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New urban work truck
 International Truck and Engine
has introduced a new
low-cab-forward Class 4-5 truck for urban work environments.
The company
emphasizes that the new CF Series is designed and built in North America for
North American users, and backed by International’s parts and service
support. Features include a high-strength, low alloy steel frame, taper-leaf
front suspension, front and rear shock absorbers, and a range of body types
that include construction applications. CF 500 models will have a maximum 16,000-pound GVW
rating, while CF 600 models will range up to 19,500-pounds GVWR.
International will be showing the new trucks to customers and prospects
through 2004; production will begin in January 2005.
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Roller paver gets refinements
Terex Roadbuilding’s
Bid-Well division has launched
a refined version of its Model 3600 automatic roller paver. A redesigned
paver carriage and operator’s console are the latest refinements of the
traveling carriage-mounted longitudinal strike-off design Bid-Well
introduced four decades ago; the traveling carriage strikes off, paves, and
textures concrete.
The Model 3600 tubular frame rides on pipe rails
and spans 36 feet in its basic configuration; it can be expanded in 3-foot
increments up to 90-feet wide without the need for an overhead truss.
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Constant planing depth locked in
 Caterpillar has introduced five new cold planer
attachments for skid-steer loaders that incorporate an independent
self-leveling feature to ensure a constant planing depth. Cat claims the
feature results in a cleaner, flatter cut than other planer attachments
deliver. Independent left/right skid depth control allows flush curb cuts,
close planing around manhole covers, and step-less side-by-side passes; it
also allows feather cuts and beveling passes.
Two models use standard hydraulic flow: the PC203
uses drums up to 14-inches wide, and the PC204 goes up to 18-inches wide.
Three models are designed for Cat’s new high-flow
system. The PC205 has drum widths to 18-inches wide, the PC206 to 24 inches,
and the PC210 has a dedicated 40-inch drum. The high-flow models use
planetary drives featuring a variable speed, unidirectional axial piston
hydraulic motor that mounts directly to a double reduction gearbox for
optimum speed, torque, and durability.
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Shears get uptime features
Stanley LaBounty says its new MSD Saber series of
mobile shears is the most technologically advanced and easiest to maintain
shear ever produced. Its two-way reversible, bolt-on Saber Tip can be
rotated or replaced in 15 minutes and requires much less welding than
previous models. Uptime is also enhanced through the use of slide pucks on
both sides of the upper jaw. Cutting force has been increased 10 to 15%,
depending upon model, and shroud height has been reduced to improve operator
visibility and maintenance access.
Stanley LaBounty claims its new shears have the
fastest cycle times in the field thanks to the use of a spool-type speed
valve.
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Paves driveways and parking lots
 Ingersoll-Rand’s new
Blaw-Knox 3120 commercial paver
features the proven Liberty Screed and a new tractor that features a
low-slung, 8-ton hopper bed and dual independent auger and conveyor systems.
The 15,800-pound machine is powered by an 87-horsepower diesel.
The 3120 offers the lowest hopper bed in its
class, according to the company, and its curved design is said to improve
material flow and clean up. Under-auger cut-off doors allow the operator to
control material flow to the main screed and extensions. Two cut-off doors
allow variable paving widths up to 15 feet.
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Compactors cut O&O costs
 Sakai
says its new SV505 series soil compactors
combine new engineering concepts with proven features to reduce ownership
and operating costs for owners. The new series features drum drive as well
as rear-wheel drive to improve traction in rough terrain and to eliminate
bow wave build-up that occurs with rear-drive-only machines. With a
125-horsepower engine and two-speed hydrostatic transmission, the SV505 can
reach 6.2 miles per hour.
Sakai’s compaction system develops centrifugal
forces up to 50,710 pounds in smooth drum mode, and 55,120 pounds in padfoot
trim. Operators can select vibration frequencies of 2,200 or 1,650 vpm.
