China’s LiuGong has been quietly expanding its ability to produce large-sized construction equipment machinery, taking it further into the mainstream mining market. Through acquisitions, redirection of some of its R&D efforts and new partnerships, LiuGong has added large tonnage machines to the top end of several of its key product lines, including excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, rigid dump trucks and electric mining trucks. With 14 product lines and more to come, LiuGong believes it has the broadest product portfolio of any Asian manufacturer.

“We add larger sized machines to the top end of our lines when we have the right things in place to design and produce them, and to also service and support our customers,” said David Beatenbough, LiuGong’s Vice President of R&D. “Producing these machines requires a certain degree of specialisation. That’s why our 899 wheel loader was our first foray at the larger machines. We have such a deep experience and reputation with wheel loaders and such a vast product line – it was just a natural for us to start there.” Beatenbough added that LiuGong’s acquisition of Dressta in 2012 further expanded the company’s expertise in bulldozer and track technology. Dressta has a suite of very large machines, and LiuGong is benefiting from Dressta’s historic and collective knowledge. “We have two teams running cooperative projects between our Poland facility and China right now. One is to develop an even larger mining wheel loader, and one to develop mining bulldozers,” he elaborated.

Many of these products, including the even larger sizes that are in development, will enable LiuGong to compete in the mining sector. In 2009, LiuGong introduced its CLG 899 wheel loader powered by a 391 kW Cummins engine. The CLG 899 now represents the top end of LiuGong’s 13-model wheel loader line. With an operating weight of 50t and a 6.7 m3 bucket capacity, the machine is capable of safely carrying loads with a top speed of nearly 35.1 km/h in forward and reverse. Its maximum dump clearance of 3, 365 mm, allows it to work alongside LiuGong’s new rigid mining dump trucks. When LiuGong acquired 42% of mining truck manufacturer Beijing Capital Steel Heavy Duty Truck in 2011, LiuGong began producing rigid body dump trucks, and now offers the SGR 50A. Powered by a 391 kW Cummins diesel engine, the 27 t machine has a payload capacity of 50 t.  It can travel safely at speeds up to 56 km/h and has a 25-second hoist time and 18-second lower time.   

Finally, the company will introducd its new model 945E excavator at Bauma 2013, with a 45.5 t operating weight, it is now the largest excavator in LiuGong’s growing, 17-machine stable of track-mounted excavators.  Featuring a 280kW Cummins engine and a 2.2 m3 bucket, the 945E is capable of  high-production, high-volume applications in quarrying and heavy construction. “In all, we’re very pleased with the progress we have made in these large-sized machines,” concluded Beatenbough. “We’ve added to the top of our very key lines such as excavators, and we intend to keep pushing up on these sizes.”