Komatsu D575
Encyclopedia
The Komatsu D575A is a 1150 hp tractor crawler available as a bulldozer
/ripper, the D575A-3, or as a dedicated bulldozer, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer. Equipped with a standard blade, both versions are capable of moving 90 cubic yards (68.8 m³) of material per pass although the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer is capable of moving 125 cubic yards (95.6 m³) of material per pass if equipped with an optional blade. The D575A-3 can dig to a maximum depth of 6 in 9 in (2.06 m) using its single shank ripper.
Currently the largest bulldozer
in production, the D575A has been produced by Komatsu Ltd. in Osaka
, Japan
since 1991. Surface mine operators in the United States, Canada
and Australia
are the primary users of the D575A, although it is sometimes used in heavy construction applications.
equipment exhibition in Houston, Texas
in 1981. Due to economic conditions at the time, development was stalled for much of the 1980s. A successor to the D555A prototype, the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper, began field testing in North America in 1989, and full production began in 1991. The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper was joined by the D575A-2 SD Super Dozer in 1995 when the first D575A-2 SD Super Dozer was purchased and placed into service by the Princess Beverly Coal Co. in Cabin Creek, West Virginia
. The current model, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer was introduced in 2001.
, four-stroke, water-cooled, direct injected, turbocharged
, aftercooled
, 1150 hp Komatsu SA12V170E diesel engine
powers the 152.6 t (168.2 ST) D575A.
The D575A features a standard blade that measures 11 inch high and 24 inch wide, enabling the D575A to move 90 cubic yards (68.8 m³) of material per pass. The D575A measures 16 inch tall, 38 inch long has a ground clearance
of 2 inch.
The D575A has a ground contact area
of 101.55 square feet (9.4 m²) and exerts an average ground pressure
of 23 pound per square inches (158.6 kPa).
, mostly operating on Massey Energy
sites in Appalachia. To date, 17 D575A's are in service in the West Virginia Coal Fields. There is one super ripper that operates in Las Vegas
, and another operating on New Zealand
s South Island
in the Stockton
mine.
equipment exhibition in Houston, TX. Due to economic conditions at the time, development was stalled for much of the 1980s. A successor to the D555A, the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper began field testing in 1989 and was the first model to enter production beginning in 1991.
In comparison to its predecessor, the D575A-3 SD includes a significantly re-designed operator cabin and powertrain electronic control system to increase productivity and a number of durability improvements including reinforced undercarriage roller guards, simpler hydraulic plumbing and longer-life hoses, seals, wiring harnesses, and connectors.
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
/ripper, the D575A-3, or as a dedicated bulldozer, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer. Equipped with a standard blade, both versions are capable of moving 90 cubic yards (68.8 m³) of material per pass although the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer is capable of moving 125 cubic yards (95.6 m³) of material per pass if equipped with an optional blade. The D575A-3 can dig to a maximum depth of 6 in 9 in (2.06 m) using its single shank ripper.
Currently the largest bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
in production, the D575A has been produced by Komatsu Ltd. in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
since 1991. Surface mine operators in the United States, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
are the primary users of the D575A, although it is sometimes used in heavy construction applications.
Development
Komatsu first showed a 1000 hp bulldozer prototype, the D555A, to the public at the ConexpoCONEXPO-CON/AGG
Conexpo-Con/Agg is a trade show for the construction industry that takes place every three years. It is currently held at the Las Vegas Convention Center where the last show was held in March 2011. The next show is scheduled for March 4-8, 2014...
equipment exhibition in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in 1981. Due to economic conditions at the time, development was stalled for much of the 1980s. A successor to the D555A prototype, the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper, began field testing in North America in 1989, and full production began in 1991. The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper was joined by the D575A-2 SD Super Dozer in 1995 when the first D575A-2 SD Super Dozer was purchased and placed into service by the Princess Beverly Coal Co. in Cabin Creek, West Virginia
Cabin Creek, West Virginia
Cabin Creek is an unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. Cabin Creek is located on the south bank of the Kanawha River, southeast of Chesapeake. It was the site of an early African-American community in the late nineteenth century. A notable resident was Adam...
. The current model, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer was introduced in 2001.
Specifications
A 12-cylinderCylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
, four-stroke, water-cooled, direct injected, turbocharged
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
, aftercooled
Intercooler
An intercooler , or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through nearly isobaric cooling, which removes...
, 1150 hp Komatsu SA12V170E diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
powers the 152.6 t (168.2 ST) D575A.
