Kobelco unveils extra heavy-duty excavator

Kobelco Construction Machinery Australia (KCMA) has announced the arrival of its first extra heavy-duty excavator Down Under.

The SK500XDLC-10 is the first in the XD (extra heavy-duty) series to be introduced in Australia and has been built for tough work in harsh conditions, making it ideally suited for a variety of applications in Australia such as quarry excavation, subdivision work, underground utility installation, and heavy infrastructure, Kobelco said.

“The XD Series is an exciting evolution in Kobelco’s large heavy excavator product offering, setting a new benchmark for machine durability and wear guarding in the 50 tonne class,” says KCMA General Manager of Product & Distribution, Mark Johnson.

“The new SK500XD is the result of Kobelco’s continuous pursuit of being a leader in excavator design and durability—it’s engineered for the most extreme environments around the world.

“It also builds on Kobelco’s excellent reputation for machine reliability, taking it to a new level by providing a factory installed, comprehensive set of structural reinforcements—not to mention class-leading digging performance and fuel efficiency. The result is a machine that is the perfect choice for quarry work, infrastructure contractors, and civil construction.”

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The SK500XD weighs about 52 tonnes, making it the heaviest machine in its class, Kobelco said. It is purpose-built with a robust machine body and substantial additional reinforcements to all key areas of stress and wear across the boom, arm, underbody and undercarriage.

The heavy-duty boom and arm set features factory fitted, triple-plated, hardened steel in all key structural sections, including the boom to arm connection, the boom centre and the end of the arm. A specially designed full-length rock guard is installed on the inside of the dipper arm, on top of additional steel plating.

A quadruple track guide frame and reinforced heavy-duty 600mm triple grouser shoes on the SK500XD help make light work of rough and rocky terrain.

Durability of the track links has also increased, while the idler frame has received substantial double reinforcement plating inside and out, resulting in improved undercarriage reliability while preventing premature wear of the key structure, Kobelco added.

A heavy-duty steel bolted underbody guard protects vital machine components and provides additional weight for greater stability.

The SK500XD is powered by a 10.52-litre Hino turbocharged liquid cooled diesel engine delivering 257kW of power. The direct-drive pump set is managed by Kobelco’s Intelligent Total Control System (ITCS), which combined with a standard extra auxiliary pump delivers a total hydraulic flow of 800l/min. This helps to drive fast digging cycle times, a bucket breakout force of 293kN and slew torque of 183kN, Kobelco said.

The SK500XD has a tractive force of 415kN, giving the machine plenty of drawbar pull to climb steep stockpiles, as well as speed when transiting, climbing slopes or negotiating rough terrain even when lifting a heavy load.

The SK500XD also comes factory equipped with bi-directional primary auxiliary hydraulics, along with proportional hand-controlled tilt/rotate piping and quick hitch piping. A convenient in-cab pressure relief function simplifies tool changes by relieving pressure from the attachment hydraulics.

According to Kobelco, the SK500XD has an average fuel consumption of under 30l/hour in typical Australian heavy digging conditions, delivering fuel efficiency.

The boom to arm regeneration system has been improved to more efficiently control hydraulic fluid flow and significantly reduce in-line resistance and pressure loss, Kobelco added. As the need for fluid to be forced from the pump is reduced, less engine and hydraulic workload means higher fuel savings.

There are three work modes available that allow the operator to select the best mode for the job at hand—heavy-duty, standard, and an ECO mode that automatically optimises digging efficiency to deliver a 13 per cent decrease in fuel consumption, Kobelco said.

Kobelco has also designed and engineered the SK500XD to be easy to maintain. Fluid service intervals have been extended, remote mounted fluid filters are easily accessed, and there are no DPF or AdBlue to worry about.

A new hydraulically driven cooling package with independently driven fans for the hydraulic cooler, engine radiator and intercooler serves to improve fuel economy and reduce engine noise while providing optimal oil temperature control.

The SK500XD comes standard with an extreme duty 7.0m boom and 3.45m arm capable of reaching a 7.81m dig depth with a rated safe working load over 6000kg.

For even greater capacity, the XD Series is also available in a mass excavation (ME) configuration, known as the SK520XDLC. It is equipped with additional counterweight and a shorter 6.5m boom and 2.6m arm to deliver even higher breakout forces and additional bucket capacity, with a rated safe working load exceeding 8000kg.

The cabin has been redesigned to offer optimum comfort and space for the operator. The expansive front window provides greater visibility while the cabin’s high level of pressurisation and effective dampening provides a quiet and airtight work environment that’s free from dust, Kobelco said.

A heated and air-cushioned suspension seat provides comfort and protection from vibration, while an automatic climate control system with vents optimally placed around the cabin provides air flow directed toward the operator’s neck and back to provide all day comfort even in high ambient temperatures.

Ergonomic control placement and low effort pilot hydraulic joysticks reduces operator fatigue while offering better control of the machine, Kobelco said.

A colour LCD multi-display screen shows important information such as fuel consumption and maintenance intervals, as well as vision from the standard integrated rear-view camera.

Up to 10 pre-set attachment settings can be selected from the cabin, with independently programmable settings for flow and pressure to accommodate a wide variety of attachments.

Other comfort features in the cab include a standard 12V charging receptacle, audio auxiliary jack, standard Bluetooth integrated stereo system, a large cupholder and a large rear storage area.

A FOPS Level 2 top guard comes standard for enhanced safety, while a front operator guard is available as an option that features a convenient swing-out design allowing access to the front window for cleaning.

Kobelco is offering its Extended Major Component Warranty of 4 years/6000 hours with all new XD Series machines. The GEOSCAN telematics system that allows remote access to machine operational and maintenance data from any web enabled device is also provided free of charge for 5 years with the XD series.

The Kobelco SK500XDLC is available now at dealers around Australia.