A licence to dump

While Liebherr is far better known in Australia for its hydraulic mining shovels and backhoes than for its construction-size hydraulic excavators, this situation is reversed in Europe and Liebherr is one of the more popular brands of construction excavator.

It makes sense for an excavator manufacturer to also produce an ADT, given how often the two work side by side, but at least in Australia many contractors prefer to make up their mind independently on which brand of excavator and which brand of ADT they operate.

Given Liebherr’s penchant for forging its own design path, using hydrostatic drive where many of its competitors used a mechanical drivetrain, it comes almost as something of a surprise to see that its TA 230 ADT is almost conventional in its drivetrain, combining a Liebherr engine (of course) with an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission.

This doesn’t mean that Liebherr has gone coy: it has devoted a lot of attention to the dump body and to the dimensions of the truck. At under 3m width (even with a tailgate), the TA 230 is readily transported between jobs. Liebherr’s boast is that it combines the payload of a 30t machine with the dimensions of a 25t machine. The 19 cubic metre body is claimed to be the largest in class, while also having a low loading height and high dump angle.

Serviceability is another area to come in for attention: the bonnet and grille tilt as a single unit and the cab tilts sideways to 45 degrees, so that mechanical components are readily accessible.

Although the Liebherr engine is used in other earthmoving equipment, it has been tuned for work in an ADT and Liebherr claims that its traditional reputation for fuel economy is maintained in the TA 230.

Attention has also been paid to braking with a combination of engine braking, a 5-stage transmission retarder and oil cooled disc service brakes and a parking brake on the rear driveshaft.

Whether the Australian market is ready for another brand of ADT remains to be seen, but at least Liebherr has come in with a very competitive offering with future plans to add a 40t and 50t ADT to the range.

Further information: www.liebherr.com.au