Thomas targets big performance from little machines
Published in: Diesel Progress North American Edition
Date: 9/1/2004
Building on its range of gasoline-powered compact utility loaders, Thomas Equipment Ltd. has launched a diesel version, the 35DT mini-loader, powered by a 25 hp Kubota engine. The company has also unveiled the 137 skid-steer loader, a redesign of its 135 machine.
In addition to increasing marketability in Europe, the addition of the diesel-powered 35DT adds to the machine’s appeal to rental, said Peter Mabee, Thomas product manager. “We’re finding that contractors who rent compact loaders, that on their jobsite all their other equipment is diesel powered,” he said. “A gas-powered unit is not advantageous here because it means they have to have two fuel sources.”
This was reason enough for Thomas to equip the 35DT compact loader with Kubota’s diesel engine, the same platform it uses throughout its diesel-powered product line. The 1.124 L, three-cylinder D1105 diesel is liquid cooled and packaged with a Thomas-designed one-piece AKG cooling system that provides cooling for both the engine and hydraulic system. “It’s built into one unit, so the fan providing cooling is passing though just one cooler, which improves efficiency and allows us to work in higher ambient temperatures without overheating,” said Mabee.
The compact size of the 600 lb. machine was designed to allow it to work effectively in very confined areas. This ability is further enhanced by a flexible hydraulic system which allows the operator to control flow to transfer between the drive and auxiliary circuits. “In trench work, you don’t need a lot of flow going to your drive system because you don’t need the speed, explained Mabee. “What you can do is direct a portion of the drive flow to the auxiliary circuit so that all the power is going to the trencher.
“This allows the operator to match the loader’s ground speed to his trenching speed. You can also divert all the flow to the drive when he’s moving material long distance so he has a higher ground speed and faster cycle times.”
The system incorporates two Casappa hydraulic pumps that drive Sauer-Danfoss motors with integrated spring-applied, hydraulic release brakes that power the 9 in. rubber tracks. The loader has a maximum travel speed of 4.4 mph, controlled by a speed and directional joystick. An additional joystick operates the Canadian Tool and Die (CT&D) cylinders in the boom, lift and bucket. Dual auxiliary circuits are used to power attachments using a motor spool in the boom mount for motorized attachments and a cylinder spool built-in to the valving to operate cylinder-type attachments. Breakout force on the loader is 2200 lb.
Unlike traditional walk-behind models, the 35DT compact loader has a ride-on platform to transport the operator. “We don’t see the sense of following a piece of equipment through the mud around the jobsite all day,” said Mabee. “This is a machine that’s supposed to save you labor, not create it. If you need the exercise buy a treadmill, they are much less expensive.”
Thomas produces the 35DT compact utility loader, along with a full series of attachments, at its New Brunswick, Canada, location.
Also new from Thomas is the 137 skid-steer loader which is a redesign of the 135 model it replaces. Thomas redesigned the new 137 loader to offer the compactness of a small- to midsized machine with the power and performance of one of its larger models.
With an operating capacity of 1300 lb. and a 3800 lb. breakout force, the loader is powered by a 1.858 L, four-cylinder Kubota V1903E diesel engine rated 43 hp at 2800 rpm. The engine is packaged with the same one-piece cooling system as the 35DT compact loader using a Kubota radiator and Blissfield Manufacturing Co. oil cooler.
Ground power is provided by dual Sauer-Danfoss axial piston pumps that drive Sauer-Danfoss motors through a #100 roller chain which Mabee explained was rare for a loader of this size. “We’re using a #100 chain while everyone else is using a #80,” he said. “The heavier drive gives us 56% more tensile strength in the chain drive, which translates into a longer trouble-free service life of the drive system.”
The 16 gpm system “also includes a Sauer-Danfoss implement pump to power the loader’s boom, lift and bucket dump assisted by CT&D hydraulic tilt cylinders.
Like the 35DT mini-loader, the 137 skid-steer is manufactured in New Brunswick along with Thomas’ full product line of excavators, screeners and potato harvesting and handling ag equipment.
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