Motor Graders More Robust & Tougher

Motor Graders More Robust & Tougher

Road projects need advanced machines that can deliver higher uptime for timely completion of the projects. Adequate product support and service by the manufacturers is equally important to prevent equipment downtime. Motor grader manufacturers are therefore, upgrading their products to meet customer expectations, amidst the current volatile business scenario. NBM&CW reports

Buyers of motor graders including rental agencies are opting for manufacturers who assure them higher productivity and minimum cost of operation and maintenance of their machines. As a base equipment used in road construction, the demand for motor graders remains firm. And with the Union Road Transport Ministry planning to construct 12,000 kms of highways this fiscal, demand will be more for the higher capacity graders of 140 hp to 200 hp as they will cover more areas in lesser time. However, the lighter units will also be in use, especially by the small hirers and sub-contractors.

Puneet Vidyarthi, Brand Leader, Case India
Says Puneet Vidyarthi, Brand Leader, Case India, “Case motor graders are customized for tough mid-mining projects and for large road projects. They are powered by our reliable FPT engines that come in variable horsepower and deliver maximum performance with optimal fuel consumption in all working conditions. They are extremely versatile and can be used in multiple projects. Our Case 845B and 865B models, for instance, provide an exceptional mix of power, precision, and fuel efficiency. They have an ‘A’ frame of the robust and rigid drawbar, which is also very durable as its larger wear surface provides a longer life, while the externally driven circle is easy to clean and better protected in case of shocks. Consistency of controls and response of hydraulic operations with the ability to make small and precise adjustments in the blade position, ensure better productivity.”

Easy access to the engine compartment enables daily service checks for quick and efficient maintenance of equipment. Heavy duty components like auto transmission, efficient hydraulics for higher machine durability, air conditioned cabins with good visibility, a unique trip meter on operator dashboard that continuously monitors the fuel consumption, number of hours operated, and operating temperatures, are the other features of the CASE 845B and 865B motor graders.

Vidyarthi informs that Case motor graders have a unique moldboard ranging from 12 to 14 ft, which is recommended as per the application requirement and the strata where it will be used. Since it is hydraulically controlled, the operator can adjust the pitch of the angle of the moldboard from the comfort of the air-conditioned cabin - thus saving time. Secondly, the multi-radius moldboard ensures that the maximum amount of material is rolled off in each pass, which increases productivity, as the number of passes are reduced.

“Since the long stretches of road projects will require assured availability of machines with quick servicing, our motor graders are fitted with ‘Site-Watch’ telematics (electronic indicators connected to the operator dashboard) to provide real-time information on the operations, safety and service alarms. Site-Watch enables the owner and fleet manager to remotely monitor the machine for data regarding the working status of the machine, including fuel consumption, location, alarms for servicing and maintenance etc, so that we can maintain our machines well on time, as we believe that timely servicing and maintenance will extend the working life of our graders and reduce their downtime for greater availability at all times.”

He adds, “Motor graders being capital intensive machines, we give our customers loan extensions and warranty support, especially in unprecedented situations like the Covid-19. We offer our customers optional extended warranties on major components so that they can use the machines more confidently, plus they have CASE’s assured back-up and support throughout the machine’s lifecycle. For fleet owners, we offer maintenance contracts with a dedicated service team which is available at site to ensure our machines’ uptime. We have a wide dealer network and a good stock of spare parts at key locations for ready supply. In fact, we are delivering parts and undertaking servicing - even in these challenging times – while adhering to all the safety norms.”

Sany SAG 200-hp machine

Sanjay Saxena, Senior VP & Head of HE BU, Sany Heavy Industries India
Sanjay Saxena, Senior VP & Head of HE BU, Sany Heavy Industries India, informs that Sany India is offering it’s higher capacity 17-ton, 170 hp motor graders for construction of highways and roads, while the company’s SAG 200-hp machine is being used for both mining and road projects. “Both the machines, due to their high-powered engines, deliver high productivity. Their power to weight ratio, superior quality components sourced from reputed suppliers, such as transmission from ZF, axles from Kessler and Meritor, and engines from Cummins has enabled us to position our machines strongly in the market and enhance their value. We are also offering the 9-ton, 120 hp motor grader SAG 200, which is powered by Dongfeng Cummins Engines and are providing rippers and dozers as optional attachments for our graders.

Saxena informs that, Sany India motor graders come with both manual and automatic transmission. Quality output is delivered through their superior blade down force and drawbar pull, and a three-dimensional operator seat provides better visibility. Further we are in the process of launching an automated grading system that will augment the productivity and performance of the machine in terms of quantity and quality of grading. It is pertinent to mention here that, our graders are adaptable to latest automatic levelling systems. The result is a combination of precision and speed which together ensures efficient use of machines. He further adds, “It is pertinent to mention here that technology plays a vital role to increase the productivity of work. Right from the basic switching of the machines to the IOT, there are many different technological advancements done in the machines. For instance, IOT enablement of the machines is aimed at capturing the run hours, machine location, technical parameters of the machines, alarms etc. This is a milestone of sorts in improving customer engagement”.

