DA Harrison buy UK’s first Hyundai HL975A CVT

New 27-tonne wheel loader offers reduced fuel consumption and greater bucket capacity

CUMBRIAN-based Hyundai dealers Taylor and Braithwaite (T&B) recently trialled the first Hyundai HL975A CVT wheel loader in the UK with long-term customers DA Harrison, who were so impressed with the machine that it has now been added to their Hyundai fleet.

The company is no stranger to Hyundai having purchased a new HL975-9 wheel loader four years ago to replace a smaller HL770 model. Since then, a second HL975-9 has been added to the fleet with both machines performing well over the last few years.

With the first HL975-9 having now clocked up more than 12,000 trouble-free hours, T&B’s sales director, Ian Burton, was pleased that the quarrying company 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, similar to the HL975-9, but can carry larger buckets with capacities of up to 5.2 cubic metres, an 8% increase over the older model.

Hyundai have combined a tried and trusted combination of ZF axles and a state-of-the-art ZF CVT (continuously variable transmission) in the 27-tonne loader. The CVT transmission offers optimized power output by continually changing the ratios of hydraulic to mechanical energy depending on the load and speed of the machine and keeps the engine in a low rev/min range to offer smooth, seamless acceleration.

During deceleration, the CVT acts as a brake, reducing wear on the service brake and prolonging the life of the axle oil.

Explaining the CVT transmission, Ian Burton said: ‘It’s a totally different driving style compared with a mechanical driveline. There is no movement unless you put your foot on the accelerator. Hyundai have 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.’

Whilst the CVT transmission keeps the Cummins engine in the ideal low engine rev/min range, the operator can select Dynamic Mode which will take the engine up to 1,800 rev/min to achieve fast cycle times.

The Stage V engine from Cummins features an all-in-one exhaust after-treatment system which cuts emissions by more than 50% compared with a Stage IV engine. One of the major benefits of this package is the lack of an EGR system, which Hyundai say will significantly reduce operational costs over the lifetime of the machine. 

An additional feature to decrease fuel consumption and prolong machine life has also been included in the package, with a customizable 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. Also, 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.

The HL975A CVT is fitted with Hyundai’s AAVM 360° camera system with IMOD intelligent object detection. The screen for the system sits in the operator’s eyeline on the right-hand cab pillar and below it is a simple-to-use touchscreen monitor. The combination of an easy-to-read 7in touchscreen and a bank of easily identifiable buttons allows the operator to check or alter almost all day-to-day settings for the machine with ease, whilst the centrally mounted dash is easy to read and compact.

Following on from the trial at the quarry, figures from Hyundai’s Hi Mate monitoring software have confirmed that the loader is more fuel efficient than the standard-transmission machine, with fuel usage around 25.5% less than the older HL975-9 model.