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First Quarter, 2004
Winter ChallengeValley Caliche80ZV A Perfect Fit
Winter ChallengeValley Caliche80ZV A Perfect Fit
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Editor – Sam Crawford – Kawasaki770-499-7000 •
[email protected]
DISCOUNT ON ALLKAWASAKI FILTERS
10%10%
April through June2004, buy at leastfour of any one air or fluid
filter andreceive a 10% listprice discount.
THIS OFFER GOOD AT ALL PARTICIPATING BRANCH PARTS
COUNTERS.Coupon must be presented at the time of purchase.
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3
he Salt Lake City International Airport serves over 18.5
millionpassengers a year, with an average of 750 flights a day. It
is the26th largest airport in the United States and the 50th
largest in the
world. With an average snowfall of 62 inches a year, snow
removal is nottaken lightly. In fact, the airport’s snow removal
crew is as good as theycome – they won first-place at the
International Aviation Snow Symposiumfor “excellence in snow
removal and ice control” during the winter of 2002.
Such honors are a result of strategy, skill, extensive
experience, and theright equipment. Every winter, Danny Withers,
Fleet Supervisor, and TomGerrard, Senior Airfield Maintenance
Supervisor, keep a close watch on theweather. Equipment is
double-checked, personnel are organized into crews.This winter, 100
people are on-call for snow duty. If needed, even more canbe
brought in.
T
Salt Lake City International Airport
WINTERCHALLENGE
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4
The snow removal effort is divided into twocrews – airfield and
land. The land crewhandles roads, sidewalks, and parking
lotsoutside the perimeter fence – essentially, thepublic access
areas. The airfield crew isresponsible for everything inside the
fence,such as runways, ramps, taxiways, gates, andthe perimeter
road. Crews work in 12-hourshifts, around the clock, until the
stormpasses. How long does it take to clear theairport? It varies
on the amount of snow andwhether it is powdery or wet. But as a
generalreference, it can take two days to completelyclear a
five-inch snowfall from both air-sideand land-side properties.
Key to the airfield strategy of snow removal is their fleet of
Kawasaki 95ZIV and ZVloaders. Although they use trucks equippedwith
snow plow blades on the runways androads, loaders with snow plow
blades haveproven to be ideal in highly congested areassuch as
ramps, gates, and taxiways. They are agile, quick, and definitely
more powerful.They have to be. A 30-foot blade pushing atwo-inch
snowfall for 1,000 yards translatesto a whole lot of weight!
“Our loaders are responsible for clearingabout 20 million square
feet,” says Gerrard.“They have 30-foot snow plow blades. Whenthe
loader is on a ramp, it will push the snowto a windrow. Blowers
will blow the windrowsinto a field or pad designated to receive
snowor they will blow the snow into huge piles.
The Kawasakis change over to 12-yard snowbuckets, dig into the
piles, and load 40-yardarticulated haul trucks. The trucks then
takethe snow to a designated spot.”
“Originally, we had Trojans as our loaders,”explains Withers.
“We still have two of themat our general aviation field and it is
gettingmore difficult to find parts. In the beginning,we had
several hand-me-downs from theNational Guard. Then, about twenty
years ago,we were given permission to start replacingthe old
equipment with new. Since we areowned by the city, whatever
manufacturer/dealer meets the specs and submits thelowest bid is
selected. We got our firstKawasaki in 1995 and several more in ’98
and ’99. This past October, we took deliveryof two 95ZVs. Only
Kawasaki met our specsfor loaders. They have been fantastic.”
Because they have three commercial runways,Salt Lake City
International is able to keep one open while clearing the other
two. Once it is safe for equipment to be on each closedrunway, six
snowplow trucks, two snowblowers, two sanders, and one liquid
de-icerlumber into action. It takes about 26 minutesto do a
complete pass on a runway. A mixtureof sand and urea is laid down
by the sandtrucks while the de-icer sprays potassiumacetate. As
blades can be used once there isany snow on the ground, plowing
continuesas long as it is snowing.
The loaders use 30-foot rampplows, and 12-yard snow bucketswith
a quick coupler system.
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While the runways are being cleared,loaders and graders work the
gates and taxiways of the two terminals whichfeed the open runway.