Speaking about their commitment and support system, he adds, “It has been our constant endeavour to work closely with our customers to understand their project needs and design our machines to suit their requirements. Likewise, our wide-spread dealer network and trained service professional ensure fast deliveries of spare parts and support across the country.”

LiuGong motor graders of 150-180-220-250-280 hp

Nischal Mehrotra, Director Sales, LiuGong India
LiuGong manufactures motor graders of 150-180-220-250-280 hp. The higher capacity (220-hp onwards) are imported from its Chinese manufacturing facility. Liugong India has recently begun manufacturing 180-hp graders at its Pithampur facility. It was earlier manufacturing CLG 414, 150-hp motor graders indigenously, with tyres from local manufacturers and engines from Cummins India. Says Nischal Mehrotra, Director Sales, LiuGong India, “Now, with our 150-hp and 180-hp graders manufactured in India, we are more competitively positioned to cater to the requirements of the rental segment and the main road contractors, and are enabling them to achieve lower owning and operating costs. The response to our locally manufactured CLG 4180, 180-hp motor graders has been very encouraging. In fact, the model has been conferred the Red Dot award. Moving forward, with more localization, our aim will be to become number 2 in the grader manufacturing industry of India.”

He informs that their LiuGong’s centralized warehouse for stocking spares ensures timely delivery of parts to customers and dealers for its graders and other equipment, while product support is provided by over 23 dealers pan India. LiuGong conducts training programs for its dealers and key customers for effective operation and maintenance of their equipment, which are supported by key supplier partners. The company offers extended warranties and annual maintenance contracts so that contractors can commit the quality output from the resources engaged and get good returns on their investments.

ACE motor graders

Adarsh Gautam, Head Sales & Product Support-Road Construction Equipment Division, Action Construction Equipment Ltd. (ACE)
According to Adarsh Gautam, Head Sales & Product Support-Road Construction Equipment Division, Action Construction Equipment Ltd. (ACE), the company is looking to expand its product portfolio for application in smaller roads, especially PMGSY projects. ACE is currently catering to the longer stretches of road construction that require higher capacity graders such as their AG 176 that has a heavy 15-ton operating weight as compared to competing machines that are of 12 to 13-ton operating weight.

ACE motor graders are powered by 173-hp Cummins 6BTA5.9 turbo-charged diesel engine with high torque that enables better performance of the graders, giving higher productivity. Says Gautam, “Productivity is high due to the higher drawbar pull of 9450 kgs and blade down force of 7140 kgs. The graders’ higher operating weight gives better traction and load for all kinds of surface application. ACE graders are rugged, robust and strong due to their engine, operating weight, drawbar pull and blade down force. The productivity of our Grader is around 200 cum per hour with an average fuel consumption of 11-14 ltrs/hr.”

“ACE graders have a unique feature of adjustment of the moldboard through hydraulic cylinders. The blade position can be set by the operator automatically from within the cabin, leading to uninterrupted work. Rock grade heavy-duty 14x25, 20 PR tyres give better grip and longer life on any kind of surface. As already mentioned, the 173-hp Cummins 6BTA5.9 turbo-charged diesel engine is incorporated into the ACE graders, which make them one of the best in class in terms of fuel efficiency,” says Gautam.

Product improvement and product development is a continuous process at ACE with the company working incessantly to meet the needs of the customer. Understanding the need of the hour and to keep up with the modernization of road making equipment, ACE provides the option of Telematics to helps machine owners to remotely monitor and supervise the various functional parameters of the machine and remain updated of its health for timely maintenance so that the machine gives optimum performance. Gautam informs that the company will be adding a few more features in the telematics system in the BS4 model, which will benefit customers even more.

“Product support and customer satisfaction is not only of prime importance at ACE, it is in fact, our biggest strength and pride. ACE has over 100 sales and service locations across India and we are (usually) able to provide same day response. Similarly, high priority is accorded to the ‘real needs’ of our customers, be it with respect to product features, maintenance or support.

Apart from this we come up with various seasonal financing schemes to benefit our customers. We are currently running a ‘Monsoon Scheme’ on financing our backhoe and road-making segment of machines,” he informs.

