Kobelco Construction Machinery Australia has announced the arrival of the SK850LC-10 – the latest and largest excavator to enter the Kobelco line-up.
With the recently released heavy-duty XD Series further reinforcing the manufacturer as a powerhouse in the 35- to 50-tonne class, Kobelco is pleased to offer its customers greater levels of productivity and efficiency in the 85-tonne class with the arrival of the new SK850LC-10, available for delivery in Australia from March 2022.
Kobelco’s largest production-class excavator, the SK850LC features cutting-edge power and efficiency capabilities and has so far sold 150 units worldwide.
With a base operating weight of nearly 81 tonnes, this durable machine is built to withstand the rigours of the toughest jobsites. The SK850LC has undergone extensive development, having been put to the test in demanding quarry and mining conditions across the globe – including some of the most extreme sites in China and India – to show its credentials
The latest-generation SK850LC has shown it will be well suited to a variety of work sites across Australia, in particular quarry applications, small-to-medium mining operations, and large-scale civil infrastructure projects.
Kobelco is known worldwide as a leading excavator specialist, with more than 90 years of manufacturing and design experience, and the SK850LC has been a productivity leader in the 85-tonne market segment since its global introduction in 2006.
Driven by a powerful engine that meets current international emissions standards, the SK850LC is ready to tackle heavy-duty applications while remaining fuel efficient. The turbocharged and intercooled 12.9-litre Hino engine delivers 380kW of power for superior strength and performance.
The work volume is achieved with powerful bucket breakout force and arm tear-out forces, delivering fast digging cycle times and impressive productivity. Combined with an intelligent hydraulic system built for speed and control, the SK850LC delivers average fuel consumption of under 50 litres per hour. This can help to boost operating profit in a production environment.
Users can climb stockpiles with ease with the SK850LC’s drawbar force, ensuring plenty of tractive power for the most extreme site conditions. Three heavy-duty track guides are also installed on each crawler side frame to further increase undercarriage durability.
MINIMISING FUEL CONSUMPTION
Kobelco excavators are often highly regarded for their advanced technology in fuel efficiency, and the SK850LC is no exception. The enhanced hydraulic system design reduces energy loss to ensure outstanding performance by minimising hydraulic pressure resistance. The SK850LC also features Kobelco’s latest cooling system, a hydraulically driven twin-fan engine cooling system, which prevents over-cooling by use of integrated sensors to reduce the speed of the twin-fan unit, helping to improve fuel economy and reduce noise. A variable-geometry turbocharger contributes to lower fuel consumption, and a new selective catalytic reduction system decreases NOx emissions by 80 per cent to provide low operation emissions.
Operators can select one of three work modes for the job at hand – H-mode, S-mode and ECO-mode – allowing for minimum fuel consumption while optimising digging efficiency. From the comfort of the cabin, the operator can also pre-set multiple attachment settings. The SK850LC comes factory equipped with bi-directional primary auxiliary hydraulics, along with proportional hand-controlled tilt/rotate piping and quick hitch piping as standard.
With the 8.25m and 3.6m heavy-duty boom and arm, the SK850LC has an operating capacity exceeding 10.6 tonnes at a reach of 11.6m. The SK850LC is also available in a mass excavation (ME) specification, with a shorter boom and arm, as well as an optional heavier 3000kg counterweight, for applications that call for maximum bucket capacity and digging productivity.
Operators can look forward to staying safe and comfortable in the SK850LC, regardless of the work at hand. The air suspension seat, combined with a 25 per cent reduction in lever control force, helps to reduce fatigue during long hours of operation, while added climate control outlets and a spacious cab interior provide a comfortable work environment. The high-level of pressurisation in the large, sealed cabin keeps out dust and ensures a quiet environment for the operator. A standard 12V port and AUX jack is provided, while the standard Bluetooth-integrated stereo system allows the operator to stream audio.
The operator-friendly colour multi-display LCD screen uses easily recognisable graphics for quick navigation of important information, including fuel consumption and maintenance intervals. An intuitive one-touch attachment mode switch lets the operator confirm the proper configuration at a glance. A falling object protective structure (FOPS) top guard along with a front window guard and swing flashers come standard for enhanced job-site safety, and an optional right-side camera can be fitted in addition to the rearview camera for easier safety checks around the machine.
EASE OF MAINTENANCE
Maintenance on the SK850LC is designed to be simple and cost-effective to reduce downtime. Easy access to maintenance data from the operation management system help to improves ease of maintenance scheduling and ensure a long service life, while easy access to the cooling unit, engine compartment and electrical components help convenient day-to-day maintenance.
The SK850LC’s new and improved hydraulic fluid filter is regarded as among the best in the industry, with a new cover that prevents contamination even when changing filters. Pressure sensors at the inlet and outlet of the hydraulic oil filter monitor pressure differences to assess filtration performance, triggering a warning on the cab display screen if the filter needs to be replaced.
A standard onboard grease gun on a retractable reel makes greasing the SK850LC a fast and convenient task. Kobelco has also installed a standard onboard refuelling pump to make the process faster and safer. The variable gauge crawler allows for the retraction to reduce the width for easier transport, with the ability to re-extend when on the job site for better stability. Four disassembly and transport configurations allow for easy transport to and from the job site.
K-ASSIST SYSTEM
To further improve machine uptime, the SK850LC – like all Kobelco heavy excavators – is equipped with the K-Assist system, a remote diagnostic and troubleshooting system that allows your local dealer to provide advanced support of the machine without the need for a technician to be present. The system monitors key operational data, which can provide real-time and historical monitoring of the engine and hydraulic systems. The system also enables your Kobelco dealer to perform diagnostic testing and to upload machine software without the need for a technician to on site, which helps to significantly reduce potential downtime.
“The SK850LC-10 is the largest excavator in our product line-up and comes with a tried-and-tested reputation from some of the harshest environments around the globe,” Kobelco’s general manager of product and distribution Mark Johnson said. “We look forward to cementing our place as the premier supplier of heavy-duty excavators in the Oceania market.
“The new SK850LC builds on the impressive reputation Kobelco is building more recently in heavy excavators with the launch of the XD series in the 35- and 50-tonne classes. This new SK850LC allows us to participate in quarry, small-to-medium mine sites and large civil infrastructure applications with a machine that is more productive, more durable and ultimately will make our customers more profitable.”•
The Kobelco SK850LC-10 will be available at Australian and New Zealand from this month (March 2022).
To locate your local authorised Kobelco dealer, or to learn more about Kobelco excavators, visit kobelco.com.au