RM Online - The RM Fieldbook

	Dingo TX 420 tracks down new applications with attachment lineup See our April issue for the whole story on compact utility loaders, but this latest Dingo model from Toro, the TX 420, is mounted on tracks to give it aggressive traction in all conditions. Turf damage is minimal, thanks to its low ground pressure. More than 35 attachments arm the Dingo line for a vast range of applications. The standard bucket has a rated load capacity of 500 lbs. A 20-hp Kohler Command engine supplies the power for the 3,000-psi hydraulics.
Haulotte’s debut at A.R.A. puts spotlight on line of boom lifts Pinguely-Haulotte is the European market leader in self-propelled aerial work platforms, but may not be the first name that comes to mind in North America. The company decided to change all that and made its first appearance this year at the A.R.A. show with an impressive array of telescopic and articulated-boom lifts. Haulotte has telescopic lifts from 68 to 82 ft., articulated booms from 39 to 85 ft., vertical-mast platforms from 25 ft. to 38 ft. 6 in. and scissor lifts from 26 ft. 10 in. to 59 ft. high. The company has launched a massive program of expansion — with particular interest in the North American market — and in February issued 3.2 million new shares of stock, 10.5 percent of capital, to pay for it.
	Deere G-series has 4 models The 310G backhoe loader, one of four models in John Deere’s new G-series, has a digging depth of 14 ft. 2 in. and a lifting capacity to full height of 5,800 lbs. The turbocharged version, the 310SG, increases lifting capacity to 6,247 lbs. and the 315SG, a side-shift model, can lift 7,200 lbs. and dig to 13 ft. 11 in. Largest of the line is the 410G; its lifting capacity is 7,340 lbs. and digging depth is 15 ft. 8 in.
Kubota KX121-2S excavator is 2nd in line of 5 The KX121-2S shown here is second largest in Kubota’s line of five KX-2 Super mini-excavators. The 42.6-hp machine digs to 11 ft. 6 in., reaches 18 ft. 3 in. and weighs 8,850 lbs. The line ranges in digging depth from 7 ft. 9 in. to 12 ft. 10 in., in reach from 12 ft. 9 in. to 20 ft. 2 in., in weight from 3,710 to 12,170 lbs. and in horsepower from 21.6 to 42.6.
	UpRight introduces new 26- and 32-ft. mast booms at Orlando A.R.A. show UpRight chose the A.R.A show to introduce two new mast booms with working heights of 26.25 and 32 ft. to the U.S. market after a strong showing in Europe following their rollout at the Intermat show in Paris last May. The larger MB26, 39 in. wide, has a maximum working outreach of 21.3 ft. The shorter MB20N model is narrow, only 32 in. wide, and reaches 8.6 ft. at up to 16.5-ft. platform height. Both models compress to 6.5 ft. for storage. A tight turning radius adds to these machines’ capabilities in confined areas, such as an aisle. A 10-ft. articulated jib, 360-degree mast rotation and 70-degree range of platform movement from the jib complete the versatility-maneuverability package. Outreach remains constant at each stage of elevation, giving a greater range of access.
More oomph for Vanguard line: 954 series churns out 31 net Briggs & Stratton has expanded the power range of its premium commercial line of Vanguard engines with the new 954 series rated at 34 gross hp, 31 net. Gross torque is 58 ft.-lbs. (55 net) for the 954DT turbocharged diesel and 55 (51 net) for the 954G gasoline model. Optional LP, NG and multifuel versions are available. These 3-cylinder engines fit the same envelope as the turbocharged Vanguard 950, so repowering and original-equipment design issues have already been taken care of.
	Komatsu CD110R rotates 360o to place the load Rotating the upperstructure of the Komatsu CD110R a full 360 degrees allows forward-facing operation at all times, under any conditions, and eliminates the need for U-turns. Hand levers and joysticks control forward/reverse travel and direction/rotation; foot pedals control dumping. Operating weight is 18,740 lbs.; capacity is 13,230 lbs.; yet ground pressure is only 4.1 psi. Ground clearance is above 25 in.
“Cradle to grave” is how Galaxy describes its Poly Soft – Super Fill tire for skid-steer loaders. The polyurethane fill provides the flat protection of a solid tire but the ride of a pneumatic tire. Galaxy claims it will reduce costs by $3,100 per machine within the first four years. Tires are applicable to telescopic handlers also.