Mahindra G 90 and G 75 motor graders

Rahul Joshi, Head-Product Planning, Marketing & PMO, Mahindra Construction Equipment
Rahul Joshi, Head-Product Planning, Marketing & PMO, Mahindra Construction Equipment informs that Mahindra is positioning its G 90 and G 75 motor graders for the smaller highway projects. “There is huge stress on developing national highways and expressways; it is important to note that highway development is mostly through expansion of the smaller highways. Though the higher capacity 170-200 hp graders will only be viable for greenfield expressway projects, however, the bulk of the work will still be done with <150HP graders as these are much more viable. Post Covid-19, the importance of low fixed costs (EMI/capital investment) has gotten even more engrained in the minds of the contractors and we are anticipating higher demand for our G90 motor grader. This is a sub ₹50 lakh product and does 75- 80% percent work of the 140 hp motor grader. We see demand in this category going up, post the monsoon season.”

Mahindra is presently offering two motor graders - the RoadMaster G75 with a 79 hp engine and the G90 which comes with a 91 hp engine. While the G75 is designed for PMGYS/rural roads and district roads, the G90 is specifically designed for state highways and NH expansion projects.

Says Joshi, “To deliver higher profitability to our customers, we have optimized our product performance and its owning and operating cost to give one of the lowest per cubic meter grading cost amongst all other motor graders being sold in India. Today, the operators and site conditions in India are not suitable for automation, hence, we are holding back from automation for the time being till the eco system becomes even more advanced, by which time, the technology would also have evolved and become more cost-effective.”

To deliver lower cost of operation, Mahindra’s graders are powered by the company’s in-house manufactured Mahindra DiTEC engine. “The same engine family caters to many of our high HP international tractors, which work with the same “low speed high torque” requirement. Based on lakhs of hours of testing for performance, we are bringing to our customers graders that provide higher productivity and lesser fuel consumption. In fact, the G90 probably delivers the lowest fuel consumption per unit productivity at an average of about 8-9 liters per hour, amongst all other motor graders sold in India today.”

To ensure higher availability of its motor graders, they are supported through Mahindra’s ‘Remote Care.’ This is available with its backhoe loader EarthMaster and most of the above features are already incorporated in its upgraded telematics unit DiGISENSE

“Mahindra motor graders are supported by 1-year unlimited hours warranty,” says Joshi. “Other manufacturers are offering a warranty capped at 2000 hours. We are also offering customized product options, several finance options, and even rental services to corporates through our rental arm “Hello Machine”. We also offer extended warranties covering all major aggregates and have extended the warranties for products under warranty in the “lockdown phase”. From an aftermarket, product support perspective, we have initiatives like “Parts Express” (parts delivery to doorstep at certain locations), Saral Seva (dedicated on-demand service), and many other specific initiatives apart from the industry’s standard aftermarket practices.”
NBM&CW November 2020
Demand Outlook Positive For Motor Graders in Road Construction & Mining

Demand Outlook Positive For Motor Graders in Road Construction & Mining

The demand momentum for motor graders is continuing, particularly in road construction and mining applications, driving manufacturers to expand their product portfolio, undertake value engineering to enhance their features, and increase

Read more ...

Caterpillar India Motor graders: Fuel-Efficient, Productive, Reliable

Caterpillar India Motor graders: Fuel-Efficient, Productive, Reliable

“Customers want solutions for improved fuel efficiency, increased productivity, and assured reliability, and we design our machines like motor graders keeping customer preferences in mind; in fact, our machines are configured with

Read more ...

Maximize Productivity and Cost-Efficiency with CASE Motor Graders

Maximize Productivity and Cost-Efficiency with CASE Motor Graders

“Our primary focus is on offering class- leading features that are designed to maximize both productivity and cost- efficiency. We understand that fuel efficiency is paramount, and our motor graders are engineered to deliver higher

Read more ...

Fine Equipments Motor Grader: User-Friendly Operation & Easy Maintenance

Fine Equipments Motor Grader: User-Friendly Operation & Easy Maintenance

Our motor graders are renowned for their user-friendly operation, easy maintenance, and the reliable support of the Fine network, making them the preferred choice in the industry. Rajnikant, Marketing Head, Fine Equipments

Read more ...

Liugong India Motor Graders: Productivity in Construction & Mining

Liugong India Motor Graders: Productivity in Construction & Mining

“Our marketing strategy is to build a strong brand value not through outright sales of our motor graders but by demonstrating to customers their productivity in construction & mining projects where they have been deployed

Read more ...

ACE Motor Graders: Improved Quality for Road Construction & Mining Jobs

ACE Motor Graders: Improved Quality for Road Construction & Mining Jobs

We are offering motor graders of 180 HP; however, our strategy to widen and strengthen the scope of our offerings in the motor grader market, is to expand to lower horsepower graders as well in view of their high demand in the construction

Read more ...

Fayat’s road construction equipment of Marini & Dynapac and Secmair

Fayat’s road construction equipment of Marini & Dynapac and Secmair

The Fayat Group was present at Excon 23 with all its brands. Fayat Road Equipment division showcased products that cover the full road life cycle. They included technologies from Marini and Dynapac for road construction with a recycling

Read more ...

