SPOTLIGHT INTRODUCTIONS

& UPDATES

Toro

Battery-powered utility loader

Toro’s next-generation eDingo 500 compact utility loader is more powerful than its predecessor model. According to Toro, the HyperCell Power System is more powerful and reliable and allows for all-day run times and quick charging. The new eDingo features a narrow width of 30 inches making it capable of fitting through tight doorways. The HyperCell Power System is built to run cooler than other systems, meaning operators gain efficiencies, eliminate engine exhaust emissions, and can complete more jobs with less hassle. Rated operating capacity is 515 pounds, and the new design has a hinge pin height of 81 inches and 6.5 GPM hydraulic flow. Electric drive motors make the new machine quiet while still capable of zero-turn maneuvers in tight spaces and a speed of up to 2.75 mph.

hp engine, a 2-speed hydrostatic transmission, and a standard Power Bob-Tach mounting system so operators can easily swap attachments without leaving the cab. The TL519 has a lift capac ity of 5,500 pounds and a lift height of more than 19 feet. This telehandler also comes equipped with four steering modes and five operation modes.

The turbocharged Tier 4 engine delivers powerful, hightorque performance and achieves emissions compliance without a diesel particulate filter or selective catalyst reduction, and it delivers reliable cold weather starting.

est grapple, the CGC1040 Compact Claw Grapple, is made from high-tensile AR400 steel and performance-matched specifically for Kubota SCL1000 stand-on compact loader power unit. Kubota’s two new snow blowers are available with hydraulic flow rates to match a number of Kubota power units, including the SSV and SVL lines. The new snow blowers feature optional bolt-on wings that add an additional four inches of width, to bring more snow into the machine. An optional fold-over chute can be added to direct snow more precisely.

Ligchine International

Concrete boom screed

Ligchine International’s SCREEDSAVER ULTRA PLUS concrete boom screed delivers the company’s newest technology and innovation. This concrete boom screed features an on-board camera system and an elevated operator’s station for wireless and seated operation. The concrete screed’s heavy-duty boom reaches 20 feet with a 14-foot 6-inch screed head. A 45-hp Kubota turbocharged diesel engine powers the ULTRA PLUS. Four-wheel drive with a two-speed drive range, and four-wheel independent steering, increases the maneuverability and traction of the concrete screed.

JLG Industries

Bi-energy boom lift

JLG Industries, Inc. now offers Bi-Energy technology on its X770AJ and X1000AJ compact crawler boom lifts, reducing these machines’ noise and exhaust emissions. These JLG machines are equipped with two full-sized, independent power sources, combining an emissions-free lithium-ion battery pack with a diesel engine to allow operators to work indoors and outside with one machine. Using the engine’s power, operators can drive the machine to where the overhead work needs to be done, and then can switch to zero-emissions, all-electric battery power to work at height. The X770AJ comes with a 100Ah 76V lithium-ion battery pack, while the X1000AJ has a 150Ah 76V lithium-ion battery pack; the lithium-ion batteries can be charged from an outlet at any time, including while the machine is in use. Both machines have a Kubota D902 21.6-hp at 3,200 rpm diesel engine.

MACHINE CONTROL, LIKE VOLVO’S DIG ASSIST WHICH INCLUDES ACTIVE CONTROL FOR SEMI-AUTOMATED OPERATION, SAVES TIME.

that plan by touching things with the bucket, so if somebody had already staked out the job site, you just reach out and touch the stakes and it will draw the shape on the screen,” McLean described.

Larger enterprises handling entire subdivisions or big road and highway projects may need 3D systems. Dig Assist incorporates major 3D offerings into the system by using on-board satellite connections and sensors to feed into the third-party software.

Skills Shortage Brings New Demand For Machine Control

Machine control can help bridge skills gaps in today’s tight work force. Dig Assist tools can give anyone a skills boost when they sit in an excavator, McLean said. A basic system that uses red, yellow, and green lights to indicate how close the machine is to grade is easy to learn and put into use.

With an hour or so of training, someone with minimal experience on an excavator can be hitting grade.

Saving time saves money, and not much bites into the bottom line more than rework – a call to redo part of a job because it’s not properly on grade. Rework adds time to the process and, if the contractor needs to buy fill to correct an error, additional costs. Machine control systems cut those costs by removing most rework issues.

Automation Adds Greater Precision For Grading

Basic grade control systems like Dig Assist are a good start, but the addition of automation takes machine control a step further and improves results even more. That’s where Active Control comes in.

The newest addition to Volvo’s Dig Assist features semi-automatic control of the excavator, guided by a site plan programmed into the system. When engaged, the system moves the boom and, if desired, the bucket to match the site plan – no matter how complex.

Active Control is available on Volvo excavators with electric over hydraulic controls. Valves and sensors are all built into the machine itself and a connection is made to the Co-Pilot interface. When Active Control is engaged, the operator manages the broader machine movements and hands over finer work to the computer.

“If you’re digging a trench, you program that in Dig Assist through the Active Control screen and select how you want it done – you say whether or not you want it to control the bucket . . . and what angle you want it to hold,” McLean said.

Active Control can work with some tiltrotators and similar tools, which makes it even easier to complete complex sites with challenging slopes.

Dig Assist also improves safety on the job site. One feature called Boundary Alerts allows operators to set height and depth limits to machine operation when working in tight quarters. When those boundaries are neared, the operator is alerted with sound and light alarms. Active Control automatically slows and halts the machine if it nears the boundary, ensuring it is not breached.

Swing controls included in Active Control add the same safeguards when moving from side to side. They also add ease of operation. McLean said swing controls can be set so that when the machine is stationary – loading trucks, for example – it can make precise and efficient movements from the pile to the truck and back.

Need For Speed Is Filled By Machine Control

The range of tools that come with any machine control package like Dig Assist, and the added capability of advanced systems such as Active Control, delivers real benefit to owners, McLean said. Those benefits tend to be focused on one factor: speed.

“You’re doing the job faster because you’re doing it right the first time. You’re not spending a great deal of time going back out and checking your work,” McLean described. “You can get two or three jobs done in a single week, instead of just one – that is going to add up quickly on the bottom line.”

Machine control solutions like Dig Assist can also tie into the growing connected ecosystem on job sites. Tools like on-board weighing, the ability to track machine use and location, and other factors of connectivity add to overall efficiency.

“Because it’s connected, all the machines on the same platform can see each other. The people who are running the show can see the bigger picture of how their targets are being hit,” McLean said. “We see that as the evolution of the next level of productivity – connecting the machines so the managers have that big picture and see where they need to allocate the resources to get the job done.” HEG