The World’s Largest Bulldozer.
If you need to move a lot of dirt, look no further than the Komatsu D575A-3SD. Manufactured in Ishikawa, Japan, these monster bulldozers are the world’s largest and most powerful bulldozers. Standing at 16 feet tall, 41 feet long and 24 feet wide, the D575A-3SD stands alone as the world’s most powerful bulldozer.
Introduced in 2001 as the successor to the D575A-2 SD Super Dozer, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer is a dedicated dozer with no ripper weighing 152,600 kilograms (336,400 lb). Equipped with a standard blade, the D575A-3 SD is capable of moving up to 90 cubic yards (69 m3) of material per pass, however, when equipped with an optional blade, the D575A-3 SD is capable of moving up to 125 cubic yards (96 m3) per pass. The D575A-3 SD includes major changes to the frame, powertrain, undercarriage, and blade, making it substantially different from the D575A-3.
In comparison to its predecessor, the D575A-3 SD includes a significantly re-designed operator cabin and powertrain electronic control system to increase productivity and a number of durability improvements including reinforced undercarriage roller guards, simpler hydraulic plumbing and longer-life hoses, seals, wiring harnesses, and connectors.
Development
Komatsu first showed a 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) bulldozer prototype, the D555A, to the public at the Conexpo equipment exhibition in Houston, Texas in 1981. Due to economic conditions at the time, development was stalled for much of the 1980s. A successor to the D555A prototype, the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper, began field testing in North America in 1989, and full production began in 1991. The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper was joined by the D575A-2 SD Super Dozer in 1995 when the first D575A-2 SD Super Dozer was purchased and placed into service by the Princess Beverly Coal Co. in Cabin Creek, West Virginia. The current model, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer was introduced in 2001.
Specifications
A 12-cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled, direct injected, turbocharged, intercooled, 1,150 horsepower (860 kW) Komatsu SA12V170E diesel engine powers the 152.6 t (168 short tons) D575A.
The D575A features a standard blade that measures 11 feet 11 inches (3.63 m) high and 24 feet 3 inches (7.39 m) wide, enabling the D575A to move 90 cubic yards (69 m3) of material per pass. The D575A measures 16 feet 0 inches (4.88 m) tall, 38 feet 5 inches (11.71 m) long has a ground clearance of 2 feet 5 inches (0.74 m).
The D575A has a ground contact area of 101.55 square feet (9.434 m2) and exerts an average ground pressure of 23 pounds per square inch (160 kPa).
Applications
The D575A is primarily used in surface mines in West Virginia, mostly operating on Alpha Natural Resources sites in Appalachia. To date, 17 D575A's are in service in the West Virginia Coal Fields. There is one super ripper that operates in Las Vegas, and another 2 operating on New Zealands South Island in the Stockton mine.
