Earthmoving & soil compaction

Caterpillar’s new wheeled loader represents a new direction in the firm’s aim to develop machines to meet specific needs - Mike Woof reports Caterpillar’s 986H and 988K wheeled loaders are significant introductions for the firm, having been developed to meet the needs of entirely different market segments. The 988K takes the place of the earlier 988H model and this new machine features the latest low emission engine technology, suiting it to use in North America and Europe. Powered by a 403kW diesel the mac

Doosan is offering increased performance for its DA30 and DA40 ADTs, boosting productivity in earthmoving as well as extraction operations. New features include a levelling meter developed to meet increased safety requirements in the quarry industry will help to raise the safety bar even further. The system uses rotation sensors installed on the front and body of the truck which provide a graphical readout on the control panel. This tells the driver whether or not it is safe to drive the truck forward and

The Terex team at Motherwell, Scotland, is currently looking into two companies to provide GPS and telematics for its rigid and articulated dump trucks. Scott Pollock, global product manager for Terex trucks, said, “Increasingly, our customers want to know more about how their machines are performing, to allow them to take quick action if any situations arise, such as a drop in oil pressure. "This is especially true for rental houses, who want to monitor how their machines are being used when working at

A number of key manufacturers are offering major improvements to their product offerings for loading and excavating. Key developments have been seen in engines and transmissions in particular, with vast reductions in emissions as well as improved fuel economy and working efficiency. Caterpillar’s 966K XE wheeled loader is one of the firm’s most sophisticated new models, with power from a 240kW diesel being delivered through an innovative continuously variable transmission (CVT). This technology is new t

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) (HCME) has completed the €10 million restructure of its manufacturing sites at Oosterhout in the south of The Netherlands. The Application Centre (AC) and Zaxis mini excavator factories have merged into one operation, which, according to HCME, will have far-reaching benefits for the firm. “At first glance, there is no similarity between Hitachi mini excavators and special application machines,” said Tonny Engels, general manager at the Oosterhout factory. “Howev

Hyundai Heavy Industries has unveiled its new 15tonne class HL757-9A wheeled loader. Boasting a standard shovel volume of 2.7m³ and 15tonne operating weight and offered in three versions, the standard HL757-9A model has a 2.84m dumping height and a maximum reach of 1.61m. The HL757XTD-9A High Reach model version has a 3.23m dumping height and a reach of up to 1.97m. And the HL757TM-9A (ToolMaster) model with parallel mast comes with a tipping height of up to 2.84m and a top reach of 1.81m. This mast may

The remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena will shortly benefit from the construction of a new airport as well as access roads and supporting infrastructure. This is the biggest construction project in the history of the island, which lies nearly 2,000km off the coast of Africa. The airport is expected to boost economic development for the island’s 4,000 residents with an estimated 20,000 people a year forecasted to visit this highly remote, 122km2 equatorial volcanic outcrop. At present the islan