The Diesel, Dirt & Turf Expo 2017 kicked off last week for the second year running, and it seems that the biggest names in machinery were there with their latest and greatest products. Earthmovers & Excavators’ Brad Lockyer was there to get the pick of the action for you.
It was hard to decide what to look at first upon entering DDT 2017 for the first time. Everywhere you looked were endless tracks, tyres, chrome, dirt and pristine powdercoat finishes in all colours. After picking a direction at random, here are a few of the products to catch our eye:
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OSA SH40 scrap shear
To say the OSA SH40 scrap shear is big is an understatement. The 4-tonne monster is designed for one thing and one thing only – destroying things.
Boss Buckets managing director Livio Pace told us this particular shear was the first of its kind to be imported to Australia.
The primary function of demolition shears is to cut structural steel beams, pipes and sheets. The SH40 is manufactured from Hardox 400 steel, has a tightening force of just under 545 tonnes at the cutting end, and can rotate the full 360 degrees.
Boss had the shear attached to a 48-tonne Volvo EC480DL excavator. The guy on the right of the picture gives you some idea of the size of the SH40’s fearsome jaws.
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JCB 8018 mini-excavator
JCB had a big selection of its stable on display, including the new 8018 mini-excavator, the company’s latest entry into the popular 0-2 tonne market.
The 8018 is a pocket rocket powered by a 14.2kW diesel, with a dig depth of over 2m and a size that will fit on a standard trailer. JCB is even offering the 8018 in a digger/trailer package.
The 8018 also features the latest in operator safety: JCB’s industry-exclusive ‘two-go’ start-up system prevents the machine from accidental movement if the operator inadvertently drops the console.
We spoke to JCB national compact equipment product manager Phil Withell about the feature.
“Most excavators, when you pull that console down, you’re live. JCB doesn’t do that,” Withell says. “It means operators have got to consciously do two things [to start the machine].
“If he happens to slip, or happens to catch his sleeve as he raises his left arm, in a normal system if that was live then the boom would slew, and if someone wasn’t expecting that, that’s an injury.”
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Digga stick rake
The Digga display was a sea of menacing big black attachments, which was pretty cool. Bigfoot trenchers, auger drives, big brooms and forks were all on hand, but it was the new stick rake for skid steer loaders that caught our eye.
The 2m-wide stick rake weighs just under three tonnes and looks like the cow-catcher on the devil’s car. Perfect for fast clean-ups, vegetation management or sifting soil/rocks.
The rake’s 13 tines are each 16mm thick to sift unwanted heavy material from soil, while leaving the good soil behind.
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Bobcat T595 compact track loader
While Earthmovers & Excavators is no stranger to the Bobcat T595 CTL, we couldn’t resist having another look at the recently-launched ‘cat when we spotted one on display at the Clark Equipment stand.
The T595 is Bobcat’s latest power-packed addition to the under 5-tonne market, with the T595 sporting a 55.kW Tier 4 diesel that Bobcat says is the largest in its class.
The T595 also features Bobcat’s Bob-Tach quick-attachment system, which greatly varies the types of jobs the Bobcat can be used for. This particular T595 was equipped with a Bobcat box blade.
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Kubota U27-4 mini-excavator
Kubota had its brand new mini-excavator front and centre of its familiar orange display. Kubota reps told us the very first U27-4 only arrived in Australia early last week.
The aggressively styled 2.5-tonne zero tail-swing digger features a 15.6kW engine, 360-degree manoeuvrability and delivers 21kN of breakout force at the bucket. The U-27-4 has a roomy ROPS/FOPS cabin with joystick controls.
The excavator can be easily loaded transported by trailer, and has a panel on the back of the machine giving clear access to maintenance points.
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Lamattina Top Fuel drag racer
Last but certainly not least was the impressive drag racer located not 5m away from the Earthmovers & Excavators booth.
The 5965kW demon was raced by the legendary Lamattina Top Fuel Racing team, or ‘The Carrot Kings’ as they’re affectionately known due to the successful Lamattina family vegetable business.
The Lamattina family retired from the sport in 2015.
Lubrication giant Fuchs has a long-time relationship with the team, and the drag racer continues to promote the Fuchs brand at events like DDT.