New Bobcat loaders at Bauma
At Bauma 2013, the world’s largest construction equipment exhibition, taking place in Munich in Germany from 15-21 April 2013, the centrepiece of the Bobcat stand will be the first showing of the company’s new 500 platform compact loaders. The company will also be showing the very latest developments in the company’s compact excavator, telescopic handler, utility vehicle and attachment ranges.
The new family of 500 platform compact loaders from Bobcat, which includes some of the company’s most popular models, is intended to cement Bobcat’s leadership of the skid-steer and compact tracked loader market worldwide. The new 500 platform includes the new S510, S530, S550, S570 and S590 skid-steer loaders and the new T590 compact tracked loader.
All of the 500 platform skid-steer loader models are manufactured at the Bobcat compact equipment plant in Dobris in the Czech Republic, while the T590 compact tracked loader is manufactured at the company’s main factory in Gwinner, North Dakota, USA.
Like the larger new-generation 600, 700 and 800 platform models, which can also be seen at Bauma, the new 500 platform machines offer a completely new design, combining over 50 years of experience in loader design with new developments to meet customer requirements and incorporating many of the same innovative features and benefits that have proved so successful in the bigger machines.
Performance
The new 500 platform loaders continue the pattern set by the larger machines with significant advances in comfort, visibility, cab room, controllability and cab pressurization. With overall performance and cycle times up by around 16% on the previous models, the new 500 platform loaders take efficiency and productivity to new, higher levels:
- More lift capacity, lifting further and higher
- Faster cycle times, higher breakout forces
- Much better traction providing greater pushing and digging power
- More hydraulic power for attachments
- Greater uptime, reliability and ease of maintenance.
The S510 and S550 models are radius lift path loaders, combining manoeuvrability in tight areas with the reach and visibility needed for applications such as dumping materials over walls, backfilling or loading flatbed trucks.
The S530, S570, S590 and T590 models feature vertical-lift path boom arms particularly suited to lift-and-carry as well as material-handling applications. The new vertical-lift path loaders offer an increased lift height compared to the previous generation of machines and, combined with an optimized lift arm design, provide operators with the ability to lift heavier loads higher, making it easier to clear high-sided truck boxes and hoppers, as well as placing pallets loaded with heavy materials.
As in the larger new-generation loaders, the 500 platform loaders incorporate a unique forward-positioned cab that moves the operator closer to the attachment and provides unmatched visibility in all directions around the machine.
The 500 platform loaders have the largest cab door opening on the market, offering superior visibility to the cutting edge of the bucket or the corners of an attachment. The cab door threshold has been lowered and the overall surface of the door has been increased by more than 40% to provide improved visibility and make it easier for operators to enter and exit the cab. The height of the cab has been increased to provide additional headroom, while still keeping the overall height of the machine under 2m to operate in confined spaces.
Working conditions
As well as the 10% increase in size and over 30% increase in visibility, the cab on the new loaders allows the operator to adjust the environment to their individual preferences with ample adjustment in seat and suspension to produce the best working conditions. The optional best-in-industry pressurization on the cab improves HVAC performance by 35%. It is based on a new one-piece seal that goes all the way around the door and fits into a special curved pocket. This minimizes the amount of dirt and dust that might enter the cab, making it easier to clean.
Noise in the cab has been reduced by 5dBA while the noise for bystanders has been lowered by 4dBA. The overall result is the perception of a reduction in noise by over 50%.
Operators have a choice between standard foot pedal hydraulic controls, the advanced control system (ACS) or the selectable joystick controls (SJC). The standard foot pedals control the lift and tilt through mechanical linkage. The optional ACS lets the operator use a dash-mounted switch to instantly select between advanced hand control or advanced foot control of lift and tilt functions. The low effort control levers of the optional SJC can be operated in the ISO or H pattern. These handles move up and down in conjunction with the seat to reduce arm movement and operator fatigue. The joystick mounts also slide forward or backward to adjust to the requirements of each individual operator.
