LiuGong North America has launched the first of its new F-series excavators. The 9018F is a 1.8 metric ton mini-class excavator. It has been designed to meet North American market design specifications and to be an ideal fit for the rental industry.
The 9018F represents the smallest of the powerfully efficient LiuGong F-Series excavator models. Its compact dimensions, foldable dozer blade and retractable undercarriage alone give its users several transportation and application benefits. The company expects the 9018F to be especially useful in the utility and landscape markets, among many others.
The unit is available with both a FOPS-rated closed pressurized cab, featuring heater and window defroster, as well as a TOPS-rated canopy design. The closed cab 9018F version stands just 7 feet 9 inches tall, resulting in a lower height that all but eliminates headspace concerns while traveling through tunnels and beneath overpasses.
The 9018F unit's short stature combined with a retractable undercarriage give its operator access to the most restrictive workspaces. Its 51-inch outside tread to outside tread measurement retracts to just 39 inches, allowing it to easily pass between onsite obstructions and through almost any bay door.
Application versatility
"Its versatility is not solely a result of its compact size," said Mike Watt, Product Manager, LiuGong NA Excavators. "The 9018F is a powerful, robust base unit for a variety of attachments, and supports the installation of consumer-requested aftermarket add-ons."
Back-filling or dozer operation no longer require the operator to remove his or her hand from blade control to change travel speed. By simply pressing the top of the handle, an operator can now select high or low speed travel.
Standard 9018F features include a low-speed, high-torque, Tier 4 Final Yanmar engine rated at 18 gross hp (17 net hp), as well as auto-idle and auto shutdown.
Better fuel consumption is achieved through a more efficient hydraulic system using 15 to 20 percent less engine power than that of its predecessor. An improved load-sensitive hydraulic system with 14.5 gpm main pump displacement utilizes a proportional control valve for better management of flow distribution for all attachments, all of which allow the user more precise operation.
Flow rate for the hammer-shear and hydraulic thumb is set right from the operator's monitor. A LiuGong hydraulic thumb comes standard with the unit.
Travel pedals and joysticks give an operator hydraulic control for machine functions: travel, boom, boom swing, arm, and bucket. Auxiliary hydraulic functions are controlled by electrical proportional solenoids for precise control.