The D575A features a standard blade that measures 11 inch high and 24 inch wide, enabling the D575A to move 90 cubic yards (68.8 m³) of material per pass. The D575A measures 16 inch tall, 38 inch long has a ground clearance
Ride height
Ride height is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the underside of the chassis; or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and any part of a vehicle other than those parts designed to contact the ground...
of 2 inch.
The D575A has a ground contact area
Contact area
When two objects touch, a certain portion of their surface areas will be in contact with each other. Contact area is the fraction of this area that consists of the atoms of one object in contact with the atoms of the other object...
of 101.55 square feet (9.4 m²) and exerts an average ground pressure
Ground pressure
Ground pressure is the pressure exerted on the ground by the tires or tracks of a motorized vehicle, and is one measure of its potential mobility, especially over soft ground. Ground pressure is measured in pascals which corresponds to the EES unit of pounds per square inch...
of 23 pound per square inches (158.6 kPa).
Applications
The D575A is primarily used in surface mines in West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, mostly operating on Massey Energy
Massey Energy
Massey Energy Company was a coal extractor in the United States with substantial operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. By revenue, it was the fourth largest producer of coal in the United States and the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia...
sites in Appalachia. To date, 17 D575A's are in service in the West Virginia Coal Fields. There is one super ripper that operates in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, and another operating on New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
s South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
in the Stockton
Stockton, New Zealand
Stockton is a former settlement in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand in the West Coast region. It is located in the Papahaua Ranges about 30 kilometres linear distance north east from Westport....
mine.
D555A (Prototype)
The D555A prototype was first shown to the public in 1981 at the ConexpoCONEXPO-CON/AGG
Conexpo-Con/Agg is a trade show for the construction industry that takes place every three years. It is currently held at the Las Vegas Convention Center where the last show was held in March 2011. The next show is scheduled for March 4-8, 2014...
equipment exhibition in Houston, TX. Due to economic conditions at the time, development was stalled for much of the 1980s. A successor to the D555A, the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper began field testing in 1989 and was the first model to enter production beginning in 1991.
D575A-2 SR Super Ripper dozer/ripper (Discontinued)
The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper was the first production version of the D575A, going into production beginning in 1991. The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper included a single shank ripper capable of digging to a maximum depth of 6 in 9 in (2.06 m). The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper was superseded by the D575A-3.D575A-2 SD Super Dozer dedicated dozer (Discontinued)
The D575A-2 SD Super Dozer was the second version of the D575A, going into production along side the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper beginning in 1995. The D575A-2 SD Super Dozer is an 1150 hp, 143300 kilogram dedicated dozer with no ripper. The D575A-2 SD Super Dozer was superseded by the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer.D575A-3 dozer/ripper
The D575A-3 is an 1150 hp dozer/ripper weighing 131350 kilogram and capable of moving up to 90 cubic yards (68.8 m³) of material per pass. The single shank ripper has a maximum digging depth of 6 in 9 in (2.06 m).D575A-3 SD Super Dozer dedicated dozer
Introduced in 2001 as the successor to the D575A-2 SD Super Dozer, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer is a dedicated dozer with no ripper weighing 152600 kilogram. Equipped with a standard blade, the D575A-3 SD is capable of moving up to 90 cubic yards (68.8 m³) of material per pass, however, when equipped with an optional blade, the D575A-3 SD is capable of moving up to 125 cubic yards (95.6 m³) per pass. The D575A-3 SD includes major changes to the frame, powertrain, undercarriage, and blade, making it substantially different from the D575A-3.In comparison to its predecessor, the D575A-3 SD includes a significantly re-designed operator cabin and powertrain electronic control system to increase productivity and a number of durability improvements including reinforced undercarriage roller guards, simpler hydraulic plumbing and longer-life hoses, seals, wiring harnesses, and connectors.
Transportation
Due to its immense size, the D575A must be broken down into component form when it is moved from one job site to another. Moving all the components requires six to eight truck loadsExternal links
- Komatsu America Corp. D575A-3 SD product page (Archived from the original on 2010-10-24)
- Komatsu D575-A3 Super Dozer Product Brochure AESS569-01 05/05 (EV-1) (Archived from the original on 2010-10-24)
- Komatsu D575-A3 Super Dozer Product Brochure AESS569-01 04/03 (EV-1) (Archived from the original on 2010-10-24)
- Komatsu D575-A2 Super Dozer Product Brochure AESS389-02 06/99 (EV-3) (Archived from the original on 2010-10-24)
- Komatsu America - Case Study - 575 Super Dozer