World of Asphalt’s record number of attendees see machinery and technology designed for maximum paving, aggregate production
More than 11,000 people attended World of Asphalt 2022, breaking its previous attendance record. Industry professionals gathered at the sold-out Music City Center in Nashville to see equipment, meet old and new friends, and participate in educational sessions.
Komatsu featured multiple products during the three-day event, including a standard WA475-10 wheel loader and the yard loader version of the WA475-10 that features an added counterweight, a larger bore bucket cylinder and low-profile tires.
“The WA475-10 yard loader is great for moving loose or crushed material in applications such as charging an asphalt plant or loading out highway trucks,” said Bruce Boebel, senior product manager for wheeled products, Komatsu. “The larger bucket cylinder and counterweight allow it to handle a larger bucket, so users get the benefit of moving more material faster. In addition to asphalt plants, it’s great for work in cement batch plants, small quarries and operations that involve wood chips or mulch.
“With the Komatsu Hydraulic Mechanical Transmission (KHMT), the learning curve to operate the loader is much faster, which is great if you have less experienced operators,” added Boebel. “You use only one pedal for most of the operation. You press it to go faster, and when you release it, the loader’s dynamic braking automatically slows the machine down. The air-cooled braking system maximizes brake life in load-and-carry applications.”
Breakers to match applications
Komatsu also showcased some of its breakers at World of Asphalt, including the 4,035-pound hydraulic JTHB210G that delivers 4,500 pounds of impact and pairs with excavators in the 18 to 25 ton range.
“The advantage of the JTHB210 is its simple design and low ownership costs,” said Aaron Scarfia, regional manager, Komatsu North America Attachment Division. It will withstand wear and tear in tough rock and concrete breaking applications.”
Also on display was the fully variable JMHB230V breaker that works on excavators ranging from 18 to 35 tons. Scarfia said if you have a mixture of soft and hard rock, the JMHB230V with 5,000 pounds of impact force is likely the best choice.
“It’s lighter weight, but delivers greater impact force,” said Scarfia. “One of its greatest strengths is that it detects material hardness and automatically shifts the strike piston to match. It also helps reduce blank firing.
“We encourage anyone who does material breaking, whether in a quarry, on street and highway removal, or demolition, to consider a breaker,” added Scarfia. “We have a broad size range to match machines and applications, and our dealers can help you determine which will be the most productive and efficient.”
