Komatsu NZ and Topcon distributor Synergy Positioning Systems, recently held a New Zealand-wide roadshow to promote the benefits of 3D-MC2 high-speed dozer system and Komatsu’s new D51EX-22 dozer
- The Komatsu D51EX-22 dozer is Topcon-ready
- Cab-forward design allows for uninterrupted view
- Topcon’s new system means dozers can replace graders for final trim work
- Final trim can be carried out at higher speeds
- More accurate than GPS
Steve Haines, Komatsu NZ’s national sales manager, says the advent of the Komatsu D51EX-22 and Topcon’s 3D-MC2 system is the most exciting technology to hit New Zealand shores in a very long time.
“We believe Topcon’s 3D-MC2 high-speed dozer control system and the award winning Komatsu D51 dozer are set to revolutionise the construction industry – and the two are ideally matched.”
The Komatsu D51EX-22 comes out of the factory ‘Topcon-ready’ so it can be fitted with machine control quickly and economically.
Haines says small-to-mid-size dozers fitted with PAT [Power/Angle/Tilt] blades – such as the D51 – are proving an ideal match with the latest machine control systems, as they are incredibly versatile in a whole range of construction tasks, from bulk earthworks through to final trim.”
And now with Topcon’s new 3D-MC2 high-speed dozer system, contractors are finding dozers can replace graders in carrying out final trim work.
“Because they can doze at grader speeds – in second or even third gear, at up to 12-15km/h – and trim to grader accuracies, they can be on a site from go to whoa.
“Contractors can use this combination for the initial site clearing, through to bulk earthworks and shaping, finishing off with final trim to a high degree of accuracy – without the need to ever bring a grader on to the site,” he says.
The D51EX-22 dozer is a 13-tonne, 97kW hydrostatic drive machine fitted as standard with a straight PAT (power/angle/tilt) blade and factory plumbed to take Topcon 2D and 3D machine control systems.
It features a unique cab-forward design, tapered bonnet and integrated ROPS/FOPS, giving the operator an uninterrupted view to the blade corners and front of the tracks.
This cab-forward design has been achieved by moving the radiator to the rear – which also allows for excellent access to the radiator for easy cleaning, as well as access to engine and transmission components.
Power on the D51EX-22 comes from Komatsu’s ecot3 SAA6D107E-1 common rail direct injection, water-cooled, emissionised, turbocharged, after-cooled diesel, rated at 97kW and driving a Komatsu designed and manufactured dual-path hydrostatic transmission.
The dozer is also available as a low ground pressure (swamp) machine, the D51PX-22, which has an operating weight of 13.1-tonnes.
“In addition to being machine control-ready, our D51EX-22 incorporates a number of technology leading features that make it a highly productive, reliable machine,” Haines says.
“At 97kW, it has the highest horsepower of its direct competitors, while the high-capacity PAT blade makes it a very versatile machine, working with machine control, or stand-alone.”
Other features on the D51EX-22 (as well as others in Komatsu’s new small dozer range) include:
- Hydrostatic transmission controlled by Komatsu’s patented Palm Command Control System (PCCS)
- A pressurised air conditioned cab with the same cab damper mounting system as on larger Komatsu construction dozers
- Komatsu’s just-released Komtrax system as standard
Topcon’s 3D-MC2 allows dozers to carry out final trim work at speeds two to three times faster than dozers fitted with conventional machine control systems.
The high-precision hydraulic control software, inertial sensor technology and multi-constellation GNSS receivers that provide more than 100 blade position checks per second allows final trim to be carried out in second or third gear, at speeds of 8-12kmh.
“Contractors are finding that the speed and productivity of a dozer fitted with 3D-MC2 means it can replace a grader for the final trim aspects of a project, delivering accuracies of at least 50mm or better – and at grader speeds,” says Mike Milne, managing director of NZ Topcon distributor Synergy Positioning.
“Essentially, it allows contractors to work at grader speed, but using a dozer – plus the 3D-MC2 system is also more accurate than normal GPS; so operators can get to final levels in fewer passes.”
Milne says dozers used to be just bulking machines; now they can do bulk work and trimming – and they can keep working in wet weather or poor underfoot conditions because they are on tracks rather than wheels.
Read in-depth machinery reviews in the latest issue of Deals On Wheels magazine, on sale now.