They must alsoremove the snow deposited by theairlines, which are
responsible forclearing the areas they lease. With somuch activity
going on in the midst offalling snow, operators must stay alertand
aware of the big picture while theyplow their own sections. Often
they haveto stop in the middle of a run to allow aplane to taxi
by.
“With our older loaders, when they stopand then start up again,
they could notcontinue to move that pile of snow,”says Terry Rose,
Ramp Supervisor.“They had to chop it into sections andfinish moving
the snow off to the side asection at a time. But with our ZVs,
theloaders just head back into the moundand pick up where they left
off. Theyhave a lot more power. With ourTrojans, they’d be pushing
snow and allof a sudden they’d start spinning. I’ve
never seen that happen with a Kawasaki.We are clearing our ramps
a lot fasterthan we have in the past.”
“Our operators really enjoy running thenew ZVs,” says Gerrard.
“They like thecab layout better and from amaintenance standpoint,
they are easy tocare for. They have worked outexcellently.”
The airport ordered each of their 95ZVswith a 6-yard dirt
bucket, a 12-yardsnow bucket, a 30-foot ramp plow, and a quick
coupler system. After snowseason ends in late March, the loadersare
kept busy with a variety of othertasks. When a building is
demolished,the loaders put the debris into haultrucks. They do road
building, runwaymaintenance, road stabilization, and treeremoval.
They also do dirt work – likerepairing any snow-melt erosion,
fillingin low spots around the perimeter fence,and creating snow
pads onto which nextwinter’s snowfall will be piled.
“I have 600 pieces of equipment in myfleet,” states Withers.
“That includes firetrucks, police cars, riding lawnmowers,pickups –
you name it and we probablyhave it – and, of course, our fleet
ofloaders. We do our annual maintenanceon the loaders, as well as
the rest of thesnow removal equipment, just before thefirst
snowfall.
“Our oldest Kawasaki now has about2,000 hours on it. On average,
we put500 hours a year on them. If the winteris really severe, the
hours will go up; amild winter and the hours go down. Wedo our own
maintenance. The operatorsfuel and clean the machines, grease
thepivot points, and add the oils. The shopdoes the maintenance
schedules andrepairs. Any warranty work is done byRasmussen
Equipment, our dealer. Wehave a great relationship with them. Ihope
we get authorization soon to let out a bid for more loaders. We
couldsure use them – it’s time to get rid ofthose last two
Trojans.”
”“ Our operators really enjoy running
the new ZVs.– Tom Gerrard,Senior Airfield
MaintenanceSupervisor
The loaders are responsible for clearingabout 20 million square
feet.
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finds good reasons for switching
The 80ZVs run 10 hours a day, 5 days a week.Valley Caliche chose
not to order options suchas Ride Control, K-Link or GPS
tracking.
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hen it’s time to replace equipment,what makes a customer switch
fromone brand to another? Some say a
good price or financing package. Others statebetter machine
specs. And yet others placereliable dealer and factory support at
the topof their list. For Valley Caliche Products, Inc.of Mission,
Texas, all three reasons factoredinto their recent purchase of
severalKawasaki 80ZVs.
In 1985, the company had bought one of the first Kawasaki
loaders ever to be sold insouth Texas – a KSS95. They really liked
it,but were uncomfortable with dealer supportbeing located over 230
miles away.
Valley Caliche is moderately diversified withtheir own quarries,
crushers, processingplants, and a hot-mix asphalt plant.
Theaggregates they mine include caliche, sand, and gravel supplying
most of theconstruction and paving companies in the fast-growing
Rio Grand Valley area. Given their demanding applications,
anyunexpected machine downtime can be costly.Understandably, parts,
warranty work, andsupport are of great concern. So, as thecompany
grew, they purchased Cats sincethere was a dealer nearby.
When it came time to start replacing theirloaders, Steve
Thompson, EquipmentSupervisor, rolled up his sleeves and did
hishomework. As they were still running thealmost twenty-year old
KSS95, Thompsondecided to look into Kawasaki as one of hisoptions.
“That Kawasaki was a very goodloader,” states Thompson. “We’ve
gottenmany, many hours out of it. By the size of the cylinders on
it, the hydraulics on it, youcould tell they knew what they were
doingwhen it was designed and built. We werereally interested in
buying more, but we
wanted to know if the support system hadchanged enough to meet
our needs.”
