Hyundai previously purchased a new HL975-9 wheeled loader in 2017, to replace a smaller HL770 model, and a second HL975-9 has since been added to the fleet.
With the first HL975-9 now having clocked up over 12,000 trouble-free hours, T&B’s sales director Ian Burton says he was pleased that the quarry wanted to look at the newly launched machine which can offer significant fuel savings over a standard mechanical drive machine.
The HL975A CVT weighs 27 tonnes and is able to carry larger buckets than the HL975-9 with capacities up to 5.2m3, an 8% increase over the older model. It features ZF axles and a ZF CVT transmission.
The CVT transmission offers optimised power output by continually changing the ratios of hydraulic to mechanical energy depending on load and speed of the machine and keeps the engine in a low rpm range to offer smooth acceleration. During deceleration, the CVT acts as a brake, reducing wear on the service brake and prolonging the life of the axle oil.
Burton comments on the CVT transmission: “It’s a totally different driving style compared to a mechanical driveline. There is no movement unless you put your foot on the accelerator. Hyundai has incorporated a creep function that allows the loader to slowly roll without the need for any accelerator pressure and this feature can be tweaked to suit the operator within the machine's settings. It’s ideal for loading trucks.”
The Stage V engine from Cummins features an all-in-one exhaust after-treatment system which is designed to cut emissions by over 50% compared to a Stage 1V engine.
An additional feature to decrease fuel consumption and prolong machine life has also been included in the package with a customisable Automatic Engine Shutdown system allowing the operator to dial in a particular time frame for the engine to shut down if the machine is parked. A fully adjustable traction control system allows the operator to increase or decrease the amount of lock to the wheels depending on the surface they are operating on.
Following on from the trial at the quarry, figures from Hyundai’s Hi Mate monitoring software have shown that the loader is more fuel efficient than the standard transmission machine with fuel usage in the region of 25.5% lower than the older HL975-9 machine.
