Hitachi says they have increased tractive effort by more than 30 percent on the Hitachi ZW310-6 and ZW370-6 wheel loaders. “This technological advance is accomplished by creating more advanced software,” says Mel Wade, Hitachi Applications Engineer. “The end-user will experience the difference when digging, dozing, climbing hills, or other high rimpull requiring applications.” In the larger Hitachi ZW370-6 and ZW550-6 loaders, the Traction Control System (TCS) can be operator activated and deactivated via the display main menu. As these machines are less likely to move from site to site, this is a “set and forget” feature. In the smaller, compact hydrostatic Hitachi wheel loaders, the tractive effort is regulated with a TCS switch. TCS is useful for snow applications, as well as muddy environments, because it eliminates unnecessary tire slippage and increases tire life. “It’s an intuitive system that balances hydraulic power consumption with powertrain consumption,” says Wade. This system maximizes the use of the available power. The software collects real-time data, such as hydraulic pressure, engine torque, and application demand. TCS determines the appropriate balance to make the wheel loader as efficient as possible for that situation.
To read the article featuring Hitachi ZW Wheel Loaders in ConExpo2020’s Technology News, click here.