Carry-over features include Sakai’s shock
isolation system which the company says combines shock isolators and a
unique drive system design to direct vibrating forces downward while
isolating the operator and machine components from that energy.
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Track-mounted scraper tractor
Bell Equipment has rolled out a high-torque,
track-driven tractor designed specifically to pull scrapers over rough
terrain. Pull scraping has emerged from the agricultural industry into
construction as a low-cost method for moving dirt fast, but few ag tractors
can stand up to high hours of use in this application. Bell developed the
wheel-driven 4206D tractor for the towable scraper market in 2002; the
rubber-track-mounted 4206D/T now offers another alternative for pull
scraping in rough terrain and difficult tractive conditions.
The 4206D/T features a 422-horsepower diesel engine
with 1,486 lbf/ft of torque and develops 65,000 lbf of drawbar pull —
enough, says Bell, to pull three fully loaded 18-cubic-yard scrapers over
rough terrain.
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Vibratory pneumatic roller
Sakai developed the GW750 Vibratory Rubber Tired
Roller to deliver a gyratory action that combines the kneading action of a
pneumatic roller with the high compaction forces generated by a vibratory
roller. The company says it is ideal for overlays of milled pavement because
the vibratory kneading action massages the mix into the milled grooves for a
much improved interlock between the new mix and the profiled surface than
other compactors provide. Sakai recommends the unit for tender mix Superpave
applications, stiff HMA mixes, and stone matrix asphalt. The 77-inch-wide,
20,500-pound machine has multiple amplitude settings.
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Top-of-the-line asphalt roller
Ingersoll-Rand has introduced the 84-inch,
32,770-pound DD-158HFA double drum compactor as the largest asphalt roller
in its line. The new model features eight amplitude settings and two
vibration frequency levels; each amplitude setting is automatically linked
to the appropriate vibration frequency. This allows the machine to operate
at high frequency and low amplitude for thin lifts, or lower frequency and
higher amplitudes for thicker lifts.
Standard equipment includes Ingersoll-Rand’s
patented Impact Spacing Meter which adjusts travel speeds to meet drum
impact spacing requirements. The drums use I-R’s chamfered, radiused edges
to prevent drum edge marking.
The DD-158HFA has a maximum centrifugal force of
44,070 pounds in its highest amplitude setting (0.035 inches), and vibration
frequencies of 2,500 and 3,400 vpm.
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Ripper style bucket and rake
 Leading Edge Attachments has introduced its
Multi-Ripper Bucket and Multi-Ripper Rake. The bucket is designed to handle
severe frost and rock removal jobs by using staggered ripper teeth on the
bucket to fracture hard material in sequential order. The Multi-Ripper Rake
uses the same principle in a tool designed to handle severe raking and
imbedded rock removal jobs.
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New 59-inch asphalt roller
Caterpillar has introduced a D-series version of its
CB-434 double-drum roller which competes in the 5- to 8-metric ton class.
The new 16,280-pound, 59-inch model now features automatic speed control
with impact spacing indicator, a new operator’s station, vertical yoke
frame, 50/50 articulation, five amplitude settings, and an optional dual
amplitude vibratory system that offers a choice of 4,200- or 3,200- vpm
vibration frequencies.
The intermediate to high production model is
designed for applications ranging from highways and city streets to overlays
and lane additions. Cat says the unit can be used for base and subbase
compaction, and on all phases of asphalt compaction — its high compactive
forces make it effective in breakdown and intermediate rolling, and it can
perform finish rolling in static or low-amplitude modes.
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Roller attachment expands
Handy-Hitch says its Walk “N” Roll attachment for
motor graders is expanding into new markets via independent dealers in
Canada and the U.S. The unit is available in 75-, 90-, and 168-inch widths
and attaches either to the motor grader’s ripper bar or the Walk “N” Roll
lift assembly option.
Hydraulic pressure from the grader ripper bar
allows the operator to evenly pack material with up to 60,000 pounds of down
pressure. The company says it eliminates the need for tractors and
pull-style rollers on many jobsites, helps conserve moisture during road
maintenance, and can seal moisture out of a newly crowned road during a wet
spell. It also allows compaction of each lift of material in new road
construction, and tightly packs each lift of gravel in gravel-road
construction.
It even speeds up grading, according to
Handy-Hitch: its weight provides enough ballast for the grader to move up a
gear without bouncing.
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Cuts to kill
 Diamond Mowers says its new Wet Blade is the first
completely integrated roadside vegetation management system. It applies
herbicide at a rate of 2.5 gallons per acre by using the cutting blade to
apply it. Wet Blade cuts brush up to 4 inches in diameter. Its design uses
centrifugal force to run the chemical underneath the blade as it spins. The
chemical stays on the bottom of the blade until it touches the very top of
the stubble, then it is “brushed” onto the plant with a wiping motion. The
plant absorbs the chemical into the roots, killing it.
Diamond claims the Wet Blade is easier to use than
traditional brush clearing and herbicide spray methods, produces better
results, and is more environmentally friendly.
Diamond Boom Mowers can be fitted with the Wet Blade
system.
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Smooth soil compactor
Cat has expanded its 500E-series soil compactors
with the introduction of the 23,120-pound CS-533E and its 24,960-pound pad
foot stable mate, the CP-533E. Like the larger 500E series models, the new
additions feature 150-horsepower turbo-diesel engines, 84-inch drums, and
Cat’s unique dual hydraulic pump arrangement which provides hydraulic
pressure and flow to the drum-drive motor and wheel-drive motor
independently. The latter feature is said to assure maximum torque and
full-time tractive power to the drive motors regardless of footing or
rolling resistance.
The rear axle uses a limited slip differential for
smooth torque transfer, increased axle service life, and continuous power in
poor conditions.
Cat recommends the CS-533E and CP-533E for medium to
large projects with low to moderate grades where the fill thickness is less
than 12 inches.
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Load system handles large debris
 Petersen’s TL-3 Lightening Loader includes a
self-contained dump body, a hydraulic arm, and a clamshell grapple and can
handle everything from brush and logs to junk. They are used by many cities
for disaster cleanup after storms and fires, according to Petersen, and a
minor bucket modification makes them an efficient sidewalk removal tool.
The boom has a total reach of 20 feet and can
reach 9 feet below grade to reach dumped items under bridges or in ditches.
It has 1,200 pounds of down pressure for compacting less dense loads like
brush.
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Sure-footed utility vehicle
 Bobcat
says its new 2200 Utility Vehicle is the only
one in its class that has automatic locking differentials that engage
immediately when a wheel loses traction. The four-wheel-drive vehicle,
designed to transport people and cargo around large jobsites, is available
with gas or diesel 20-horsepower engines.
All-terrain tires are standard,
with turf or mud tires available as options. The unit has a 1,200-pound
towing capacity and a cargo box with a low, 33-inch loading clearance.
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Mowing with compact excavators
 U.S. Mower’s new 40- and 50-inch “Samauri” flail
mower attachments are designed for compact excavators. They use T-1
high-strength steel, 2-pound offset flail mulching blades, and can handle
material up to 4 inches in diameter. The 40-inch EX40BF model weighs 550
pounds and has an overall width of 62 inches; the 50-inch EX50BF cutter
weighs 700 pounds and has an overall width of 70 inches. Both feature
reversible blade rotation, and a 13-30 gpm gear type hydraulic motor.
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Big mower gets more power
Rayco has dialed up the power for its C87FM compact
crawler forestry mower. The unit now boasts an 87-horsepower turbo-diesel
engine and a 41-gallons-per-minute hydrostatic transmission delivering 6,000
psi of pressure to the mowing head. Creature comforts for the operator
include cab heat and air conditioning, sliding side windows, and
pilot-controlled joy sticks. The company recommends the C87FM for utility
line clearing and fuels reduction as well as right-of-way mowing.
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Reprinted from Better Roads Magazine
April 2004 |
