Kobelco Introduces SK850LC-10 Excavator Into the Australian Market

Kobelco Construction Machinery Australia announces the arrival of the SK850LC-10—the latest and largest excavator to enter the Kobelco Australia product line-up.

The Kobelco SK850LC-10 crawler excavator has an operating weight of 185700 pounds and produces 90598 pounds of bucket digging force.

With the recently released heavy-duty XD Series further reinforcing the manufacturer as a powerhouse in the 35 to 50-tonne class, Kobelco is pleased to be able to offer even greater levels of productivity and efficiency to its customers in the 85-tonne class with the arrival of the new SK850LC-10, available for delivery in Australia from March 2022.

The SK850LC is Kobelco’s largest production-class excavator and features cutting-edge power and efficiency capabilities. With a base operating weight of 80,800 kg and built to withstand the rigors of the toughest job sites around the world, the SK850LC takes durability to the next level.

Kobelco is known worldwide as a leading excavator specialist, with more than 90 years of manufacturing and design experience. The SK850LC has been a productivity leader in the 85-tonne market segment since its global introduction in 2006.

With over 150 units sold worldwide, the SK850LC has undergone extensive development, while being put to the test in demanding quarry and mining conditions across the globe—including some of the most extreme sites in China and India—to prove the machine’s hardworking and durability credentials. After demonstrating its exceptional abilities, the SK850LC in its latest generation has demonstrated that it will be well suited to a variety of worksites across Australia—in particular, quarry applications, small to medium-sized mining operations, and large-scale civil infrastructure projects.

Optional on SK850LC-10 the full track guides: withstand powerful vibrations and eliminate de-track concern.

Driven by a powerful turbocharged engine that meets current international emissions standards, the SK850LC is ready to tackle heavy-duty applications while remaining highly fuel-efficient. The 12.9 litre turbo-charged and inter-cooled Hino engine delivers an outstanding 380 kW of power for superior strength and unbeatable performance. Class-leading work volume is achieved with powerful bucket breakout force and arm tear-out forces, delivering fast digging cycle times and impressive productivity. Combined with an intelligent hydraulic system built for speed and control, the SK850LC delivers impressive average fuel consumption of under 50 litres per hour—substantially boosting operating profit in a production environment.

Climb stockpiles with ease with the SK850LC’s class-leading drawbar force, ensuring plenty of tractive power for the most extreme site conditions. Three heavy-duty track guides are also installed on each crawler side frame to further increase undercarriage durability.

The cab puts the operator first: ensuring a quieter and more comfortable work environment. As the coil springs, that absorb small vibrations or the high suspension mounts filled with silicone oil that reduce heavy vibration.

The enhanced hydraulic system design reduces energy loss to ensure outstanding performance by minimizing hydraulic pressure resistance. The SK850LC also features Kobelco’s latest cooling system – a hydraulically-driven twin fan engine cooling system. This hydraulic version also prevents over-cooling by the use of integrated sensors to reduce the speed of the twin-fan unit, helping to improve fuel economy and reduce noise. A variable-geometry turbocharger contributes to lower fuel consumption, and a new selective catalytic reduction system decreases NOx emissions by 80 percent to provide low operation emissions.

Select the best operation mode for the job at hand, with three work modes the operator can choose from, H-mode, S-mode, and ECO-mode—allowing for minimum fuel consumption while optimizing digging efficiency. From the comfort of the cabin, the operator can also pre-set multiple attachment settings. The SK850LC comes factory equipped with bi-directional primary auxiliary hydraulics, along with proportional hand-controlled tilt/rotate piping and quick hitch piping as standard.

Benefit from best-in-class lifting and digging performance; with the 8.25 m and 3.6 m heavy-duty boom and arm, the SK850LC has an operating capacity exceeding 10.6 tonnes at a reach of 11.6 metres. The SK850LC is also available in a mass excavation (ME) specification, with a shorter boom and arm as well as an optional heavier 3,000 kg counterweight—for applications that call for maximum bucket capacity and digging productivity.

Daily maintenance checks are essential for the successful operation of large excavators. Inspections and maintenance must be quick and easy to maximize productivity. The SK850LC provides easy access to essential components and systems so that more time is spent on the job.

Operators can look forward to staying safe and comfortable in the SK850LC, regardless of the work at hand. The air suspension seat, combined with a 25 percent reduction in lever control force reduces operator fatigue during long hours of operation, while added climate control outlets and a spacious cab interior provide a comfortable work environment. The high level of pressurization in the large, sealed cab keeps out dust and ensures a quiet environment for the operator. A standard 12V port and AUX jack is provided, while the standard Bluetooth integrated stereo system allows the operator to stream audio.

The operator-friendly color multi-display LCD screen uses easily recognizable graphics for quick navigation of important information, including fuel consumption and maintenance intervals. An intuitive one-touch attachment mode switch lets the operator confirm the proper configuration at a glance. A FOPS top guard along with a front window guard and swing flashers come standard for enhanced job site safety, and in addition to the rearview camera, an optional right-side camera can be fitted, for easy safety checks around the machine.

Hydraulic drive optimizes the cooling fan rotation speed to improve fuel economy and reduce the noise. Also, the oil temperature control is optimal thanks to the independent oil cooler fan.

Maintenance on the SK850LC is simple and cost effective to reduce downtime. Easy access to maintenance data from the operation management system greatly improves ease of maintenance scheduling and ensures a long service life, while easy access to the cooling unit, engine compartment and electrical components ensure convenient day-to-day maintenance. The new and improved hydraulic fluid filter in the SK850LC is regarded as the best in the industry, with a new cover that prevents contamination even when changing filters. Pressure sensors at the inlet and outlet of the hydraulic oil filter monitor pressure differences to assess filtration performance, triggering a warning on the cab display screen if the filter needs to be replaced.

A standard onboard grease gun on a retractable reel makes greasing the SK850LC a fast and convenient task. Kobelco has also installed a standard onboard refueling pump to make the process faster and safer. The variable gauge crawler allows for the retraction of the crawler to reduce the width for easier transport, with the ability to re-extend when on the Jobsite for better stability. Four disassembly and transport configurations are also made possible to further allow for easy transport to and from the job site.

To further improve machine uptime, like all Kobelco heavy excavators, the SK850LC is equipped with Kobelco’s K-Assist system, a remote diagnostic and troubleshooting system that allows your local Kobelco dealer to provide advanced support to the machine without the need for a technician to be present. The system monitors key system operational data, which can provide real-time and historical monitoring of the engine and hydraulic systems. The system enables your Kobelco dealer to perform diagnostic testing and to upload machine software without the need for a technician to be present—significantly reducing potential machine downtime.

Commenting on the introduction of the SK850LC-10 into the Australian market, Kobelco Australia’s General Manager of Product & Distribution, Mark Johnson said:

“The SK850LC-10 is the largest excavator in our product line-up and comes with a tried and tested reputation from some of the harshest environments around the globe. We look forward to cementing our place as the premier supplier of heavy-duty excavators in the Oceania market. The new SK850LC builds on the impressive reputation Kobelco is building more recently in heavy excavators with the launch of the XD series in the 35 & 50-tonne classes. This new SK850LC allows us to participate in quarry, small to medium mine sites and large civil infrastructure applications with a machine that is more productive, more durable and ultimately will make our customers more profitable.”