Liebherr ADTs on the way

Liebherr introduced a 30-ton articulated dump truck (ADT) at its media open house Sept. 12 in Newport News, Va., and it offered performance comparisons of a crawler tractor and a wheel loader against competitive equipment.

The 30-ton ADT the company introduced, the TA 230, will likely be available in 2015 along with a 40-ton model from Liebherr. The TA 230 is currently being tested at Liebherr’s headquarters in Newport News.

The TA 230 was not demonstrated at the open house, but Liebherr’s PR 734 crawler tractor and L566 wheel loader were. Robert Klima, the company’s crawler tractors product manager, led a demonstration of Liebherr’s PR 734 against a competitive model. One key difference Klima noted is the PR 734’s ease of operation.

“It’s easier to run a hydrostatic machine [like the PR 734],” Klima says. “There’s no gear shifting and no engine speed changes.”

A comparative demonstration was also done between Liebherr’s L566 wheel loader and a competitive model. Liebherr created a scenario in which both loaders were put in reverse near the top of a hill. The Liebherr model, featuring a hydrostatic drivetrain and less overall weight than the competitor’s, offered fuller control and a safer machine, according to company representatives.

Earlier in the event, Liebherr’s Peter Mayr, who was appointed as president this summer, offered insights on the company’s direction and goals for the U.S. market. In addition to its plans for bringing the two ADTs into the U.S. market, Mayr says Liebherr is exploring its place in the smaller excavator market.

According to Mayr, Liebherr has 35 dealers across all of the markets it serves in the U.S. The company is continuously analyzing its dealer network, though, to determine where it can be stronger.

“We are looking at our dealer network to see what kind of adjustments we need to make,” Mayr says. “Our focus will be California, Florida, Texas, the East Coast – everything really.”