Kobelco Construction Machinery Australia is forecasting an exciting 2017, following a successful 2016 helped by the launch of its Generation 10 line of heavy excavators.
Kobelco launched the 20-tonne SK200-10, the 25-tonne SK250-10 and the 35-tonne SK330-10 in Australia last year, along with long carriage versions of all three models.
The launch was timely, as the Australian heavy excavator market expanded by 15 percent in 2016. With a slew of both public and private construction projects beginning in 2017, this expansion is expected to continue.
Kobelco Australia says it is well placed to capitalise on this growth, as the Gen 10 excavators have been engineered with the needs of construction in mind.
“We’ve made significant strides with the Generation 10 machines, but we’re never satisfied and are always looking on how we can innovate and improve our products. This is shaping up to be an exciting year, so watch this space,” Kobelco sales and service general manager Doug McQuinn says.
“With infrastructure and subdivision projects increasing and project costs rising, the upgraded design of the new Generation 10 excavators address real needs and concerns of the people working on these projects,” McQuinn says.
Kobelco says it aimed to improve fuel economy and emissions standards on the new models while also making the machines stronger and more durable.
“The Generation 10 machines are serious diggers, but the innovative engineering means they use up to 10 percent less fuel compared to their predecessors,” McQuinn says.
“This dramatically lowers fuel costs while still producing some serious power.”
The Gen 10s use oversized arm foot reinforcements and a modified foot boss shape that distributes stress more evenly to extend the durability of the digging arm.
The new machines are also equipped with Kobelco’s new ‘Arm Interflow System’, a hydraulic regenerative system that enables the boom’s weight to force hydraulic fluid to the shovel arm, reducing the need for fluid to be forced from the pump. Less engine and hydraulic workload means less fuel.