So Thompson met with Robert Zohrer of Nueces Power Equipment
(NPE), thecurrent Kawasaki dealer. “He asked a lot ofquestions,”
says Zohrer. “Once we got themachine spec’d to his satisfaction, I
took him a quote and we looked at his trade. The price was fine,
but it was apparent thedecision was going to be based on morethan
just price. I called Kawasaki and threepeople came down from the
factory to meet with the owners as well as Steve and his
assistant.”
“Valley Caliche had questions about every-thing,” continues
Zohrer. “‘Who were themanufacturers of the individual compo-nents?’
‘What was covered under thewarranty?’ ‘How do you diagnose
theloader?’ We answered their questions andgot them shop and parts
manuals. Theiroperators tested the Kawasaki and wereimpressed with
its performance.
“Valley Caliche really liked Kawasaki’s 24-hour parts guarantee
on non-majorcomponents – the standard wear and tearitems. That was
very important to them. They also liked the warranty. And they
liked
the Cummins engine. They were familiar with them because they
have them in theirtrucks. Plus, parts are readily available
fromseveral different sources, unlike the compet-itor’s engine
which would be available onlythrough the dealer. Then, they wanted
refer-ences from other area companies that ranKawasaki loaders so
they could check up on performance and dealer service. It wasclear
that, to their mind, the more Kawasakiloaders in the area, the
better the supportwas going to be. It took almost two monthsbefore
they signed an authorization. Themachines were here in just a few
weeks.”
The Kawasaki 80ZVs areused to charge hoppers atthe sand and
gravel plant.
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“ They are probably 25-30% more machine than the Cats. The
visibility,
the hydraulics, the strength, the ease ofoperation – they are
good loaders.
– Steve Thompson, Equipment Supervisor
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“When the new loaders came, they had one of the best deliveries
we’ve ever taken on a piece of equipment,” says Thompson.
“As a part of the purchase agreement,NPE promised a formal
introduction and training on the machines. Ouroperators don’t read,
speak, or writeEnglish very well. So Kawasaki sent abilingual
trainer. He covered standardmaintenance, operating procedures,
andsafety procedures. It was excellent. Wecould tell he designed
the presentationjust for us. That tells me a lot aboutKawasaki. We
didn’t buy a whole lot of machines, but they really went out
oftheir way to treat us right. Everyone fromthe President on down
was impressed,and we all benefited greatly from thefactory
involvement.”
Valley Caliche took the maintenanceschedule provided by Kawasaki
andentered all the intervals into theircomputer system. Most they
follow to the letter, but some maintenance – like
engine oil and air cleaners – they domore frequently because of
the heat,wind, and dust in the area. Engine oilsamples are pulled
once a month, as are hydraulic, final drive, andtransmission
samples.
Maintenance on all equipment is doneduring the afternoon.
Although it takesthe machinery away from the job forawhile, it does
allow management tomonitor the process. Only one person is allowed
to put oil in the machines andthat is never done through a bucket.
Thisreduces the likelihood of contaminationby dust. While the
loaders are in, filtersare also checked, joints examined, andthe
computerized maintenance scheduleis carefully followed.
Years of experience have helped themdetermine what “sleeper”
componentscan have a big impact if not monitoredcarefully. Things
like the breathers.“When they stop up,” warns Thompson,“your
hydraulic pressure will build up andyou’ll blow a seal and burn up
the final
drive differentials. And with the Cumminsengines, we find it is
very important tokeep good water in them. We run reverseosmosis
water with 50/50 antifreeze butwe run a DCA treatment to keep
pittingfrom happening in the liners.”
“When the factory came in and talked to us, that told me they
were reallystrong,” concludes Thompson. “Whenyou buy a piece of
machinery, everythingcenters around the shop. If the shopdoesn’t do
its job, the availability won’tbe there. Before we bought the
loaders,we bought a different piece of equipmentfrom NPE. Their
service people reallytreated us right. The Kawasaki 80ZVs wejust
bought are replacements for Cat938s. They are probably 25-30%
moremachine than the Cats. The visibility, thehydraulics, the
strength, the ease ofoperation – they are good loaders. Weran our
first Kawasaki for 22,000-23,000hours before we ever did anything
to it.These new machines, combined with NPE and factory support,
are going to be even better.”
