Crawler tractors and loaders with hydrostatic drive systems and other related state-of-the-art features are compared to machines with conventional drive systems.
Discussed are the advantages, due to a different design, concerning production capabilities, maintenance, preventive maintenance, and repair and operator acceptance.
In today's market, increased employee turn-over makes shorter training times to reach a certain level of efficiency more and more important. For the same reason, equipment owners look for machines which are easier to maintain and need shorter repair downtimes for high availability. Parts interchangeability between different machine lines and sizes, and the size and weight of individual components become serious considerations.
Also discussed are the higher internal efficiency and better utilization of installed engine horsepower.
Size limitations, market acceptance, dependability and life expectancy are discussed, as well as the future expectations for this machine market.