	JLG SkyWelder package goes where the work is There is really no point in going up in an aerial lift unless you have work to do — otherwise it is just a kind of mediocre carnival ride. So why should a welding rig, for instance, be down on the ground? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have it right there with you and run the cables neatly through the boom instead of draping them from the platform like so much spaghetti? JLG’s SkyWelder is an integral, self-contained welding package for JLG 40- and 46-ft. boom lifts. The 4,200-watt generator and 225-amp welder are built right into the engine compartment and all you need to operate the welder are at your fingertips in the platform. There’s also a 110V AC outlet for tools.
Short-radius Hitachi mini digs 5 ft. 9 in. Hitachi’s ultra-short-radius EX17U mini-excavator squeezes into those tight spots easily and then digs to 5 ft. 9 in., reaches 12 ft. 9.5 in. and can cut a bank as high as 11 ft. 7 in. and discharge the load at 11 ft. Hydraulic pilot controls operate the boom, arm, bucket, swing and travel; boom swing and blade are mechanical linkages. A four-pillar cab is standard. Standard shoes are 9-in. rubber for low impact; steel tracks are available for longer life in rougher terrain.
	A massive casting counters lift loads on AUSA’s CH150 fork RM readers are probably familiar with AUSA, the Spanish market leader in dumpers, from our September 2000 feature story on that category. The new AUSA product is this CH150 forklift with either 2- or 4-wheel drive for rough terrain, 3,300-lb. lift capacity and maximum height of 13 ft. Notice in particular the rounded rear end, which is a huge casting that acts as a counterweight and protects the engine in the tight maneuvering conditions for which the machine was designed.
Breaker for skid-steersis fast, sure and simple Breaker Buddy attaches easily to a skid-steer loader and then just beats the heck out of concrete — up to 1,500 sq. ft. of 12-in.-thick concrete per hour, three to six times faster than you could do it with a jackhammer or a boom-mounted breaker, says the supplier, Minotti Equip-ment and Manufacturing. The Breaker Buddy 1000 drop-hammer attachment lifts a 1,000-lb. weight from an adjustable drop height, which can be set as high as 45 in.; at its maximum drop height the cycle time is 30 blows per minute. (Cycle time is reduced as the drop height is decreased.) Reinforced concrete of up to 10 in. thick is fair game, but the breaker can handle even thicker concrete, depending on its strength and amount of reinforcing steel. There are no cables or chains: Breaker Buddy lifts the weight with a cylinder/piston arrangement, which is coupled to the weight with a ball joint. This design eliminates a lot of maintenance and reliability headaches. The breaker is designed for little or no maintenance. The only moving parts are the piston and weight.
	Keith Huber Air Shovel has 3 operating options If you haven’t been following the development of vacuum excavation, see our June 2000 issue, page 56, for the whole story. This entry in the field, the Air Shovel from Keith Huber, can be used as a vacuum-only unit for pumping fluids; with on-board high-pressure water for potholing, trenching and tunneling; or with an on-board air compressor for dry digging and quick pothole-filling. It has a 1,000-gal., two-compartment water tank, a 700-gal. debris tank and a 300-gal. fresh water tank.
Cart-Away is designed for a long career Cart-Away’s CMT-100 makes 1 cu. yd. of concrete in a drum that spins on a single axis, for long service life. A cross-port relief valve in the hydraulic motor protects the gearbox, which is heavy duty to start with, so the drum will not stop and leave you with a rather cumbersome and useless paperweight. The beefing-up includes uni-body hydraulic valves, which are rebuildable, for greater efficiency and longer service life. Next month RM takes a close look at trailer-haul concrete — watch for it.
	Scrub parts in Clean Bay Clean Bay by FMT is a closed-loop cleaning system for high-solids applications, designed for ease of operation and maintenance. The working surface is 6 ft. by 6 ft. and side walls are 6 ft. high.
V518, V623 telehandlers put Bobcat aloft; 5,500-, 6,600-lb. capacities All those who think skid-steer loaders and Bobcat are synonyms are going to have to start thinking otherwise: Bobcat is now a telescopic handler company, too, and introduced two models at the A.R.A. show: the V518 with 18-ft. lift height and 5,500-lb. lifting capacity and the V623 with 23-ft. height and 6,600-lb. capacity. Both are powered by 106-hp turbocharged Perkins diesels. These are compact machines with a huge range of markets and applications, thanks to a list of attachments that includes 4-in-1 buckets, scrap grapples, truss booms, angle brooms and many others.
