and dust out—a big change.” In the D series, Deere is offering a electrohydraulic (EH) joystick control option that allows operators to switch from ISO to H patterns and operators to select creeper mode, which sets wheel/track speed in 10% increments of the unit’s top speed, as well as boom and bucket speed limits to set hydraulic mitering. “It’s newer technology, but customers are buying it right now,” says Zupancic. Deere machines continue to have a wider wheelbase for stability and steep slopes—60:40 front-to-back weight distribution with the buckets unloaded and 50:50 when with an attachment or bucketful of material. Another advantage is the boom pattern: straight up, then out at roughly the level of a 10-foot sidewall dump truck.

Doosan’s compact market entries include the DX60R and DX80R compact excavators with air-conditioned cabs, adjustable suspension seats, joystick controls with three additional switches for those all-important attachments, side engine access, tilting cab for maintenance, and engine idle function for fuel economy. The DX60R has an operating weight of 12,830 pounds with a 4-foot, 10-inch arm, 8 inches of tail swing, a bucket breakout force of 8,969 pounds, and an arm breakout force of 5,845 pounds. Maximum digging depth is 12 feet, 3 inches, and maximum dump height is 13 feet. The DX80R has an operating weight of 18,364 pounds with a 5-foot, 7-inch arm, 11 inches of tail swing, bucket breakout force of 12,274 pounds, and arm breakout force of 9,194 pounds. Maximum digging reach is 22 feet, 8 inches, and the maximum dump height is 15 feet, 3 inches.

UK-based JCB is entering the North American market in a big way with a new line of skid-steers (models 260, 280, 300, and 330) and compact track loaders (260T, 300T, and 320T), what it calls a new generation of machines. The seven new skid-steers are all vertical lift (dealers wanted a large platform vertical lift in 2,600 pounds and above) with JCB’s unique single loader arm and side entry. They’re also the first JCB product to be designed and engineered in North America.

“Based on the side door alone, JCB shouldn’t lose any sales to competitors,” says Cliff Anglewicz, chief executive officer and owner of Midwest-based Yes Equipment and Service. “There’s no way an operator can safely get into a skid-steer climbing over an attachment. Construction sites are too inherently unsafe to deliberately buy a machine that’s unsafe, especially when you have an option. With a single lifting arm you also have tremendous visibility, and the noise level in the pressurized cab is 76 decibels, compared to 83 and over 90 in some of our competitors. Other features include tilting cab for increased service access (a rear-opening door allows greater access to the front of the engine and a top opening hood for access to the top and to help with cleaning the cooling packs where they’re located above the engine), seven-way joystick, electronic hand throttle, optional two speeds, and hydraulic quick hitch—and there are 30 types of JCB attachments.

“Besides safety,” says Chris Giorgianni, general product marketing manger for JCB USA, “side entry also means operators don’t have to drop their load to get out and open a gate or go through a fence or an enclosed area, which saves time. The more comfortable cab also increases productivity by reducing fatigue. Controls have been raised from waist to eye level, the same for heat and air conditioning.

“The single arm is not a new concept with us, but it involves is a change in mindset. What we’re doing is offering the market a different solution, a power-boom skid-steer that allows operators to do the job better, more quickly and with greater fuel efficiency.”

Komatsu America Corp. has just introduced the PC78US compact excavator designed off the platform for the PC88MR, and the WA100 compact wheel loader in a series that includes the WA50, -70, and -80. “It’s an additional product line in that size class to provide flexibility for our excavator customers who don’t want a swinging boom,” says Wilde. In what he calls a huge shift, Komatsu has brought the cab from its 23-ton PC228 into a mini-platform. “The fact is, our compact lines are the beneficiaries of the technological advances on the larger machines, and when scale and volume drive costs, it makes it viable for the smaller products.” Komatsu has also rounded out its line of attachments and developed a coupler that allows skid steer buckets to be used on their compact loaders.

Another focus is bringing compact machine owners up to speed with Komtax fleet management, which now includes GPS-based systems that can report machine location. “It’s a big push from Komatsu, because having this kind of information is such a benefit, and when comes time for resale, the value of a customer’s compact machine is increased because they have history of information.” Distributors are now focusing on providing customers more guidance on matching machines to applications and issues—such as whether they should buy or rent-or if all they need is a shorter arm on their current machine.

