Komatsu updates award-winning excavator

There are still two months to go before Bauma opens its doors in Munich on April 11 – but details of new products and innovations are already emerging to whet the appetites of around half a million visitors who are expected to attend.

Among those on show will be Komatsu’s PC490LC-10 high reach demolition (HRD) excavator. The latest addition to the company’s successful demolition range, it will be presented with a new adjustable undercarriage. The excavator itself was first shown at Intermat in Paris last year, and it received the 2015 Innovation of the Year Award from the United Kingdom-based National Federation of Demolition Contractors.

The machine’s stability is enhanced by the hydraulically adjustable wide gauge undercarriage, which features longer trackframes that the standard undercarriage. Including 700 mm (27.6 in) triple grouser shoes, the width of the new adjustable undercarriage can be varied from 4,000 mm (13 ft 1 in) to 3,000 mm (9 ft 10 in), improving ease of transport where width restrictions apply. When specified with the new undercarriage, the machine’s operating weight is increased to just over 70 t.

“We are delighted that the machine has already been acknowledged by the industry,” said Simon Saunders, product manager for working gear excavators.

“Our demolition machine developments are driven by customer feedback and we believe the hydraulic undercarriage specification demonstrates our commitment to bringing the benefits of an original factory developed product to customers.”