Digger’s Conexpo Highlights: Dressta TD16-N

This week on the Digger Man Blog I will be presenting some of my own personal highlights from the Conexpo show which came to an end one day short on Friday due to the ongoing Corona virus situation.

Conexpo 2020 saw the much-anticipated debut for the all new Dressta TD16-N prototype dozer which was penned by the UK based design team headed by Gary Major, the Executive Director of Industrial Design for LiuGong in conjunction with Edward Wagner, the Executive Director of New Technology for LiuGong. The machine which offers unparalleled visibility and ease of access, has been awarded the prestigious Red Dot award for design, something that the whole team behind this project were understandably very happy about!

Talking to Edward Wagner about the new machine, he said, “The brief was a simple one, create the best all-round dozer giving the customers what they want. When we set out with this design we literally started out with the operator and the cabin and then built the rest of the machine around that central location”.

Adding to that Gary Major said, “We were on a mission to create a cab that would give the best visibility in its class 100% and I think we have managed to achieve that with the TD16-N”. But not satisfied with his own thoughts and vision of his design Gary was keen to get the thoughts of some seasoned operators, who were invited to the Dressta facility in Stalowa Wola to try out the machine in secrecy before the big reveal in Las Vegas.

Feedback from the assembled operators was exceptional, Neil John McKeown commenting, “Its like sitting on a dozer with no cab on it, you have great visibility all around you!” From my own personal time sat in the cab, all be it statically, I can confirm the visibility is second to none, just incredible really.

This hydrostatically driven machine, which tips the scales at 19,090kgs (42,090lbs) comes as standard with a 6-way PAT blade and can be fitted with both 2D or 3D grade control systems. Power comes from a 170hp (127kw) 6-cylinder diesel engine. A large cooling pack is located behind the cab which is said to be the largest of its type in the industry, it is easily accessible for the cleaning of debris build up too.

Another unique feature is the built in rear mounted steps and 3 point of contact handrails to facilitate access and egress to and from the cab. This industry first design eliminates the need to climb up over the tracks in the traditional manner to reach the cab and as Gary Major said, “Every operator out there has got a story about falling off the tracks… this is the first machine where you don’t have to get onto the tracks.”

In addition to that, all daily checks and refuelling can be done from ground level, once again with no need to go climbing up on the tracks.

Summarizing Dressta Chairman, Howard Dale said, “Everything we do, we do to make our machines deliver more. The superior visibility of this machine will certainly help operators be more productive and do a better job in less time. We also know that this machine will make the worksite safer for everyone. The easy access for daily checks and maintenance is going to reduce downtime and ensure that this machine keeps working and delivering.” 

There was only one disappointment for me on the LiuGong stand, that was the non-appearance of their ground-breaking 22-tonne hydraulic excavator which was shown at the BICES show last year. We hope to catch up with that machine some time in the not too distant future once we can all get travelling again!

In the meantime, check out my video to the TD16-N on stand at Conexpo.