Doosan is adding a new model to its wheel loader lineup.
The heavy equipment company offered a sneak peek of its new DL280-5 at World of Concrete, held in Las Vegas from Jan. 23 to 26. The machine, which features an operating weight of 15,540 kg, a 3.7 cubic yard bucket capacity and a dump height of 2.8 metres, will be available in North America in May.
“It fills a gap in our current lineup that we wanted to fill for a few years,” said Doosan’s marketing manager Aaron Kleingartner. “It will fit the upper end of general construction, grading, site development and contracting.”
Equipped with a 172 hp engine, the machine also features a wide fin radiator that provides more effective cooling with larger fin spacing, which reduces clogging. As well, the DL280-5 is the first wheel loader to include a new upgraded joystick for controlling the machine.
“The joystick still controls the lift arm the same, but the forward, neutral and reverse capabilities have been enhanced and improved,” Kleingartner said. “It’s easier to engage that functionality so you can control the forward and reverse movement just by pushing buttons on the joystick.”
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Doosan has featured the joystick control in the past. However, controls in the DL280-5 are more intuitive.
“We’ve improved it, which allows the operator to be a little more efficient while working,” Kleingartner said.
The new loader is also a good fit for the scrap, waste and recycling market. At World of Concrete, the machine was outfitted with the optional guard package.
“The guard package, a lot of contractors like to put that on to protect a window or protect the underbelly or articulation joint,” Kleingartner said. “And it has the heavy-duty axles that will allow us to put solid tires on the machine, as well. That is more for scrap waste and recycling.”
The DL280-5 is the first wheel loader offered by Doosan where solid tires are an option.
“They’re popular on smaller machines,” Kleingartner said. “This is probably getting into the larger wheel loaders you would see a solid tire on. In that scrap and recycle industry, a puncture can create a lot of downtime.”
Kleingartner added the new wheel loader has been in development for about 24 to 30 months.
“It goes from the initial approval to move forward, to customers visits, to verifying the design we came up with, to verifying the design once the machines are built,” he said. “It takes a lot of time and there’s a lot of people behind the scenes that get their hands on it.”
The Doosan DL280-5 at a glance
- Horsepower (Gross): 172 hp
- Operating weight: 15,540 kg
- Bucket capacity: 3.7 cu. yd.
- Dump height: 2.8 metres
- Breakout force: 30,349 lbf.
