Hitachi Construction Machinery Begins Sales of the EH4000ACII

14 Oct, 2010

Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) announces that sales of the EH4000ACII rigid dump truck (Gross Machine Weight 384 tons, 222-ton nominal payload) for international use in large-scale mining, will commence November 1, 2010.

The Hitachi EH3500ACII model, released on September 2008 has been operating at sites in Australia, Africa, North Europe, North America, and CIS countries. The highest hour EH3500ACII exceeds 13,000 operating hours with total hours for this model line, exceeding 160,000 hours, and customer evaluations indicating superior ability in truck acceleration and retardation bringing higher productivity.
The EH4000ACII utilizes AC drive system technology provided by Hitachi, Ltd. like the EH3500ACII it uses Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor’s (IGBT’s) with the power up, based on the inverter technology used in high-speed railway trains.
Power transfer to the road is more efficient using the AC drive system. By eliminating heavy rotating components as found in the mechanically driven trucks, such as the transmission, torque converter and differential more of the power supplied by the diesel engine is transferred to the haul-road, impacting maintenance costs in the form of reduced labor, parts and production downtime.
Hitachi’s brushless AC travel motors and IGBT inverters reduce repair costs and deliver stronger, more controllable electric braking power (retarding) compared to the predecessor, the EH4000 DC truck.

The EH4000AC II is powered by a Cummins QSKTA60-CE engine that is known for extended service life and fuel efficiency. This engine has been certified to the Tier 2 (U.S.) EPA Emission regulation.

The EH4000AC II includes the following features:

1. High Mobility and Productivity

• The AC drive system, with its load-responsive IGBT inverter and its driving software developed by Hitachi group cooperation (Hitachi Ltd. and HCM), excels in controlling travel motor speed and torque. Whether taking off from a standstill, ascending grades, or performing steering maneuvers, the system delivers an optimal, individual amount of power to each of the travel motors for smooth, quick operation.
• The powerful electric braking system is manually or automatically applied for stable retardation of the hauler without any need to apply the service brakes, resulting in decreased repair costs for the service brakes and improved component life.
• Great performance in providing smooth speed and braking control results in reduced haul cycle times, comfortable machine operators and high productivity.

2. High Controllability

• A large color LCD display, similar to that used on the Dash-6 Hitachi excavators, indicates travel speed, engine RPM, payload and fault information for improved operability.
• The powerful electric drive system reduces operator fatigue as the system is easily controlled using a 3-position shift lever that provides forward, neutral and reverse, along with single accelerator and retarder pedals that are used to control hauler speed.
• A lever and switches for hoist operation are concentrated on center console, resulting in higher operability.

3. High Reliability and Safety

• The rugged box-section main frame, water-cooled/pressurized control panel, travel reduction gear oil cleaning and cooling system driven by an inverter-controlled electric motor, and rear wet disc brakes are all included in the standard truck, ensuring superior reliability.
• The standard ROPS/FOPS cab complies with the requirement of ISO 3471 and 3449. Four emergency engine stop switches located at various points outside of the operators cab and a 630 mm wide access stairway are provided for safe machine operation, inspection and maintenance. And the truck is equipped with a rear view camera and a side view camera, and two front view mirrors to keep good perimeter viewing.
• Wide cab which is available for two full sized seats brings higher visibility and reduces operator fatigue.

4. Superior maintainability

• The front suspension cylinders (replaceable without removing front wheels), automatic ground level lubricating system, and battery/relay box mounted on front bumper provide easier maintenance.
• The “bolt-on” High Arch Design requires less assembling time and no welding for the main frame. The design provides higher structural quality and better serviceability during engine overhaul.

^*1 All units are SI international standards; those in parenthesis are former standard units.

Information presented in this press release is valid as of the date of release; please note that information is subject to change without notice at a later date.