Liebherr’s two-year old 9200 excavator is probably the most efficient machine in the field due to its new hydraulics and electronics, says Dave Pichanick, General Manager, North American Sales, Liebherr.
“The hydraulics and the electrics are within the closed-loop system, which is Liebherr’s generic system, which allow a lot cooler system. So the energy that is saved on cooling hydraulics goes to other functions on the machine, which makes it quicker,” says Pichanick who was interviewed by MINING.com at MINExpo 2016 last month.
Transcript edited for clarity.
MINING.COM: Can you tell me something about the 9200 excavator?
Dave Pichanick: The 9200 excavator is part of our new releases—the large range excavators that we market now—in the 200-tonne class, and is probably the most productive excavator in the market today because of the new hydraulics and electronics we’ve put in the machine.
MINING.COM: Can you tell me something about how you’re are getting more productivity out of the hydraulics?
Dave Pichanick: The hydraulics and the electrics are within the closed-loop system, which is Liebherr’s generic system, which allow a lot cooler system. So the energy that is saved on cooling hydraulics goes to other functions on the machine, which makes it quicker.
MINING.COM: Can you tell me something about the bucket? I believe it has a higher capacity.
Yes, this machine does have a slightly higher capacity than the current competition. That’s because of some of the design features in the boom and stick and also it has a very smart design on the bucket, which saves some weight in the bucket and allows for more capacity for material.
MINING.COM: Why did Liebherr see a market niche for the 9200?
The 9200 hasn’t been in our portfolio for a long time. Since we developed the new 9100 on the 100-tonne class and then we put the 9150 in 150-tonner, we had a bit of a void. So we really wanted to complete the whole range so we made the 9200. But with a quicker machine, it does create problems now that the 9250—being a slightly older generation. The customers are better off buying the 9200 and getting better value for money and the same production.
MINING.COM: Is this excavator in the field right now?
Yes, it is. It has actually been on trial for over two years. We had two prototype machines but by now we’ve sold five or six machines that are being delivered right now in the field in different parts of the world and they are doing really well, actually.