Capital Equipment News February 2019

COVER STORY

Hidromek will use bauma 2019 to flex its innovation muscle with a range of cutting- edge machines. At the centre of its exhibit will be the award-winning HMK 640 WL wheel loader – the first construction machine to ever win the German Design Council’s Automotive Brand Contest award. Maximum Equipment expects the machine to make its South African debut later this year, writes Munesu Shoko. FLEXING THE INNOVATION MUSCLE

T he stage is set for Hidromek, one of the world’s top 50 construction equipment manufacturers, to showcase a range of its innovative machines at this year’s bauma 2019, set for April 8-14, Messe München Trade Fair Centre, in Munich, Germany. Hidromek’s bauma 2019 line-up will include its HMK 62SS mini backhoe loader; HMK 102S Supra and HMK 102B Alpha Greentec backhoe loaders; HMK 200 W, HMK 145 LC SR, HMK 220 LC, HMK 300 LC, HMK 390 LC HD and HMK 490 LC HD hydraulic excavators (H4 Series); HMK 600 MG motor grader; HMK 640 WL wheel loader, and the HMK 130 CS soil compactor. New launches will include the HMK 70 W electric excavator; the HMK 635 WL wheel loader; the HMK 110 CS soil compactor; and the HMK 150 W wheel excavator. Leading the line Leading the line will be the HMK 640 WL wheel loader, a machine designed to offer high productivity and efficiency in applications such as quarrying, mining and concrete batching plants. According to Vaughan Ellis, MD of Maximum Equipment, Hidromek’s South African distributor, local customers can expect to experience the power of the award- winning machine later this year. Hidromek has achieved a first with the HMK 640 WL wheel loader by

“The HMK 635 WL wheel loader offers greater stability, owing to its better engine placement and design. It also provides convenient serviceability due to its one-piece electric bonnet, which is easily accessible from the ground and the step located on the back of the machine.”

Vaughan Ellis, MD of Maximum Equipment

becoming the first construction equipment manufacturer to win the Automotive Brand Contest award, one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions organised by the German Design Council. The award brought to 15 the number of design awards the Turkish manufacturer has won over the years. “We won the Automotive Brand Contest 2018 award with the HMK 640 WL. None of the construction equipment manufacturers has ever won this award before. It is a first. With this historic award, we have once again demonstrated the quality and innovation of the design of our products. Our Hidromek Design Studio is one of the leading equipment design studios in Turkey,” says Hakan Telisik, Hidromek Design Studio manager. With an operating weight of 26 300 kg, the HMK 640 WL comes with a range

of innovative features. A major talking point is the transmission. Thanks to the modulating valve in the transmission, shifting of gears is smooth and rapid. The high-capacity transmission with torque converter, 5 forward and 3 reverse speeds, offers a travel mode. For example, when you want to travel only, you can select the LOW mode so that the gear is shifted up at lower speeds, thus improving fuel economy. In the MEDIUM mode, the speed is slightly increased and cycle times are much quicker in V-type loading operations. In HIGH mode, gears are shifted up at higher speeds, and maximum performance and fuel efficiency are provided while moving uphill or on loading operations at ramps. “With the transmission disconnection feature provided in the system, when you push the brake pedal while loading, the

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