Dashing digger

The spectacular emergence of Hyundai as the New Zealand leader in excavator and wheel loader sales is being cemented by the new Dash 9 range, marketed by the Porter Group’s Eagle Equipment subsidiary.

Powered by a more environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient and cleaner-running engine, the new range will build on the remarkable growth of the Hyundai brand over the past decade. Since Eagle Equipment took over the Hyundai range in 2001, it has established Hyundai as formidable brand that has led the excavator and wheel loader market for the past four years.

Over that time few advances were made in the design of the Dash 7, but now the Dash 9 offers what Porter Group sales and marketing manager Darren Ralph describes as “a big leap forward in technology”.

Headlining the improvements is the Cummins QSB6.7 engine which is Tier 3-compliant, meeting the increasingly stringent European and US emission regulations. The turbo-charged six-cylinder, 6.7 litre, four-cycle charger, air-cooled power unit features 24 valves with centred injectors and a symmetrical piston bowl. The resultant improved air-flow and even dispersal of fuel has produced greater power and better transient response while reducing fuel consumption.

The engine has been tested in high-horsepower Hyundai machinery in some of the world’s most demanding environments, including non-stop mining operations.

“The whole machine is designed around fuel economy: they have changed not just the engine but also the hydraulics and other things to make the whole machine run more efficiently,” Ralph says. “They’ve combined the best of hydraulic systems from around the world and come up with an optimised system that means the Dash is smoother to operate for precision control, but has lost none of the speed for which Hyundai is renowned.”

The core of the hydraulic operation is the computer-aided power optimisation (CAPO) system, which tunes the engine and pumps power to optimum levels through multiple mode selections that maintain high performance under reduced fuel consumption. The system features automatic engine over-heat prevention and automatic warm-up through constant monitoring engine speed, coolant and hydraulic oil temperatures. Its self-diagnostic capabilities allow it to register and display error codes on the enlarged – to 178mm wide – LCD monitor.

As well as a larger and more user-friendly display, the upgraded Dash 9 cab features a climate-controlled air-conditioner, and a cellphone immigration system that allows a cellphone to be plugged into the audio system for hands-free communication. This feature and a rear-view camera are now standard, along with a remote management system linking the machine by satellite back to base. This is web-based and can be actuated by dialling in on the internet to monitor the machine’s operating conditions, from fuel-burn and productivity to over-heating and over-revving. A two-year subscription to an internet service provider is part of the purchase deal.

Eagle is staggering the introduction of the full Dash 9 range over the coming 12 months, though the first two models – the R210LC-9 and the R290LC-9 – are already in the country, and the 14-tonne R 140 and 25 tonne R250LC-9 are due this month. Including derivatives and variations there will be around 30 models available, ranging from 1.6 to 80 tonnes.

Ralph says Eagle Equipment is holding a large inventory of stock, so “customers can come in and virtually buy off the lot”. And while fuel-efficiency, operator safety and overall performance have been hugely upgraded, Hyundai is positioned to offer even more superior value for money in the marketplace than before.

Hyundai’s growth in the New Zealand market has been under-pinned by the Porter Group’s extensive dealership network for both sales and plant-hire – some 36 branches nationwide – backed by $30 million worth of spare parts at better than a 92 percent availability rate. It’s also been helped by Eagle Equipment repair and maintenance contracts allowing purchasers to secure their post-sales costs at a flat rate for up to four years.

“But even allowing for the high level of back-up service,” Ralph says. “Hyundai’s climb to dominance of the excavator and wheel loader market sector in New Zealand more than anything reflects the emergence of Hyundai as a leading brand.” 

Our cover picture features the Hyundai R210LC-9 owned by Cedric Abernethy of Abernethy Civil of East Tamaki, Auckland. The machine, being used to upgrade the rail networks between Hamilton and Whangarei, is modified to lay concrete railway sleepers, making it a specialist machine fitted with on-board factory cameras. Abernethy operates more than 14 Hyundai machines, and he says the decision to purchase the R210LC-9 was a logical one for him, given the excellence of both the products and the service he has received from Eagle Equipment over the past 20 years.