Ashitech offers upgraded Asphalt Batch Mix Plants

Ashitech offers upgraded Asphalt Batch Mix Plants

Gujarat-based asphalt batch mix plant and allied products manufacturer, Ashitech is upgrading the functions of its asphalt batch mix plants and other products. The product advancements are being made to ensure their optimum usage.

Read more ...

Ammann India: Track Paver, battery-operated Tandem Roller & Soil Compactor

Ammann India: Track Paver, battery-operated Tandem Roller & Soil Compactor

Ammann India launched several new products, including a 7m track paver and a 9m track paver (both of which are entirely indigenous), a battery-operated 2-ton tandem roller, and a 5-ton soil compactor, making it the only company in India

Read more ...

Wirtgen’s cold milling, concrete paving, and surface mining equipment

Wirtgen’s cold milling, concrete paving, and surface mining equipment

Wirtgen’s technologies, solutions and applications are designed to enable smarter, safer and more sustainable road construction processes and more efficient extraction and processing of materials in quarries and open cast mines.

Read more ...

Arx's Motor Graders, Blast Hole Drill Rigs & Dust Suppression Systems

Arx's Motor Graders, Blast Hole Drill Rigs & Dust Suppression Systems

The motor graders displayed by Arx Mining and Construction Equipment India, comprised the G3200 of 32 tons, G2100 of 21 tons and G1200 of 12 tons. The Arx Graders come with the latest driveline from Western Europe, and have a high

Read more ...

Vibrant's Asphalt Batch Mix Plants of 100 tph to 260 tph capacities

Vibrant's Asphalt Batch Mix Plants of 100 tph to 260 tph capacities

Hyderabad-based, asphalt batch mix plant manufacturer, Vibrant, has carried out advancements in its entire range of asphalt batch mix plants for their optimum usage, informed Kranthi Kumar Ravuri, CEO, Vibrant. “We offer plants

Read more ...

Alltech’s 120 tph Mobile Asphalt Batch Mix plant

Alltech’s 120 tph Mobile Asphalt Batch Mix plant

Gujarat-based Alltech displayed its new 120 tph mobile asphalt batch mix plant, designed and manufactured at the company’s facility in Mehsana, complete with chassis, bins, burner, hopper and screens...

Read more ...

UNITER's Hydrostatic Self- Propelled paver for Road Widening

UNITER's Hydrostatic Self- Propelled paver for Road Widening

UNITER Engineering Products has developed a Self-Propelled Road Widener Model UWNR4, the first of its kind in India. This machine is capable of laying material for road widening and side shoulders...

Read more ...

KESAR: One-stop solution for road building contractors

KESAR: One-stop solution for road building contractors

KESAR has positioned its company as a one-stop solution for road building contractors with its wide range of products that include Asphalt Batch Mix Type Hot Mix Plant, Asphalt Drum Mix Type Hot Mix Plant...

Read more ...

Waken Multitech Asphalt and Wet Mix Pavers with Tailored Efficiency

Waken Multitech Asphalt and Wet Mix Pavers with Tailored Efficiency

Akshay Patel, Director of Waken Multitech, informs that our asphalt and wet mix pavers now come equipped with advanced features. These enhancements not only contribute to a reduction in operating costs but also allow for the customization of the pavers

Read more ...

Coninfra Machinery's Higher Capacity Drum & Asphalt Batch Mix Plants

Coninfra Machinery's Higher Capacity Drum & Asphalt Batch Mix Plants

According to Saumil Shah, Director, Coninfra Machinery, the company is geared up to venture into the higher capacity of 200-400 tph drum & asphalt batch mix plants once market demand escalates.

Read more ...

Vögele New-Gen Dash 5 Road Pavers for Large-Scale Projects

Vögele New-Gen Dash 5 Road Pavers for Large-Scale Projects

The future in road building is here with Vögele’s latest-generation SUPER 1900-5(i) and SUPER 2100-5(i) Road Pavers. These Highway Class pavers are the best in class whether on highways or handling other demanding large-scale projects. The SUPER 1900-5(i)

Read more ...

Wacker Neuson a Reliable Partner for 175 years

Wacker Neuson a Reliable Partner for 175 years

The foundation for Wacker Neuson’s success story was laid by Johann Christian Wacker in 1848, when he set up a blacksmith shop in Dresden. Since then, the company has introduced innovations time and again, which have revolutionized construction

Read more ...

CASE remains committed to Skill Development of the country’s youth

CASE remains committed to Skill Development of the country’s youth

CASE Construction Equipment is commemorating its skill development initiative and enabling employability of aspiring youth by providing them with vocational training at its Skill Development Centre in Pithampur. It is also celebrating a successful year

Read more ...

To get latest updates on whatsapp, Save +91 93545 87773 and send us a 'Saved' message
Click Here to Subscribe to Our eNewsletter.