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”“ The 80ZV is anoperator’s machine.
– Pete Sliman, Maintenance
Superintendent
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oise Building Solutions (a divisionof Boise, formerly Boise
Cascade)has been manufacturing and
distributing building materials since 1957.Employing nearly
24,000 people and man-aging over 2.4 million acres of timber
land,Boise recently made the switch from a long term supplier to
Kawasaki at its Kettle Falls, Washington, plywood
veneermanufacturing facility.
Since start-up, the Kawasaki 80ZV operates20 to 22 hours a day
with four differentoperators. Its job is to ferry peeler blocksinto
and out of the company’s eight hotwater vats. Peeler blocks are
logs that aredebarked and cut to length. The machinetakes them from
the debarker to the vats ora storage area. The vats are sprinkled
with160-degree hot water which heats the logsto about 120-130
degrees Fahrenheit,
conditioning them for easier peeling. Thisreduces veneer
breakage and produces asmoother, higher quality veneer.
The 80ZV then removes the conditionedlogs from the vat and
carries them to thelathe for further processing. The wood isused to
produce plywood, which is thendistributed throughout the United
States.
Another manufacturer’s wheel loader usedto handle the peeler
blocks. So what madeBoise switch to Kawasaki?
“The reason we switched,” says PeteSliman, Boise Building
Solutions Mainten-ance Superintendent, “was that we needed a larger
machine which could fit the uniqueapplication, run non-stop, and be
easy onthe operators and mechanics. The 80ZVdoes all of that and a
lot more.”
A Perfect Fit
B
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According to John Cushman, theTerritory Sales Manager for
TotemEquipment Company, the need forBoise to look for an
alternative cameunexpectedly. “The competitor justdidn’t fit
anymore,” states Cushman.“With each new generation of
thecompetitor’s wheel loader, the machinegrew wider. When Boise
took out alease- purchase on the latest model, itproved too small
while other modelswere too large.”
Each of the company’s eight vats is 80 feet long but only 11’ 2”
wide.“We’d go in, bang around, chunk up the logs,” affirms Sliman.
“Thecompetitor’s machine was unable to adequately handle the needs
of the company.”
Needing a solution, Boise turned toKawasaki and Totem, the
regionalKawasaki distributor. Cushman firstproposed the Kawasaki
70ZV, but there was some hesitation because the competitor’s
machine was sizedsimilarly. So, Cushman suggested the80ZV. It
looked good on paper – it wassized right for the application, and
withits tight turning radius, offered moreflexibility and agility.
It was more
powerful, and had a lower price – the company just wasn’t
familiar with Kawasaki.
“It wasn’t that they thought it wasbad,” says Cushman, “they
just didn’tknow that Kawasaki made such a goodwheel loader. So, we
asked them tocome down to the branch and weshowed them an 80ZIV-2.
They ran it for a few hours in our yard, usinggravel as a simulated
load. By the endof the day, they were ready to switch.”
“The machine handled great in thegravel bank, and, even with a
full load,it still had a lot of power and maneu-verability,” says
Sliman. “I think wecould tell pretty quickly that this wasthe
machine for us.”
“The Kawasaki really sells itself,” saysCushman. “The strength
of the chassismakes it the perfect machine for log-handling
applications. The drive-traincomponents are notably larger thanthe
competitors’ and it means that theKawasaki is better in this type
of appli-cation. Then, add the value Kawasakiprovides its customers
as well as thesupport of the dealer, and it really is acomplete
solution.”
Each vat is 11’ 2” wide. On average,the Kawasaki 80ZV handles
between6,000 and 7,000 peeler blocks in aneight-hour shift.
The Kawasaki does all the handling ofthe peeler blocks into and
out of thevats, as well as removing logs fromthe debarker and
feeding the lathe.
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According to Sliman, from the verybeginning, uptime has been 99%
plus.“The 80ZV has quickly earned praise fromour operators and
mechanics alike. Andthanks to the support we have receivedfrom
Totem, the machine is earningpraise at the bottom line too.”
“Service accessibility is considerablybetter than other machines
we’ve used,”continues Sliman. “In fact, it’s what helpskeep
downtime to a minimum. Ouroperators and mechanics can get to
theproblem, get it fixed, and get back towork. That’s important
when you think interms of your operation. Less downtimemeans a
better result at the bottom line.”
