Innovative Iron Awards 2014: Caterpillar High Definition Hydraulic Excavators
The heart and soul of a good company is the creativity it brings to a marketplace. Innovation (as we’ll call it) is both the knowledge a business bestows to an industry and also the imagination in which it approaches its products and customers. In many ways, 2014 has been a tough year for contractors and manufacturers, so now it seems like an appropriate time to celebrate some of the big success stories — contractors who have become leaner and more agile, companies that have diversified and gained market share and manufacturers who have kept trailblazing with ever more efficient and innovative equipment. With this article we salute the companies (from Cat to Kubota) that have changed the commercial equipment market over the last 12 months with their unique, interesting and innovative machines, engines and technologies.
Cat Mini Excavators Optimized with High Definition Hydraulics
What the hell is High Definition Hydraulics? The way of the future, thinks Cat. The company just released its Cat E2 mini excavators with its new High Definition Hydraulics (HDH) system, designed to improve overall operational control and deliver performance efficiency. The simple architecture of the hydraulic system and specifically the valves reduce heat and hydraulic instability. This heat reduction can be translated into lower component and parts wear that decreases overall owning and operating costs. Most manufacturers have a complex open center system. The difference with HDH is three main things: 1) It combines load sensing and open center systems to offer superior control; 2) Through simplification of the valve and reduction of extra components, the flow produced is balanced and in tune with an operator’s commands; and 3) The decrease in components also reduces heat and wear, lowering the overall owning and operating cost. BONUS: The innovative COMPASS monitor is a standard feature first introduced on the Cat E Series mini excavators and has been further enhanced to support operator productivity and ease of use and offer integrated attachment control, including (you guessed it) auxiliary hydraulic flow and continuous hydraulic flow adjustment. For more info, visit cat.com.
Keith Gribbins is associate publisher with Compact Equipment, based in Brecksville, Ohio.
