How dozers are leading the way toward smarter, more productive heavy equipment of the future

Electronics continue to lead the dozer technology parade, but there have been two big shifts in the way electronics are used. First, nearly all machines offer electronics packages as standard or optional equipment, where these features were once restricted to high-end models. Second, electronics packages come in lots of sizes to fit a variety of needs and price thresholds.

Komatsu came out with its D6li-23 intelligent dozer in 2013, laying claim to being the world’s first dozer with fully automatic integrated blade control. It has since expanded its intelligent machine offering to include several dozer models. The model’s built-in machine controls allow the machines to be placed in automatic throughout the dozing process, from rough dozing all the way through finish grading.

At Cat, engineers are working on providing scalable technologies that can increase jobsite productivity and efficiency, says Sam Meeker, product application specialist. On the high-end side is the Cat GRADE with 3D, but there’s also the new Cat GRADE with Slope Assist. “Slope Assist is a basic technology that provides entry-level, hands-off automatics. Operators can grade to a target blade slope or mainfall with the push of a button,” Meeker says. All of this helps reduce operator fatigue, finish jobs faster and improve quality.

The 700K SmartGrade dozer is John Deere’s first with fully-integrated control. Deere teamed up with Topcon to create the SmartGrade feature (as a factory option), which uses Topcon’s 3D-MC2 for dozers. The factory-installed option offers several advantages, says Mark Oliver, crawler dozer marketing manager with John Deere. “There are no masts, cables, or other exposed hardware. Operations of SmartGrade are part of the JDLink telematics package, so performance assessments and machine diagnostics are simplified.” Because the system is built on open architecture, customers can have the main components installed at the factory but use a satellite system from another provider, such as Leica or Trimble, if they prefer.

Different levels of technology come at different levels of investment. Meeker says basic systems may be included in the cost of a machine, while full-featured options may add $100,000 to the cost of a dozer. Meeker says that as add-ons, laser systems cost around $30,000 and GPS systems are about $50,000. He also adds that savings in time, fuel and materials can pay for the technology package in a single large job.

Jason Anetsberger, senior product manager for intelligent machine controls at Komatsu, says there are pros and cons to adding technology packages to existing dozers. Advantages include the ability to move the system to other equipment, and a lower initial investment than buying new machines with integrated technology. Disadvantages include exposing hardware to potential damage during the work day, and the need to install and remove hardware daily to guard against theft and vandalism.

“But the big advantage of an integrated system is that it’s monitoring and responding to multiple machine performance parameters,” Anetsberger says. “For example, if the system senses track slippage, it will adjust the blade to reduce the load and restore traction. Realistically, you can’t rough-cut without this feature. In general, add-on systems can’t do this.”