Kubota has entered the compact track loader market with the all-Kubota SVL75—with 75 hydraulic horsepower, 6,204-pound bucket breakout force, and 4,881-pound lifting capacity—and the SVL90, which features 90 hydraulic horsepower, a bucket breakout force of 7,961 pounds, and a lifting capacity of 5,869 pounds. The machines are equipped with a rigid-mount undercarriage and a vertical lift designed for long reach and maximum lifting and dumping capabilities—50% more than competitors, says product manager Erik Ouwersloot. “One of the things this enables us to do is strike a load flat so it’s legal to travel on the highway, which is important to a lot of contractors. And an undercarriage frame that’s integral to the mainframe means better weight balance front and rear.”

Fleet owners and operators who complained about small and narrow loader cabs will be happy with Kubota’s 35-inch-wide cab and 30-inch-by-20-inch flat foot space. “We’ve got one machine working in a clay mine where traction comes into play, along with machine weight and ground pressure and the bucket breakout force—all of which are designed to be 5% to 10% or 15% above competitors.” Grease points can be reached from ground level, and bottom rollers are lifetime sealed and lubricated, so there’s no maintenance other than weekly track tension checks. Paladin is building Kubota’s buckets and its attachments are designed to fit the new Kubota machines, which will also take other brands.

Takeuchi made a number of product refinements in 2010 and is on track for a mid-2011 expansion of its 200 excavator series. “Where many of our competitors offer a limited machine in terms of versatility and performance,” says product manager David Steger, “we choose to offer both a narrower, well-balanced conventionally designed machine along with our unique FR full-rotation series, which is our improvement on the minimal tail-swing machine that also offers a small full-turning circle. Being able to offer a conventional machine with a long arm provides a better platform for working with multiple attachments while still retaining all the benefits of a conventional design.”

Takeuchi has also improved fuel efficiency by tuning the hydraulic system with the power curve of the engine and serviceability with improved hydraulic filtration and service intervals. Future developments include multiple auxiliary hydraulic circuits, auto idler, improved function controls and HUVAC systems and continued improved serviceability—and, not to be missed, a battery-powered electric excavator for reduced noise and emissions.

Terex has introduced a new line of compact skid-steer loaders, both vertical and radial, for “some of the best ground clearances and rear angle of departure in the business”—10.5-inch ground clearance and a 26.25 angle of departure on the TSR50/60 and TSV50/60 medium frame loaders and 29.24 on the TSR70/80 and TSV 70/80 large frame loaders, enabling operators to work in more adverse ground conditions and climb steeper grades. Tower design offers “excellent” visibility. There’s a sealed and pressurized cab, and hydraulic joystick controls come standard. Mechanical-faced axle seals are also standard to prevent migration of dust and debris and extend bearing life. High axle torque is a feature and Terex skid-steer loader arms are designed to carry over-the-tire steel tracks more efficiently. Optional two-speed transmission delivers what Terex says are the fastest top speeds in the class. There’s a 25-gallon fuel tank in the medium-frame loaders and 30-gallon in the large-frame models for longer running times.

Since Coneqtec bought the Terramite product line in 2008, it’s been engaged in evaluating machines to define areas of improvement and to incorporate user recommendations—what marketing executive Kelly Guthrie describes as “a coupler here, a fitting there. In 2009 we concentrated on improving administration, inventory and parts availability and implemented a parts availability guarantee.” Now, new optional equipment has been added for the T7 and T9 compactor-tractor-loader backhoes, also high-flow front-end hydraulics (18 gpm, 2,500 psi) and a quick-attach coupler to facilitate use of digging and planting attachments. “The idea is the contractor already has the attachments and can hook them up to the tractor when the skid-steer’s busy.” Terramite also features a hand-held auxiliary kit that can hook up to such tools as hammers, breakers, saws, and trash pumps.

Volvo now offers seven track excavators with digging depths ranging from 6 feet, 9 inches to 12 feet, 6 inches, with operating weights from 3,164 to 10,830 pounds, available with rubber or steel tracks. Its newest entry is the EC20C, at 2 tons its smallest model. Tail swing has been reduced by 7 percent, coupled with a rounded design and cast-iron rear counterweight for “maximum rear protection to the excavator.” Foot controls have been replaced by the joystick button. Other features include automatic travel speed adjustment and a new instrument panel, and Volvo has also hopped on the serviceability bandwagon with more easily accessible service points.

