37
january-february 2015
international
construction
COMPACT EQUIPMENT
Efficiency is key
E
missions standards in Europe, Japan and the US have
shaped many aspects of the construction equipment
industry over the last 15 years or more. This is applies
to the compact equipment sector, where the cost of on-board
engines emission technology is a significant part of the overall
machine price.
But at the lower engine power ratings found in compact
equipment, regulation has been lighter than for bigger units.
In Europe the most stringent requirement for engines of
36 kW or less is Stage IIIA and 37 - 55 kW stop at Stage IIIB. It
is similar in Japan,wherebothpowerbandsdonot have to exceed
the requirements of Tier 4a – the EU Stage IIIB andUSTier 4
Interim equivalent.Things aremoredemanding in theUS,where
everything is now at aTier 4Final level.
But inEurope and Japan, which are bothbiggermini excavator
markets than the US, there is an obvious incentive to design
machines that ‘duck’ under the 56 kW engine power mark.
Although this has its advantages, it is of course an engineering
challenge in itself to achieve this without a loss of performance
due to a smaller engine.
This is fine for compact excavators – engines of this size are not
normally found in machines below about 10 tonnes in weight.
However, it is more of an issue with the larger sizes of compact
tracked, wheeled and skid-steer loaders, and the introduction
of Tier 4 Final in the US has driven a number of newmachine
introductions in the last 12months.This particularly applies to
skid steer and compact tracked loaders, for which the US is the
major globalmarket.
Notwithstanding the potential for increased prices because of
the emissions requirements that have come in over the last year
or two, key manufacturers have told
iC
the market for these
machines is holding up.
>
Em
issio
ns reg
ul
a t
io
ns are no
t
d
r iv
ing
m
ach
ine l
aunch
e s
in t
h
e co
m
p
a ct
sect
o
r t
o
t
h
e sam
e ex
t
ent
as in
l
a rg
e r eq
uipm
ent
cl
asses,
but
t
h
e re are st
ill
pl
e nt
y o
f
upd
a t
ed
m
ach
ine s co
m
ing
o
ut
w
it
h
new
feat
ures and
im
p
r o
v
em
ent
s.
Neill Barston
repo
rt
s.
Efficiency is key
Volvo’s L35 loader has been
among its strongest-performing
products during the past year.
Bobcat’s latest T450 tracked loader in action.
