UK dealer Marubeni-Komatsu says that we can expect to see a second new backhoe loader model introduced in the next few months.

The dash-8 backhoes are similar to earlier models, with Komatsu’s Power Shift transmission and four-wheel steering, except that they now meet EU Stage IV emission regulations.

According to the manufacturer this 23-tonner is between 30% and 50% more efficient than its earlier models. It is easier to operate, more accurate more productive and safer, it is claimed.

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) product manager Wilbert Blom says: “The ZX210X-6 excavator plays a pivotal role in Hitachi’s ICT construction solutions, which connect people, information, processes and technology to create safe and productive working environments. More accurate than its competitors, it is the most technologically advanced Hitachi excavator to date.”

With an 8.5-metre boom and 6.2-metre arm components, lake dredging, drainage work and sand & gravel pits are typical target markets for the new DX225SLR-5. 

To carry out these applications, the DX225SLR-5 has a maximum digging reach of 15.38 metres, a maximum digging depth of 11.65 metres and a maximum digging height of 13.08 metres.  The bucket digging force is 10.0 tonnes and the arm digging force is 6.0 tonnes.

CA Blackwell (Contracts) has more than 160 earthmoving machines and tipper lorries operating on the earthworks subcontract on sections four and five for the A14 Integrated Delivery Team (IDT), a joint venture of Costain, Skanska, Balfour Beatty and designers Atkins/CH2M. This includes 72 articulated trucks and a range of excavators, graders and dozers.

Among Blackwell’s plant on the job is a fleet of 24 new Volvo machines, supplied by dealer SMT GB. It has 20 A45G articulated haulers on the A14 as well as two 75-tonne EC750E crawler excavators, a 48-tonne EC480E and an EC300E.

It is the biggest machine in the Korean manufacturer’s wheeled loader series, at 36 tonnes. It has a similar look to the previous range-topping 32-tonne DL550-5 model and is basically the same size but has more robust structural components and an advanced double circuit axle cooling system to tackle for heavier work such block lifting in quarries and mines, as well as heavy-duty applications in industrial, construction and recycling operations.

The front structure has been made more rugged, with greater rigidity and strength. It has reinforced Z-bar kinematics for heavier lifting with few moving parts. This design also helps stabilise the loader, enables rapid bucket movements and keeps the bucket at the right angle position at all times.