Volvo’s EC35C is a conventionally designed compact excavator featuring a cast-steel X-frame undercarriage for improved load distribution, forward-style cab and right-side-mounted engine, a patented mono-pump hydraulic system, joystick control, two-speed travel system, and blade float. Standard features for operator comfort include isolation-mounted cabs, suspension-mounted seat, and the ubiquitous joystick. Available options include a hydraulic angle backfill blade, hydraulic thumb, and a second double-acting attachment circuit operated through fingertip control on the joystick.

“We’ve been a Wacker Neuson dealer for over 50 years,” says James Goodlett, president of Goodlett Equipment Inc. in Cayce, SC. “They’re a first-class company, and they’ve really come a long way in the past two to three years with their compact line.” Goodlett, who sells to earth-moving contractors, city and state utilities, landscapers, funeral homes and cemeteries, says he personally likes the four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer loader for stability. “You can drive up a 40-degree slope with the front-end loader loaded and do a U-turn. You can’t do that with an articulated machine.

“The key points are engineering and design, product support, warranty, and the components that lead to smoothness of operation. An operator has to operate the machine to realize the big differences. The excavators are equipped with small engines with variable-displacement style pumps, which is almost like the automatic transmission on your car. And because of their smaller size, it means a lot less heat for the operator as well as better fuel
efficiency.”

Goodlett customer Carl Cromer of Martin Engineering likes the Wacker mini-excavator for tight spaces such as a recent job inside a school that called for moving walls and doors and installing new bathrooms. “We took the roll cage off, and with the narrow tracks it fit through the door opening. We’re working now on adding office space on another enclosed job, and we’re doing it all with the mini-excavator. It took me three months to make the decision, and the main thing that sold me was the reliability. We’ve had it for some three years now and haven’t had a minute’s problem with it. We have two different size buckets because we mainly use it for digging, but in the school job, we used it to pick up the concrete slabs when they were cut to install the pipes for the new bathrooms.”

This year Wacker Neuson is introducing its vertical digging system option (VDS) to select compact excavators. Operators can lift the cab and boom by up to 15 degrees with the push of a button to compensate for slopes of up to 25%. Being able to dig more precisely in a vertical position significantly speeds up excavation and backfilling, resulting in what the company says can be a 25% savings on time and material. A new Easy Lock hydraulic quick-hitch for machines over 1.4 tons is also scheduled for 2011. The idea is a faster and easier change of attachments, and because the new design reduces weight as well as tool height, it allows the machine to maintain its tear-out and digging force performance.

“So many people think they need a full-size backhoe, when they could be doing what they need to do with a compact product for far less money,” says Goodlett. “As dealers, we have to educate our customers, showing them that the piece of equipment is strong enough to do what they’re wanting to do and that they’re able to get into job sites which are far tighter areas because of its size.”

 

Patch, Patch, Patch
Bair Products Inc., home of the Larry Lug and a well-kept secret among much of the compact industry, has recently introduced an electric-throttle conversion for machines that solves the problem of rusted cables for cable-operated or computer/servo-drive type machinery. Bair is also on its way to introducing a new line of grease-filled idler bogie axle assemblies for Cat, ASV and Terex, which president Larry Bair says increases durability by 67% over OEM. “Everything we sell for compact skid-loaders is not only more durable, it’s basically a durability upgrade. Factory-installed undercarriage wheels are plastic and rubber. Ours are all heat-treated aluminum alloy. You can lubricate undercarriage bearings in 10 minutes. And our Larry Lugs last so long that when the track is worn out or destroyed, the customer can remove them and save them for next time.” Charles Porch at Thompson Cat sees Larry Lugs becoming more popular among his customers. “Tracks are $2,000 to $3,000, and the first thing that normally happens is those lugs rip off. So if you can spend anywhere from $5 to $200 to keep your track going, it’s well worth the money.”

Bair designs are often based on failures within its own fleet of mini-skid-loaders. “Customers like ourselves are upset about the rate of failure of undercarriages, for example. We can supply an upgraded version which is 100% compatible with no modifications.”

Author's Bio: