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Motor grader marketers in North America are bringing
a flood of new models to market. Here’s the latest scorecard.
Caterpillar
Electronic controls boost efficiency
 Since rolling out its H-Series motor grader line in
2002, Cat has updated its offerings with a series of improvements. Most
recently, the company upgraded two all-wheel-drive models with an
automotive-style cruise control feature, and electronically controlled
engines that improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Other improvements
include quieter operator stations, and a number of service and maintenance
enhancements.
The 33,670-pound 143H now has a base power rating of
165 horsepower; that automatically increases to 185 horsepower in higher
gears when all-wheel-drive is engaged, thanks to Cat’s Variable Horsepower
feature. The 35,890-pound 163H has a base power rating of 180 horsepower,
which increases to 200 horsepower with VHP. The new engines improve fuel
efficiency by about 10% and enhance performance by producing high torque
output at low rpm and high torque rise.
Cat’s next-generation of motor graders, the
M-Series, is expected to debut in the first half of 2006. In addition to
featuring Tier 3 engines, the M-Series will take a dramatically different
approach to controls, replacing the familiar row of levers with two
joysticks that use push-button and stick movement to control machine
functions and blade adjustments.
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Volvo Construction Equipment
New motor grader family set to debut
 Less than four years after rolling out its B-series
motor-grader line, Volvo Construction Equipment is getting ready to issue an
even more advanced motor grader generation, the G900 series.
Stimulated by the changeover to Tier 3 compliant
engines, Volvo elected to engineer upgrades throughout the machines at the
same time. The seven-model series consists of four models that use the
7.2-liter Volvo D7 engine, and three using the 9.4-liter Volvo D9 engine.
Both engines meet Tier 3 emission standards without requiring additional
equipment or after-treatment of exhaust gases. All models have three power
ranges, allowing the operator to match engine power to the application to
optimize performance and fuel efficiency. The D7-powered models range from
the 34,300-pound G930 (155 to 195 horsepower) to the all-wheel-drive,
36,800-pound G960 (195 to 235 horsepower). The D9-powered models include the
39,000-pound G970 (210 to 250 horsepower)and its all-wheel-drive sibling,
the 40,500-pound G976 (225 to 265 horsepower), plus the 46,300-pound G990
(225 to 265 horsepower).
Volvo says its use of wide-stance blade-lift
cylinders coupled with a low-angle side-shift cylinder provides the
industry’s most stable grading platform. The machines are said to have
precise, instantly responsive blade controls thanks to load-sensing
hydraulics and a powerful twin-gear, direct-drive circle-turn system. Volvo
says its circle-turn system also has the strength to hold or turn the
moldboard smoothly while moving under full load. The company says this
combination of precision and performance results in more “one pass”
finishes.
Volvo’s HTE840 transmission is standard on the new
grader family. It has selectable Manual and Travel modes, and can be ordered
with an optional Autoshift mode, too. Volvo also offers an optional new
HTE1160 transmission which it bills as the industry’s first 11-speed motor
grader drive train. Autoshift is standard on the new transmission, and its
11 forward and six reverse speeds are said to offer more control at low
speeds, more precision at normal speeds, and more efficient travel at high
speeds.
The new line’s two all-wheel-drive models combine
four-wheel tandem drive with Volvo’s front-wheel Creep Mode which is
designed for fine grading operations. The operator has 16 selectable levels
of aggression to match machine performance to the task at hand.
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John Deere
New series introduced in 2005
 John Deere made more than 100 changes in its new
D-Series motor graders, unveiled at Conexpo-Con/Agg last year. The new cab
features 26% more space and 40% more glass than previous models, as well as
improved heating and cooling. The six-model lineup features six-wheel-drive
and tandem-drive models, with engines ranging from 185 to 245 horsepower.
The new engines feature 25 to 40% torque rise for better lugging, according
to the company, and they work with John Deere’s exclusive “event-based”
transmission which senses the load and automatically adjusts the clutch-pack
engagement accordingly.
Other features include a longer wheelbase for
improved fine-grading and ride, additional operating weight for balance and
traction, and a more efficient moldboard design.
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Case
Visibility and serviceability
 Case says its three new 800 series motor graders
have best-in-class serviceability to go with a flip-up rear hood, a beefy
A-frame and moldboard design, and outstanding visibility to all sides.
The Case 845, 865, and 885 graders range in power
from 140 to 205 net horsepower and in operating weights from 29,777 to
37,950 pounds. The optional Case 865 DHP delivers variable horsepower and
extra power for long-haul grading or snow removal.
