LiuGong highlights its latest in Las Vegas

LiuGong North America debuted four new pieces of equipment at World of Concrete 2022 in Las Vegas. Photo: LiuGong North America

LiuGong North America debuted four new pieces of quarrying equipment at World of Concrete 2022 in Las Vegas.

Those pieces are the 856H wheel loader, the 890H large wheel loader and the 913FCR and 922F excavators. These products will fully enter the North American market later this year, LiuGong says.

“These machines showcase LiuGong North America’s commitment to the quarrying, aggregate and mining segments,” says Chris Saucedo, senior vice president of strategy and customer solutions at LiuGong. “The World of Concrete show is a great place to highlight these machines and kick off 2022 with our line of new products coming to market for our customer base.”

Kevin Thieneman, chairman of LiuGong North America, says reaction to the company’s machines in Las Vegas was positive. Questions about supply chain delays, however, linger.

“[There have been] a lot of questions about machine availability due to the overall extended lead times that we see in the industry,” Thieneman says. “That’s probably the No. 1 question. [There is] general optimism that 2022 is going to be better than 2021, provided that customers can get machines, that they can find the labor and they can find the parts to keep the machines running.”

LiuGong’s 856H wheel loader and 922F excavator each feature a Stage V engine, an upgrade from the previous iteration’s Tier 4 Final version. Photo: LiuGong North America

Functional fuel efficiency

Thieneman emphasizes one of the key principles of LiuGong machinery: fuel efficiency.

The 856H and 922F were upgraded from a Tier 4 Final engine to a Stage V version. According to Thieneman, the upgrade will improve both fuel efficiency and operator costs.

“What the customer is going to see is lower cost of ownership and better fuel efficiency,” Thieneman says. “For the quarry and aggregate industry, what we hear from customers is a strong emphasis on environmental issues because of some of the pressures they’re under. They’re looking for their mobile fleet to put forward as green a fixture as they can, to honor the social contract that they feel they have.”

Digging in

The 856H is a fifth-generation product in the 856 line, according to LiuGong. Weighing just over 41,000 pounds, it features a 1.8-gallon, six-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that has a maximum output of 245 hp.

“[A] major thing that we’re seeing with this machine is the move from pilot controls to electro over hydraulic,” Thieneman says. “For an operator, that’s going to be a smoother operation and, for an owner, that’s going to mean you’re getting more work done in a workday than what you otherwise do. Ease of effort is improved.”

Thieneman

LiuGong’s 890H large wheel loader, meanwhile, weighs just over 68,500 pounds and has an engine with a net power ranking of 351 hp at 1,800 rpm. It fully complies with Tier 4 Final emission standards.

In excavators, the 913FCR is a brand-new piece of equipment for LiuGong. Thieneman says World of Concrete attendees were already asking when they can get it.

“In the industry overall, the move from standard to compact radius is a trend that we continue to see,” he says. “[We’ve gotten] a lot of compliments on the fit and finish of the machine. Obviously, with the Cummins power pack, there’s a lot of confidence in the engine system that the machine has.

LiuGong also heard about the machine cab at World of Concrete.

“This is a next-generation cab in this machine,” Thieneman says. “It provides outstanding visibility and operator ergonomics. With the challenges that our industry has to get more work with less people, the way you do that is to make the machine easier to use and more comfortable. That’s what these next-generation machines offer to our customers.”

The 913FCR and the 922F excavator are among the latest offerings from LiuGong North America. Photo: LiuGong North America

Worth the wait

According to Thieneman, World of Concrete attendees were surprised by the lead times LiuGong discussed at the show. Depending on the piece of equipment, he says customers can expect anywhere from two- to six-month wait times.

“Customers are really concerned whether they can get their hands on machines,” Thieneman says. “We see that our availability is better than most. In some cases, the best availability in the industry. Obviously, that depends on the day.

“The main advantage we have is, with the softening of the industry in China, that has freed up capacity to move to other markets,” Thieneman says. “That is a wind [in] our sails. Having said that, we do have the same issues others do in terms of supply chain – component supply from Europe and Japan, and the chip issue from engines.”

LiuGong aims to expand its foothold in the aggregate industry.

“We’ve been on this journey of serving the quarrying and aggregate industry for two years,” Thieneman says. “We continue to see more dealers raise their hand after they see the success we’ve had around the world. [They] say: ‘We want to be a part of that.’”