HOW KOMATSU DOZER'S PAT BLADE ACHIEVES NEAR-GRADER FINAL TRIM

Bendigo-based Mckinnon Earthmoving has just take delivery of a Komatsu D51EX-22 dozer, chosen because of its ability to carry out grader quality final trim work when fitted with the latest topcon 3dmc2 machine control system

McKinnon Earthmoving works predominantly in the Bendigo region, down as far as Macedon/ Gisborne/Woodend to the northwest of Melbourne, carrying out a full range of subdivisional works, both residential and industrial.

According to owner Ash Beriman, the new Komatsu dozer will be

primarily used as a trimming machine on his jobsites. "We'll be using it predominantly for the earthworks, cutting out roads, shaping nature strips and footpath areas.

"It will mainly be used to do just the profile cutting, and is really replacing our grader," he said.

"These days, everybody likes their housing lots cut down to a level, whereas they used to just leave it

as the paddock, so there is always a fair bit of trimming to do.

"Also, a lot of projects now have wetlands attached to them in the basin, so it will be used to trim and

also to finish off the topsoil up in those areas as well," said Ash. Ash said he decided to go for the Komatsu D51EX-22 after trialling another make of machine. "An important issue for us was the PAT blade on the Komatsu, particularly the angle you can turn it to. "We found with the other dozer, when you angled the blade as far as you could, you didn't get as great an effect.

"It didn't have that dirt rolling off the blade; instead it was still pushing probably two thirds of the

dirt, with a little bit spilling out the side," he said.

"That meant even when you had the angle on the blade, you were still pushing rather than cutting, and it

would then start trying to push your machine around to straighten it up to the angle of the blade.

"The furthest you could go was about 2 m and then you had to change grade in the opposite direction, because it was just too big a job to keep trying to push forward.

"But with the Komatsu, we are not getting that. When you angle the blade over as far as it goes, it is

cutting from one side to the other, so it actually carries very little material," said Ash.

"That means it will just keep pushing it out the side, which is very important when you are cutting out your roads."

In addition to its advantages in pushing and placing material when fitted with machine control, Ash

said the Komatsu dozer offered better value for money.

"There is actually a lot more thought put into the undercarriage on the Komatsu machine, along with all those

little things, like the blade lift is a lot higher, the ripper depth is a lot deeper, plus the angle that you can turn the

PAT blade is far greater," he said.