	TE2 rotary hammer drill is light, but it packs a whollop Hilti has brought out a family of TE2 light-duty rotary hammer drills to give professional users a choice of features and capabilities that are matched to the application. The TE2 is production-oriented, capable of drilling many small-diameter holes in concrete, masonry, steel or wood, and intended for roofers and mechanical, concrete and electrical contractors. The TE2-S has the same powerful punch and drills at full speed, but backs off the hammer force in order to drill precisely and quickly into brittle materials — the choice for interior finishers, hardware installers, maintenance personnel and masons. The TE2-M “multifunctional” model combines the features of the other two and offers two rotary drilling speeds and an electronic variabler speed switch, so you can drill metal at high power.
Temporary space for any purpose “Expandable, securable, transportable, modular and economical,” the SmartSpace literature says, and that covers the subject well. This structure has no end of temporary (i.e., rental) uses — construction site offices, medical facilities, school classrooms, temporary housing — you name it.
	Rola-Trac is flexible for use in a variety of ap-plications, strong for wearability — you can make a road fit for an 18-wheeler or an army tank out of this stuff — and colorful for the special event. This is a portable, drainable flooring system of hinged plastic pieces that comes as either preassembled panels or rolls.
IHI Pick Ace crane can place3 tons 33 ft. up It would take this whole page and then some to show this IHI CCH30T Pick Ace telescopic-boom mini-crane in full, even at this scale: the maximum working height of the hook is 33 ft. above ground level and the boom is 30 ft. long. The machine has a lifting capacity of 3 tons at a working radius of 5 ft. throughout its 360-degree turning circle. And like its mini-excavator look-alikes, it has zero tail swing within the width of the crawler undercarriage. As with any crane, lift capacity specs decrease with increasing working radius, but even at maximum horizontal reach of 31 ft., static lifting capacity is still 242 lbs. — and the undercarriage is only 5 ft. 8 in. wide by 7 ft. 5 in. long, resulting in a ground pressure of 5.1 psi. With the boom completely compressed and tucked neatly in front of the machine for travel or storage, the overall length is 13 ft. 3 in. and height is 8 ft.
	Kobelco 13SR ‘Gate Keeper’ excavator slips right through a 36-in. doorway You just can’t walk past the Kobelco booth at a trade show if you have any interest whatever in mini-excavators, because the company nearly always has a clever way of showing you something important, even in a static display amid all the nice carpeting and potted plants. In this case, for example, it’s accessibility: the fact that the 13SR “Gate Keeper” compact excavator can fit through a doorway that’s only 36 in. wide. That’s because its tracks can be shrunk to just 2 ft. 11 in. wide, then expanded to 3 ft. 11 in. for a rock-stable working stance. Reach is 12 ft. 4 in., digging depth (SAE standard 8-ft. flat bottom) is 6 ft. and dump clearance 8 ft. 5 in. At another trade show, Kobelco demonstrated how the zero-tail-swing counterweight does not extend beyond the expanded track width, when swung over either side, by parking the machine next to a brick wall and letting it turn back and forth. The picture says a thousand words.
Australians equip skid-steers to do almost anything The Hydrapower booth at the A.R.A. show had so many solutions for problems that could be solved by a skid-steer loader equipped with the right attachment that we lost track of them all. Besides the grader shown here, there were vibratory rollers, a stabilizer for country roads, profilers/ cold planers, rock wheels, several trenchers, brooms in various configurations, augers (the Australians call them borers), rippers, backfill blades, scrap grapples, concrete mixers, pallet forks, rotary hoes, a stump grinder, “slasher” heads (brush cutters) and a debris scraper. Many of this Australian company’s attachments will work well on on utility tractors, also.
	U-Sand paper attaches with Velcro U-Can-Do Products makes sanding easy with its new U-Sand. Sandpaper attaches with Velcro, so the abrasive can be changed in 15 seconds. The U-Sand does not leave dust and weighs only 125 lbs. U-Sand also will edge and buff.
Lincoln Electric’s Chopper Technology creates smooth arc The Ranger 305G engine-driven welder/generator from Lincoln Electric offers 9,000 watts of 120V/240V AC generator power for powering tools and lights. The 300-amp, DC multi-process welder unit can be used for general purpose stick, pipe mode for stick welding, Touch Start TIG, cored-wire and MIG, as well as arc gouging up to 3¼16 in. in diameter. It is powered by a Kohler 22-hp Command engine. Lincoln’s Chopper Technology controls the DC welding output to create easy starts, a smooth arc, low spatter and good bead appearance.
