international
construction
april 2015
EQUIPMENT
62
Dressta
Dressta is taking
aim at theUS and
Canadianmarketswith
a new range of small
hydrostatic dozers
whichwill come out
later this year.
Chris Sleight
reports.
cover the74 to101nethp (55 to75
kW) range – essentially competing
withCat’sD3, D4 andD5models,
among
other
manufacturers’
similarly sizedmodels.
The dual path hydrostatic drive
on the machines is electronically
controlled,whichgives theoperator
the option of setting up the dozer
to his or her liking. There are
selectable ‘Economy’, ‘Normal’ or
‘Power’ modes built into control
system, and in addition to this,
operators can programme variables
such as the ratio between forward
and reverse speeds.
The tracks are controlled
independently, which means they
can run smoothlyatdifferent speeds
when turning, or can counter-
rotate to spin the dozer on the spot.
As well as honing the ‘under the
hood’ features of the new dozers,
Dressta has developed a new cab
environment, which is designed
to be comfortable and ergonomic
for operators in terms of both the
working environment and the
responsiveness of controls.
Cab improvements
For example, the cab is pressurised
tohelpkeepdust andotherparticles
out, there is a fully adjustable seat
and plenty of leg room, along with
large windows to aid visibility.The
heating and ventilation system has
multiple vents.
The control grips have been
designed so to be comfortable and
be easy to operate. They are ‘hand
wrap’ controls, which is to say
their design reduces the risk of the
operator’s hands slipping from the
D
ressta, the dozer, backhoe
loader and wheeled loader
manufacturer based in
Stalowa Wola, Poland has always
counted Eastern Europe and the
Baltic as its coremarkets. However,
since being acquired by China’s
Liugong a littleover three years ago,
the companyhas talkedmuchmore
in terms of its global ambitions.
Perhaps
the
most
clear
manifestation of this is its newly
developed range of small dozers,
which it is aiming squarely atNorth
America.
The first model to be unveiled is
theTD9HST, which features aTier
4 Final engine fromCummins and
ahydrostaticdrive.Dressta says two
more models will follow this year,
for a three dozer range which will
levers, particularlywhenworking in
hazardous environments such as on
steep slopes.
And according to Howard Dale,
global vice president of sales
at Dressta, one of the areas the
company has been fine-tuning is
the responsiveness of the controls,
with the aid of customers and
experienced operators. “We have
been calibrating the electronics to
give the right response levels,” he
said, adding, “The feedback to the
machines has been excellent.”
Dressta is targeting applications
from power dozing and site
preparation, to landscaping, final
grade and fine-finishing jobs
around residential properties with
its newmachines.
Mr Dale said the company
planned to launch the range in the
third quarter of the year, but added
there would be more to come
from Dressta in terms of product
development.
“These are the first fruits of
Liugong’s investment in Dressta’s
research& development, “ he said,
beforepromising a “Game changer”
in the crawler dozer sector by the
end of next year.
iC
North American target
