You may not yet have heard of Shantui dozers but that looks set to change. Gary Ashe trekked up to Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan to check out a new Shantui DH 17 C3 dozer in action.
Chinese dozer manufacturer Shantui was established in 1952 and has grown since then to take a massive chunk of the dozer market worldwide. It is a state-owned, joint-stock listed company, headquartered in Jining City, Shandong Province. The company’s product offering includes more than ten categories of main engine machines including the bulldozer series, the road machinery series, the concrete machinery series, the loader series and the excavator series, as well as accessories for construction machinery, such as chassis, drive and structural parts.
Shantui’s annual production capacity exceeds 10,000 bulldozers, 6,000 road machines, 500 concrete mixing plants, 150,000 track assemblies, one million wheels for construction machines,
80,000 torque converters and 20,000 transmissions. For bulldozers, Shantui has ranked first in global production and sales for 16 consecutive years.
Shantui is one of the top 50 manufacturers of construction machinery in the world and one of China’s top 500 manufacturers, so it seems strange that it is not that well known here in the emerald isle, but that is changing. I trekked up the Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan to check out a new Shantui DH 17 C3 dozer in action working for local outfit AJ Grab Hire which purchased the dozer from Goff Agri & Plant Sales.
First in UK and Ireland
First of its kind in UK and Ireland, the Shantui DH 17 C3 is a 19.5 tonner, it comes in a classic yellow and uses a well proven Weichai 7.5 litre engine which is emissions EU type approved. Weichi is one of the largest engine manufacturers in the world, producing engines covering emissions level Euro 3, Euro 4 and Euro 5.The dozers are competitively priced and one can already see growing interest in them here in the Irish market.
This particular model is a basic C series and if a hi spec and all the bells and whistles is what you’re looking for there is also a K series and M series available. These dozers are built to push dirt, period. The engine might be considered somewhat basic, but that could very well be an advantage to some, especially if your operator has a mechanical background as basic servicing and repair could potentially be done by the lads on the ground rather than having to rely on the dealer.
The engine bay is very easy to access, including all the pumps and filters so good news if you have your sprocket set to hand.
It has a huge 352 litre fuel tank which means fewer stoppages and more productivity. It has a 3.5 -4 m blade (depending on model), so with 152 kWs of power it is more than capable of pushing the dirt around our emerald fields.
Power system
The machine has a double-circuit electronically controlled hydrostatic drive system to ensure good load self-adaptability, loaded and in-situ steering capability, stepless speed regulation and high efficiency and construction performance in narrow sites.
The transfer case design is added to give more space and higher reliability of the hydraulics control system. The Weichai electronic control engine features high intelligence and efficiency and low composite fuel consumption, with the emission compliant with EU non-road machinery emission regulation.
It comes with three power modes depending on the specific load needed under actual working condition to produce the right mix of efficiency and power consumption. Also, the one-touch boost mode can be used to get the machine out of tricky situations such as getting stuck in a ditch.
The innovative slip rate control, ECO mode control, steering mode control, reverse gear engine mode and automatic idling functions are additionally provided to give the optimal combination of power, efficiency, and fuel consumption.
In the cab there is an 8” full-screen intelligent display and control interface with self-diagnosis that clearly indicates all vehicle data information. The cab is airtight with 4-point MDS shock absorption, features large space, low vibration, and low noise, reducing the driver’s exposure to 78 dB.
In addition to full-wraparound upholstery, the cab features A/C air ducts and eight air vents and as standard there is a rear-mounted A/C and heating system, cigarette lighter, USB charging port, radio and sun shade.
Keep on running
We spoke with veteran operator Thomas McEntee and asked him what his first impressions are of the new dozer. “I’ve only been driving it for a couple of days but it seems to be a very simple but powerful machine,” he told me. “And comfortable, it is very comfortable in the sound proof cab. It’s got plenty of space too. The sound proofing is a big deal for me as I remember having to put on ear defenders while operating some machines.
“It’s been a great machine to push so far.” added Thomas. “When I get it up to 100 hours and turn up the power to max, I’ll see what it can really do. I’m still breaking the dozer in at the moment.”
AJ Grab Hire bought the dozer from Damian Goff at Goff Agri & Plant sales so we also got Damian’s views. “The Weichai engine is stage 4 equivalent but the Shantui can also come fitted with a stage 5 Iveco or Cummins engine depending on the customer’s request,” he told us.
Weichai are a massive company have a turnover worldwide of 28 billion euro. Weichai also owns Linde which makes the transmission on the dozer. They also own Italian luxury yacht company Ferretti so their portfolio is pretty impressive.
“There is big interest in this brand here at the moment and one of the main reasons is cost,” adds Damian. Goff Agri & Plant Sales and DGM Machinery Company was set up by Damian Goff in 2013 initially with a view to bring in budget priced machinery for the farming sector, but it has since grown to provide many plant options for the construction trade too. So now Damian has an office in China and imports diggers from micro to 20 tonne, loaders and mini excavators under license and branded as DGM machines.
“We have a very good back up service with plenty of parts, so I’d like to think we’ve built a good reputation here for both the Shantui and DGM machines,” concludes Damian.
So things are looking good for Goff Agri and AJ Grab Hire with the new Shantui DH 17 C3 dozer.
Push on lads!
