When did NH adopt the curved boom? http://www.khl.com/conexpo/article.asp?articleid=163 Is Case next?
I believe in Europe that's nothing new. Case has curved booms in Europe because Case and New Holland work together or something like that...not sure, someone else knows. Don't think Case North America will go to curved booms.
What advantage does the curved boom offer? If I don't ask, I'll never know . Phil
Curved boom offers no advantages. For awhile CAT and Deere were saying that you could dig over walls/obstructions. Kinda hokey. Case will stick with straight booms in the US. Only reason they build cast iron booms is that they have a foundry that's long been paid for here in the US. Cast is durable, but heavy (bad for balance) and you can't weld on it. Ever notice how case booms come past the kingpost when in transport mode? It's to get that huge weight as far forward as possible.
There's been several situations where the curved boom on our Cat has come in handy. Like placing stone in a foundation. I don't know if it would be enough to pay extra for, but we bought used, so price was similar (actually less than Case in the area). Besides, if Cat and Deere had straight booms the Case guys would just say they were being copied for being the greatest or something
I do believe it has more to do with optimal geometry placement and it's probably a stronger design.It begs the question--why then do most excavators also have a curved boom?
The bannana boom does let you work in closer to the machine, otherwise I see no need for it.
NH did adapt the curved boom for its BHL product [in the US as well] -- the new boom designs are at ConExpo. The official reason two different reps gave was that going to the curved boom reduces the transport height of the machine (in this case, by six inches).
If the Case people said that Cat copied their machines they have every right to, the earlier Cat machines used almost a perfect replica of the 580E double boom cylinder over center backhoe. Not to mention the copied JD style loader. I have always been told that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Mel.
just got done doing the brakes on our cat 420 and wow it has a new holland rear end.
The older ones like the B series have Ford stamped right on the back side of the axle. Spicer tranny, ZF front end, and a Perkins diesel.
CAT dealer told me early CAT backhoes had CASE dippers on the back.
I think when CAT first got into the BH market they duplicated what was already on the market. The designs were proven and the customers were familiar with it. Not to mention it cuts down on R&D costs.
One would think that a curved boom would be stronger than a straight one. As in construction, a arch is stronger as it spreads the load out evenly over the entire span.
JCB banana When I worked in the JCB factory in 1991 I saw a "banana" curved boom being put through it's paces in the research department - when i asked why they were copying CATs design I was told that "It was wise to test out what the competition was doing incase it turned out to be better" - forward thinking you see without stubborn pride! Obviously it didn't turn out to be better than JCBs designs as it was never adopted.
Curved Boom This allows you to load closer to a dump truck and it does allow you to dig closer to the machine without having such a long dipper stick. Some individuals dislike it for visibility when you swing sideways due to the depth of the boom vs the Case cast boom....but if you put a dump truck next to your stabilizer cylinder the curved boom will make it easier to dump into the bed than the straight boom...don't have to stick out as far so you keep your load in your bucket.
They also changed the boom for extra room for some after market buckets that used to touch the boom. Also changed the hood to flip up now, thats great, instead of the side panels that no one really liked. I think it also helps give it a newer look.
That's not a bad looking machine.
nice machine but still a jcb fan
tuney443 To add to the comments. The excavators use a curved boom for one reason..to clear the tracks. On TLB, lower travel height is the real answer for a curved boom. It is true though that the increased cross section does offer some increased structural advantages. Note, the curved boom first came out in the early 1980's by......DYNAHOE on a model 1900, a 19' digging machine with 120HP and variable piston pumps. 12' cycle times could hit UNDER 6 seconds..but it cost as much as, at the time, as JD 690.
I know this is an old thread, but... I was suprised nobody mentioned this: Ford Backhoes in the 60's and early 70's had curved booms. I still have a 1970 Ford 4500 that is used only around the shop, it's boom looks almost identical to the one pictured above. Oh well, some smart person once said: "everything old is new again"