	BlueBird adds models to stump grinder line BlueBird’s 11- and 13-hp model stump grinders can cut up to 12 in. deep and have a 14-in.-diameter blade with carbide-tipped teeth. The compact design and clean sight lines of the grinder make it easy to maneuver through narrow gates and other tight areas. Two lift handles on each side of the unit allow two people to lift the machine into minivans, trucks and large SUVs. The SG1114 and the SG1314 have a welded seven-gauge steel frame and 12-in.-diameter pneumatic knobby tread tires. Their adjustable handle has four height-adjustment positions for operator comfort.
Be hands-free with General Wire’s Drain Rooter General Wire’s Drain Rooter has a variable speed foot-pedal system that lets the operator vary the speed of the cage, allowing both hands to be free to control the cable. The cage holds up to 50 ft. of 5¼16-in. or 35 ft. of 3¼8-in. Flexicore cable. Units with 3¼8-in. cable include the company’s five-piece HECS cutter set. The Flexicore cables are made of heavy-gauge wire and carry a one-year warranty against defect or breakage.
	Small jobs are ideal for Bomag’s BP 8/34 plate Bomag has filled a homeowner niche with its BP 8/34 vibratory plate compactor. This machine’s small footprint makes it ideal for small jobs. The 119-lb. machine is powered by a 4-hp GX 120 Honda air-cooled engine. It delivers 1,800 lbs. of centrifugal force and features a removable handle and a sealed belt drive. It has a working speed of 64 fpm and a 0.66-gal.-capacity fuel tank. The company also featured its BW900 one-ton vibratory roller. It offers 3,100 lbs. of centrifugal force and features a 25-in. diameter drum. It is powered by a 20-hp Honda gasoline engine and can travel up to 4.7 mph. High clearance on both sides of the unit permits operation close to curbs and other obstructions from either direction.
Lull develops simulator for training purposes Lull International’s cab simulator is a combination of an actual machine cab, a computer processor and a screen projection unit designed to familiarize dealers and operators with a new simplified control system and act as an overall telescopic handler training device. It incorporates the company’s single-joystick control system to be implemented on its TX series of telescopic handlers next year. The company is moving from dual joysticks to a single joystick. Users of the simulator have several training options and situations from which to choose.
	Ground Heaters develops smaller heater model Ground Heaters’ new E800 unit was developed in response to contractor requests for a smaller model for residential construction. It’s able to thaw up to 1,600 sq. ft. at a rate of 1 ft. deep per day. It also can heat up to 3,200 sq. ft. of ground indoors or out to prepare for concrete placement, prevent frost penetration or to ensure proper concrete curing. It has an adjustable digital temperature controller, 800 ft. of heat transfer hose and a 100,000-Btu/hour hydronic heater. The E800 is available with an on-board, self-contained genset.
I-R RX series rammers are designed with low center of gravity The RX series rammers from Ingersoll-Rand are low profile, lightweight and have a low center of gravity for control. The RX-654 and RX-754 (left) are powered by a four-cycle air-cooled direct-drive engine with recoil start. They can compact 2,530 sq. ft. per hour and are equipped with a vibration-reducing padded grip handle.
	Windsor Merit 1500’s motor is totally enclosed The Merit 1500 burnisher from Windsor Industries features a handle-mounted safety switch that prevents accidental startups. It has a folding handle that makes storage and pad installation easier. The machine’s 1.75-hp motor is totally enclosed to protect against dust or water damage. Its two sets of wheels simplify operation and make transport easier.
Burkeen B-25 trencher fills niche Burkeen’s B-25 small riding trencher was developed from requests for a smaller, less-expensive riding trencher geared to the homeowner. The unit will trench from 18 to 24 in., and requires very little power to run. The B-25 is powered by a 25-hp engine and offers a 24- to 36-in. digging boom that features an end roller, hydraulic chain tension and incremental digging depths. It also has a 20,000-lb. digging-chain rating and comes standard with a four-way backfill blade.
	eProNet adds e-commerce to Web sites Solutions by Computer’s eProNet e-rental software enables a rental store to establish a Web site with e-commerce capabilities that are fully integrated with the company’s CounterPro rental management software and database. Internet shoppers can easily look up a store’s current inventory and rates, if the owner wants them shown, without ever actually entering CounterPro. Online rental requests trigger an automatic quotation, and the software can then be configured to confirm or deny reservations on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis. A similar eProNet service is available for rental businesses that already have Web sites and want to add e-rental functionality.