Doosan, the South Korean manufacturer of industrial and construction equipment, has just extended its range of medium-sized wheeled loaders.
The completely new DL-7 series was launched in late 2020 and the company has now added two more machines at the lighter end.
Named the DL220-7 and the DL250-7, they have at their heart the same six-cylinder block as used by rest of the machines. In these latest models the stage V-compliant engine is tuned to provide 160hp and 172hp respectively.
Emissions are kept under control without the use of exhaust gas regeneration (EGR). Reliance is placed on selective catalyst reduction, diesel oxidation catalyst and diesel particulate filter after-treatment to meet the latest standards.
Doosan claims that new engines provide a 5% increase in fuel efficiency over the outgoing units.
Further reduction in fuel use can be achieved through using a new feature dubbed the ‘Doosan Smart Guidance System’. This analyses the operators driving patterns and provides a guide to improving the economy of the loader in real time.
Doosan boost performance
The company claims that there are two major areas of improvement which have increased the productivity of the new models over the old.
The first is within the hydraulics, which now has a ‘Load Isolation System’ or LIS. This is said to provide a smoother ride and greater stability of the loader when moving. The lift arm is cushioned by a hydro-pneumatic accumulator linked to the lift hydraulic system, acting as a shock absorber.
The benefits of this arrangement include reduced cycle times, and greater performance while carrying out load and carry applications.
The second feature is that maximum speed has been increased by 11% to 40kph, offering potential of further reducing cycle times with long hauls.
Transmission upgrades
The new models come with an automatic four-speed powershift transmission and
Limited Slip Differential (LSD) axles as standard.
An alternative five-gear powershift transmission with lock-up torque convertor and heavy duty HDL axles, can also be specified if required.
The new cab is said to have a 14% larger glass area and particular attention has been paid to reducing blind spots.
Pedestrian safety is increased with the fitting of a strobe function to the rear working lights, which gives a visual warning of the vehicle reversing.
Doosan is confident enough in the reliability and durability of the new models to offer a full three-year, or 5,000 hours, warranty as standard.