While other graders use swing-out engine access
doors, Case graders have a one-piece, non-metallic sloping rear hood that
provides excellent rear vision while working and flip-up engine access for
service. Swing-out batteries provide quick access to filters and daily
service points. Flip down panels along the bottom of the hood provide
additional access. Case says these features and others add up to an SAE J817
serviceability index that tops all other major competitors.
Other features include moldboards in 12-, 13-, and
14-foot widths that pitch, tilt, and move laterally to handle a variety of
jobs. The graders articulate 25 degrees left or right, and the front wheels
lean up to 17.5 degrees left or right to provide counterforce to the blade
and prevent side drift.
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Champion Motor Graders
Next-generation compact graders
 Champion Motor Graders announced its new C80 C and
C86 C models late last year, calling them compact graders that think like
big graders. The all-wheel-drive C86 C is the company’s largest grader, at
15,500 pounds; the C80 C is its tandem counterpart.
The redesign of these two machines starts with the
front axle, which now provides 50 degrees of steering angle left and right,
compared to 35 degrees in previous models. Champion says this gives the new
machines an industry-best turning radius — a straight-frame turning radius
of 25 feet and an articulated turning radius of 19 feet. The axle also now
features spherical bearings at all moving points to provide a longer service
life, and 22 inches of ground clearance, 6 inches more than the previous
models and enough to go where the big graders go, according to the company
Also new is a 21-inch moldboard, tallest in the
category. A new blade lift arrangement increases featherability by
increasing the blade lift stance 14 inches to a full 4 feet across, widest
in its class according to Champion. The company also replaced its
traditional ball joint for the articulation cylinders and engineered a
clevis-style mounting for optimum strength. The cylinders are now mounted on
spherical bearings for increased service life.
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Maddock
Joystick controls for graders
 John Deere dealers are now offering Maddock
Industries’ GraderStick joystick control system as optional equipment on
Deere motor graders. The GraderStick is a single-lever, multi-function
joystick control system that can be added to most motor graders and operates
all of the hydraulic control functions. It gives the operator proportional
fine control for the lift/lower and side-shift functions of the blade and
adds single hand straight up and straight down blade control. The operator
can easily perform multiple blade functions simultaneously.
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Champion Motor Graders
Full line of attachments
To enhance the versatility of its compact motor
graders, Champion has created a full line of attachments, including a
front-mounted “V” scarifier for loosening hard-packed aggregate, a side
dozer that replaces the moldboard and is used to remove and/or retrieve
displaced material under highway guardrails, and a rear-mounted compaction
roller that allows the machine to perform the work of two machines in some
applications. Other attachments include a dozer blade/scarifier for
back-blading in tight spaces, a rotary broom, a windrow eliminator for
gravel road work, a plate tamper, and a rear-mounted rippifier.
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New Holland Construction
Largest moldboard circle
 New Holland says its B-Series motor graders feature
a 69-inch steel moldboard circle, largest in the industry, that permits a
full range of motion, allowing the operator to rotate the moldboard a full
360 degrees and easily change the blade-cutting angle. The moldboards
feature an exclusive “involute” curve profile that creates a rolling action
that lets the operator grade faster, according to the company.
The moldboard
can be angled up to 90 degrees for slope and ditch work.
Easy maintenance features include a swing-up hood,
sight glasses for fast fluid checks, and ground-level access to dipsticks.
Single piece panels drop down on each side for greater access to components.
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LeeBoy
Upsized grader offering
 LeeBoy’s top-of-the-line 785 motor grader is a
23,500-pound machine engineered to perform large motor grader functions such
as road building, ditch cutting, snow plowing, and fine grading.
The 785 features 20-degree boom articulation in
either direction, wheel lean, hydraulic power steering, and a
pressure-compensated pump system. Its sliding moldboard has a total
sideshift reach of 60 inches and 32-degree forward tilt. Its
54-inch-diameter, gear-driven turntable features 23 inches of sideshift with
360-degree rotation. A 46-inch, front-mounted scarifier provides ripping
power with up to 11 ripping teeth (a 73-inch, rear-mounted scarifier with 13
teeth is available as an option), and its heavy-duty tandem axles are
gear-driven for enhanced performance and reduced maintenance.
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Flannegan Western
Compact, lightweight grader
 Flannegan Western has launched a new compact motor
grader that weighs 6,050 pounds, measures just over 15-feet long and 8-feet
high, and can be transported on a 12,000-pound GVWR trailer and a pickup
truck driven by nearly any licensed driver (no CDL required). The FW 865 has
a 65-horsepower diesel engine, hydrostatic transmission, and precision
grading controls.
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Reprinted from Better Roads Magazine
February 2006 |