Sliman adds that the machine is equallyas good to the four
operators who run the unit.
“The 80ZV’s unique Ride Control makes a real difference. In
comparison with ourprevious loaders, operators report lessfatigue
using the Kawasaki because of the easier ride and overall comfort
ofcontrols, cab layout, and other featuresthat make it an
operator’s machine.The operators definitely do not like to give up
the Kawasaki for even short serviceperiods. I think that shows how
seriouslyKawasaki took the needs of the customerwhen it designed
the 80ZV.”
Totem equipped the 80ZV with speciallydesigned TOYO tires,
Medford PeelerBlock Forks, and a Lincoln Auto Lubesystem. Special
cab and radiator guardingwas added as well. These enhancements
made the machine safer and more reliable to operate.
Sliman notes that it wasn’t just themachine that impressed
Boise, in the endit was the dealer. “Working with TotemEquipment
was a huge benefit. Sales andproduct support from Totem have
beenexcellent in all aspects. Personnel fromKawasaki and Totem have
been veryresponsive to any problems that haveoccurred and been
upfront aboutquestions we’ve had. During start-up,cooperation with
our operators andmechanic were handled in a professionaland
positive manner. I don’t believe itcould have gone smoother.”
“We have made a solid commitment toBoise that, should a problem
arise, wewill use every person or means to ensuretheir complete
satisfaction with theKawasaki product,” says Dennis
Lochmiller, Branch Manager of Totem’sSpokane operation.
“Whenever a problemarises, our customers trust everyone onour team
will be there to resolve the issuequickly, effectively, and as
efficiently aspossible. Our goal is to demonstrate toour customers
‘Proven Performance’ ineverything we do.”
So is the Kawasaki 80ZV the perfect fit?
“For our operation it definitely is,” saysSliman. “It fits the
vats and, thanks to thesupport we’ve received, it’s made
thetransition perfectly. The machine now hasover 3,000 hours and
continues toperform very well. If this trend continues,it would be
very difficult to find othermachines that can operate
consistentlyunder the requirements we have. So the80ZV is
definitely the perfect fit every wayyou look at it.”
11
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Kawasaki 80ZV Caterpillar 950G II Komatsu WA380-5Material
Density 2,800 2,800 2,800Bucket Capacity Heaped (yd3) 4.2 4.32
4.3Max. Dumping Clearance 9’ 8 9/16” 9’ 7” 9’ 9”Dumping Reach 3’ 8
1/2” 3’ 3’ 9”Breakout Force (lb) 36,140 34,486 33,245Bucket Tilt
Back Angle – carry (degrees) 50 45 52Length 26’ 2 15/16” 26’ 1” 26’
8”Width (outside tire) 8’ 9 1/2” 11’ 2” 9’ 1”Wheelbase 10’ 6” 11’
10’ 10”Min. Turning Radius – carry 20’ 11” 23’ 21’ 7”Operating
Weight (lb) 38,875 39,341 38,879Straight Tipping Load (lb) 30,250
26,354 31,923Full Turn Tipping Load (lb) 25,910 23,179 27,701Engine
Make and Model Cummins 6CTAA 8.3 Cat 3126B Komatsu
SAA6D114E-2Horsepower 208 183 203Equipped With GP Bucket, Opt. Cwt,
ROPS 23.5 L-3 Tires, A/C, Counterweight, Cab, Counterweight, Full
Fuel
Cab, A/C, 23.5-25-16PR Tires Ride Control, Full Fuel Tank, Belly
Guards Tank, 23.5 (L3) Tires
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Kawasaki ZV Wheel LoadersDesigned to provide maximum efficiency,
the Kawasaki ZV line of wheel loadersappeals to owners and
operators alike.
Features for the operator include:• 20% Increase in Size of
the
Operator Compartment• Increased Visibility• Increased Power
Features for the owner include:• Fuel Efficient Cummins
Electronic Engines• Increased Horsepower
• Larger Bucket Capacities Increase Production
Operators appreciate theincreased visibility, comfort andpower.
Owners appreciate theefficiency and productivity.
Kawasaki, the oldest on-goingmanufacturer of articulated,
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2140 Barrett Park Dr. • Suite 101Kennesaw, Georgia 30144Tel:
770-499-7000 • Fax: 770-421-6842
