Ancillary Equipment

Cat gains certification Caterpillar claims to be the first manufacturer to receive EU Stage IIIB emissions regulation approval for a non-road engine in the 130 to 150kW category. The company has said that its C9.3 ACERT engine has gained the necessary certification under both the EU regulations and the US-based EPA Tier 4 regulations. Interim Tier 4/Stage IIIB emissions regulations come into force on 1 January 2011 for 130 to 560kW engines and require a 90% reduction in diesel particulate matter (PM) and a

Allison claims to have added a raft of improvements to its 6000 Series transmission with the launch of the new 6620 model. The company has said that new hardware and software has been added to the transmission that is designed for rigid dump trucks and specialist mining trucks up to 70tonnes capacity, as well as stationary pumping, drilling and winch applications. The new design replaces the older 6610 and uses greater digital control to deliver sharper torque "response" through the driveline, which has nec

Linatex has launched its new G4 pump, claiming that the product delivers up to 43% power draw savings over conventional alternatives. The company also claims that following in-field testing, sand and gravel operations can achieve major savings in total life cycle costs with the new G4 rubber [lined] and hard metal pumps, which offer "superior abrasion resistance."

The search for alternative power sources for construction equipment is nothing new. Mike Woof takes a look at Euclid's attempt at using gas turbines. The off-highway equipment sector has seen many interesting and innovative machines over the years, with some seeing meteoric rises in sales and others sinking into obscurity without trace. One of the oddest heavy haulers of all time had to be Euclid's R210 truck, and it certainly falls into the latter category.

The latest on-board weighing systems are providing quarry operators with more than just loading information. Claire Symes reports. At one time weighing in quarries was limited to weighbridge operations in the loadout area but now a wide variety of dynamic and static weighing systems are available. These make it possible to carry out weighing at almost any stage of the production process and integration of this into management systems is adding real value for quarry operators.

Maintaining tyres is an essential part of minimising operating costs as well as improving machine service life. The importance of tyre maintenance to maximise service life was put under the spotlight a few years ago with the global shortage of earthmover tyres. Now with more production and the economic slowdown, the shortage may be over but the need to reduce costs remains.

Fuel efficiency is driving modern engine development but it was demand for more power that drove early innovation. Claire Symes takes a look at the advances at Deutz with a visit to the company's museum. The names Daimler, Maybach and Bugatti may all be synonymous with luxury, high powered cars today but the men behind these names all got started in the engine industry through a common link - Deutz. All three, along with Rudolph Diesel, worked with the founders of Deutz - Eugen Langen and Nicolaus August Ot