Capital Equipment News February 2018

MOTOR GRADERS

joysticks do not obstruct the view on the left and right side of the moldboard, allowing the operator to work without constantly moving his head up to be able to see over the levers,” adds Chechik. Continued evolution Simplified controls are only one of the latest innovations that can reduce the learning curve and simplify what has traditionally been a complex task, but overall, motor graders have evolved, making them easier to operate. What are the other areas where OEMs have improved their motor grader offerings to further make them easier to operate? Caterpillar offers two different series of graders on the market, K and M. The M series has the joystick controls, and the K series comes with conventional controls – levers and a steering wheel. The innovation that unites both series is the hydraulic ar- chitecture, Cat Proportional Priority Pressure Compensated (PPPC) hydraulics. It allows not only to combine different implement functions at the same time without signifi- cant loss of speed, but it has very predict- able speeds of implement movements. “Special design equals the speed of ex- tension and retraction of hydraulic cylinders, which is very highly appreciated by the operators, especially when doing jobs where high accuracy is needed,” explains Chechik. Meanwhile, Bell Equipment’s grader range has increased glass in the cab to im- Bell Equipment has standardised on the “antler” control configuration, said to be the most common configuration in the market.

Caterpillar’s K series comes with conventional controls – levers and a steering wheel.

most common configuration in the market. To simplify the operation of the grader the 8 forward and 8 reverse gears can be pre- set. “A lever on the side of the operator’s station can then be used to regulate the machine’s rpm so that there is no need for the operator to use the accelerator. This leaves the operator’s hands and feet free to control the blade,” says Oldridge. “Accura- cy, integration with other land preparation systems and cost savings due to less need for repeat work are the major advantages of this approach.” Oldridge, however, warns that chang- ing the controls too much can have an adverse effect on productivity and work quality, so Bell Equipment’s focus has been more on vital improvements to the way the operator works, rather than im- plementing complex changes that may, in the end, make it difficult for the operator to master. “That can have a negative impact on productivity,” he adds. Strati concurs that a grader is probably the most difficult construction machine to operate. Therefore, as far as the design of this piece of equipment is concerned, the task of the CASE designers is to create a comfortable and user-friendly working environment to reduce operator fatigue and increase productivity – and ensuring superi- or precision can make the difference. “On CASE B series graders, the hydrau- lic control valve has been designed for grading applications, giving operators more

accurate control and a better feel of the work performed,” explains Strati. “As part of the product evolution, the layout of the controls has been improved significantly, po- sitioning them within easy reach and make them more intuitive, while maintaining the traditional low-effort 9-lever motor grader controls.” In addition, CASE motor graders feature a forward-mounted articulation joint and rear-mounted cab. The technical solution allows the operator to keep moving in the direction of travel; the operator is perma- nently aware of the articulation angle (25° to both sides) and also improves the mold- board visibility because the cab is located further back on the rear frame. Meanwhile, Chechik says more than 10 years ago, Caterpillar introduced the M se- ries motor graders and it was the first time a grader with no levers and steering wheel was put into production. “All the functions of the eight levers and the steering wheel were combined into two joysticks, which are very intuitive and the new operators get used to them much faster than to the levers,” explains Chechik. One of the major advantages of the joy- stick control system is increased productivity and quality of the job. Cat joysticks are said to have reduced the operator hand move- ment by 75%, which dramatically decreased operator fatigue and increased concentra- tion on the moldboard positioning. “The other very important advantage is visibility –

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS FEBRUARY 2018 18