Motor-Grader Operators Remain in Control

When Buying File last focused on motor graders, the impact of Caterpillar's M-Series models and their joystick controls was up for debate. The steering-wheel-removed M-Series had just been unveiled, but had yet to hit market, and what was then the latest and most revolutionary of the sector's product developments had the grader world, at the minimum, watching and wondering.

Three years later, how best for an operator to work a grader remains at the core of product offerings from all industry players. And the answer depends on the player being asked.

Earlier this year, John Deere introduced the new G Series, offering its grader users for the first time a choice of industry-standard console-mounted controls or armrest-mounted fingertip controls. If fingertip controls are specified, the operator still has a choice between using lever steering or the ever-present steering wheel.

With the electronically-controlled Grade-Pro versions of the G-Series models, an electro-hydraulic control scheme minimizes the center console, allowing operators to adjust themselves into the best position to monitor the moldboard while remaining comfortable. This, says John Deere, reflects feedback from customer advocate groups who wanted clearer sightlines to the blade without the need to constantly move around in the cab. Arraying the electronic joysticks like conventional hydraulic levers means today's operators can quickly adapt to the new controls, too, says John Deere.

Looking ahead, the market for full-sized graders is anticipating the next wave of innovation from Volvo, and new grader-family announcements are anticipated in mere months from Komatsu. According to Komatsu America's Steve Moore, grader customers can look for improved weight and power from Komatsu, as well as all-wheel-drive among features, but there's one big thing that won't change.

“There's a merit to having a steering wheel in a motor grader, and Komatsu's of that philosophy,” says Moore, Komatsu's product manager, motor graders and trucks. “Our studies indicate that the joystick is not the way to go on a motor grader.

“From what I'm seeing and from all of our testing that we're doing, we believe that the conventional type is the way to go. Whether you want to do it mechanical over hydraulic as we have, or you want to go electric over hydraulic because of forces, that's debatable.”

Caterpillar's 2006 unveiling of the M-Series graders culminated more than 10 years of development, always under the intent of enhancing operator experience, not negatively impacting blade hands who are universally considered the senior statesmen among operators, says Phil Newberry, market development engineer, Caterpillar's motor grader commercial team.

“We were told that the older operators would never accept the machine,” says Newberry, “and they're actually quicker to accept it than anyone, and that's due to the ergonomic improvements that we made. Many of them will tell you that, after they have been in the machine working all day, they're just not worn out; they have energy at the end of their day. The intuitiveness of the controls made it a pretty easy transition, and customer acceptance in the field is phenomenal. We took great pains in making sure our control efforts provide feedback to the operator.

“There's that initial resistance just when they look in the door, but once you put them in the machine and explain it, they take right off. They come back and go, 'Heyyyy . . . that's nice,'” says Newberry. “They first look in there, and it's, 'Oh, two joysticks, no steering wheel, I'm not sure about that,' but once they enter the machine, that simply just goes away.”

Making the grade

The grader market in North America is, in essence, two markets: the full-size, mostly variable-horsepower main line primarily covered by such construction-equipment cornerstone brands as Caterpillar, Volvo, John Deere, Komatsu and Case, all offering various model sizes; and the lighter, usually compact offerings from such niche brands as LeeBoy, Champion and even single-model suppliers like NorAm, Huber and Basic.

For full-size graders 130 horsepower and up, list-price increases as gathered and reported by EquipmentWatch.com may be reflective of the acceleration of new technologies for this equipment type in recent years. When compared to list prices from the 2006 Buying File on motor graders, there are double-digit percentage increases in each of the three size ranges that collectively cover from 130 to 199 horsepower. According to the most recent figures, machines in the 170- to 199-horsepower range average $290,674 — an increase of $33,429 or 13 percent from 2006.

What has also transpired since Buying File last chronicled graders is the stepping back of the North American market by Terex and New Holland, although New Holland's sister Case products remain prominent with the 800 Series. Case machines feature an articulation point in front of the cab, which provides increased visibility to the moldboard and tires. Visibility to the rear is enhanced with the slope design of the flip-up rear hood.

Volvo's current G900 Series, first rolled out in 2006, features the industry's first 11-speed transmission, providing more precise control in all speed ranges. The autoshifting feature eliminates the need for a clutch to change gears.

Komatsu has differentiated its established product offering with a dual-model transmission that allows the grader to work in direct drive, or in torque-converter mode for better control in slow travel, says Moore. “The advantage is when an operator is going into a very-slow-speed grading application where he might be under a lot of power,” he says. “Say he's into a cul-de-sac where he has to go very slow; he's making a tight turn and he's got a pretty good load on his blade. Or, if he's in snowplowing, where he's got a pretty good load on the blade and he's got to slow it right down. All he has to do is lift his foot. He can control the speed with the throttle pedal, just by lifting the foot up and down rather than trying to set the right gear all the time and use the inching pedal. It's less effort and it's more control.”

Their respective company's technological solutions may differ, but Caterpillar's Newberry and Komatsu's Moore agree the feel that grader operators have with the ground below them remains paramount.

“Our cab improvements greatly enhance visibility down to the working tool of the machine,” says Newberry. “But even though visibility has been greatly improved, the operator feel is still such a huge issue.

“Every phase of our development, we would bring additional operators in and run them through a series of applications and download their feedback to make sure that operator input was the highest priority on our schedule. But nobody could operate the machine well with the seat-mounted controls because you lost the feedback of what the machine's attitude was. We went back to the rigid mount, which is the same as your levers would be, and that all went away.”

The grader's blade hand, says Moore, is “the finishing carpenter” of equipment operators. “He's a lot more particular about his controls than I think a wheel-loader operator or anybody else is.”

With a pair of joysticks replacing as many as 15 levers and the steering wheel, Caterpillar grader operators enjoy a reduction of 78 percent in hand and wrist movement, says Newberry, adding that direct feedback he receives is consistent with the independent third-party studies that determined the number cited.

“The motor grader is considered a pretty sacred machine. The complexity of the grader makes it definitely the hugest challenge to go to joystick controls,” says Newberry, referring to the grader's multiple operational functions, on top of steering, directional changes, gear changes, electronic speed control and differential lock. “We've definitely demonstrated that the market will adapt and appreciate the improvements in ergonomics and, by removing all of the obstruction in front of you, it does give you a great opportunity to improve their visibility.

“I think you'll see more machines transition.” We'll see.