Komatsu has formed an alliance with Topcon to offer dealer-installed options that outfit Komatsu graders with automatic blade-control systems that use satellite positioning systems (GPS) instead of laser leveling or traditional surveying and grade staking. The Laterra Series—GD555-3, GD655-3 and GD675-3—has also been updated with Komatsu engines that comply with Tier II exhaust limits, and come with variable horsepower. Laterra machines feature a dual-mode transmission that allows the operator to choose either torque converter or direct drive by flipping a switch. Direct-drive mode offers plenty of speed and a familiar feel when using the inching pedal. Komatsu says torque-converter mode improves control and power at slow speeds.
Number of models: 5
Product-line features: One of the two non-Laterra models in the lineup, the 225-hp GD750A-1, uses Cummins M11-C power. It and the GD825A-2 are 6×4 models with no variable horsepower option.
John Deere
Sensors Synchronize Six-Wheel Power
Number of models: 6
New models: 670CH Series II, 672CH Series II
Product-line features: Deere says its circle and moldboard wear inserts can be replaced in less than three hours with a 9/16-inch wrench. Separate oil and filtration for hydraulic, transmission, and axle/brake systems eliminate cross-contamination.
New Holland
B Series Improves Service and Controls
Number of models: 5
New models: RG140.B, RG170.B, RG180.B
Product-line features: Gear teeth are on the outside of the circle of New Holland motor graders and the motor is mounted on the front of the circle to avoid jarring impacts when the blade encounters large objects. B-Series graders are powered by Cummins diesel through direct-drive powershift transmissions, and while locking differentials are standard on the RG200.B, they're an option on the rest of the B Series. New Holland's B Series specifications match those of the Case 800 Series graders, although options vary between the two lines.
Case
Hood Flips for Easy Access
Number of models: 3
New models: 845, 865, 885
Product-line features: Case offers a DHP (Dual Horsepower) option on the 32,077-pound 865 which, like the RG170.B counterpart in the New Holland line, delivers 170 horsepower in the first three gears and 190 horsepower in the upper five gears. Like New Holland, Case uses Cummins power, and claims the same involute curve on the moldboard rolls material efficiently off the blade.
Volvo
Variable Horsepower Standard on Bs
Number of models: 11
New models: G710B, G720B, G726B (AWD), G730B, G740B, G746B (AWD), G780B
Product-line features: Flagship of Volvo's B Series, the G746B, is the industry's most powerful all-wheel-drive grader. Volvo's G700B graders also feature the industry's highest capacity main hydraulic system—a load-sensing system that delivers 75 gallons per minute. In July, Volvo sold the four small hydrostatic graders and removed them from its lineup.
Caterpillar
"Plus" Pushes Variable Horsepower Harder
Number of models: 10
New models: 120H, 135H, 12H, 140H, 143H, 160H, 163H, 14H, 16H
Product-line features: Cat added Electronic Throttle Control with the Tier II upgrades, which enables a feature similar to automotive cruise control to maintain constant ground speed. Thirty percent of all service points were moved to collect them where they can be reached from the ground.
Noram
Rising from Fiatallis Heritage
Number of models: 1
New models: 65E
Product-line features: NorAm used to market the Fiatallis 65C. The NorAm 65E is manufactured by Five Star Industries of Knoxville, Iowa. Five Star had built graders for New Holland, and purchased manufacturing rights for this grader from CNH in early 2004.
Champion
Champion Name Reborn
Number of models: 4
New models: C60, C66, C80, and C86
Product-line features: Cummins diesel power and hydrostatic drive are common throughout the line. The C60 and C66 are two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive maintainer-style graders weighing 12,800 and 13,400 pounds. The C80 and C86 have rear tandems, and the 15,500-pound C86 sports all-wheel drive.
Leeboy
Blading with the Big Boys
Number of models: 3
New models: 785
Product-line features: All the LeeBoys are articulated-frame machines. The two smaller models are driven by two-speed hydrostatic transmissions, and the 15,200-pound 658B with 10-foot blade offers an all-wheel-drive option.
PSI
Compact Hydrostatics
PSI fields four compact graders/pavement maintainers with hydrostatic transmissions and Deutz diesels. The line stretches from 12,900 to 22,800 pounds, and three models come to market at 110 horsepower, while the engine in the largest machine is rated at 133 horsepower. Optional front-wheel assist enhances productivity.
Number of models: 4
Product-line features: The PSI graders comes with two hydraulic work modes—PSI's exclusive fine-grade mode for finish grading applications, and the coarse-grade mode for production grading. The company extends buyers an 18-month machine warranty and a three-year warranty on hydraulic hose.
Buying File Feature: Computers Deliver Just the Blade You Need