Komatsu’s Retrofit Kit is the smart solution for owners

It’s time to join the digital revolution, with Komatsu’s Retrofit Kit giving excavator owners the ability to upgrade an older machine with 3D machine guidance and payload meter technology

Currently available for Komatsu excavators in the 13 to 36-tonne range, the Retrofit Kit turns older models into intelligent machines for improved efficiency and cost savings. 

To showcase the advanced functionality the kit brings, Komatsu has been running a highly popular introductory offer combining the kit with its PC138US-11 and PC138USLC-11 excavator models, which Komatsu national business manager – construction Scott Berry says are the company’s biggest-selling construction machines. 

“They’re a really good machine – a medium-sized excavator that you can put a breaker or bucket on and they’re big enough to fill trucks, as well as being a good size for transport,” Berry says. 

“It can do everything, from rail work to any type of construction site. Even on bigger building sites they’re good as a utility machine to get in and clean up and do things that the bigger machines can’t. And they’re a pretty good size for a small contractor that just has a small truck.” 

Weighing 15,500kg (PC138US-11) or 15,852kg (LC version with longer tracks), these two models have a 0.53 cubic metre bucket capacity and a 97 horsepower (72.5kW) Tier IV engine, as well as a short tail swing radius and improved fuel consumption. 

“We’re all about safety, so a new feature on this machine is KomVision, which gives a bird’s eye 270-degree view from the other side of the boom, right around to over your left shoulder,” Berry adds. 

“It also gives you specific camera angles so you are aware of anybody that may be near the machine.” 

Included as standard is the Komtrax telematics system that provides location, utilisation and maintenance information for the machine, but Berry says there have been a lot of requests for 3D technology to also be included on machines of this size, which is where the Retrofit Kit comes into play. 

Komatsu Retrofit Kit 

Enhancing the capabilities of the PC138US-11 and PC138USLC-11 models, as well as a wide range of other model excavators, the Retrofit Kit from Komatsu brings the functionalities of 3D machine guidance, a payload meter and access to 3D construction data to an operator’s fingertips.

3D machine guidance gives the machine operator the ability to see any differences between design data of the construction area and location of the bucket edge. As-constructed information is also collected from the machine, which can be visualised in a dashboard to allow for automatic updating of the design, while the payload meter measures the weight of soil in the excavator’s bucket. 

Komastu smart construction technology consultant Marc Brook says the kit is particularly attractive in the current environment of high labour costs and skills shortages. 

“In Australia, we’ve been quick adopters of this type of technology over a number of years now,” he says. 

“So, it’s not necessarily new technology, but it’s continually been improved to get better and better and include aspects like the integrated payload system. 

“Traditionally, surveyors or grade checkers or labourers would have to do manual surveys and mark out the site with pegs and string lines. They don’t have to do that anymore. All of the 3D design data and the line work is all presented to the operator in the cab. 

“This kit helps to alleviate skills shortage issues, to make operations more effective and less limited by resources and costs.” 

The system uses GNSS satellite positioning wherever you happen to be, no matter how remote, which achieves a high level of accuracy even in harsh environments, while sensors along the arm and on the bucket provides the positioning data of the cutting edge. 

“Now that we have that information, it displays that position on the 10-inch display in the cab to the operator,” Brook says. 

“So, it’ll display the current position of the machine in real time against the 3D design. 

“The system itself has its own Wi-Fi access point, which allows the tablet in the cab to talk to the controller and the sensors. In metropolitan areas, the kit comes with a cellular 4G/5G modem, which can be used to connect to RTK correction services. In remote areas we have the option of fitting a UHF radio. 

“This connection can be used for two-way data, where design data from the engineers’ or surveyor’s computer in the office can be sent directly to the machine, so an operator is always running off the latest design data.” 

As-constructed data can also be sent back at the end of a work day to show how much material has been moved. 

“A lot of fleet hire companies and construction companies that are already using this type of technology will get benefit out of this, either on their older machines or on new ones,” Brook adds. 

“It’s opening up the market to people that weren’t necessarily looking at 3D guidance and payload systems, just because it was cost prohibitive before. Now, they get the benefits of 3D, which means they can move the machine around easier between jobs and out around the site and still get accurate positioning. 

“It’s for new users as well. With those new applications, they can create their own simplified designs on the fly. So, when they’re waiting for design data to come from engineers or surveyors, they can actually create flat pads or simple sloping pads and stuff like that, where they can create their own surface to dig to, so that they can be effective in the times where design data is not available. 

Adapted for Australia 

Over the past year, the kit’s functionality has been put to the test by operators across Australia, with Brook saying that the feedback has been taken on board to ensure the kit meets the needs of contractors working in this environment. 

“We went through a process of ruggedisation,” he says. 

“We know that Australian job sites are quite harsh environments in places, so we’ve done a lot of work to make sure that the components of the kit are robust and reliable. 

“As far as the actual functionality of the kit goes, particularly due to the labour shortages in Australia, not only does having this 3D guidance functionality reduce the costs associated with traditional surveys, it also increases safety by not having to have people working near the machines, doing manual grade checking or manual surveys. 

“It also allows operators to be more effective and minimises the chance of rework being required on site. If an operator is following pegs or string lines, and something happened those guides, like they were obstructed

or damaged, it can lead to errors. With this system, there’s no guessing involved. Everything is presented there in real time. 

“We’re always taking feedback from customers on ways that workflows can be improved, or that allow them to utilise the technology even more effectively. We’re also looking at broadening and opening up compatibility to additional sizes of machine as well as different makes and models.” 

The Retrofit Kit is available now as a standalone option for customers who already own an older model excavator and are looking to upgrade, and it is also available as a factory- fitted feature on the new PC138US-11 and PC138USLC-11 machines, as well as other factory models. 

For more information, visit: www.komatsu.com.au