The Komatsu D575A is a 1,150 horsepower (860 kW) tractor crawler available as a bulldozer/ripper, the D575A-3, or as a dedicated bulldozer, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer. Equipped with a standard blade, both versions are capable of moving 90 cubic yards (69 m3) of material per pass although the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer is capable of moving 125 cubic yards (96 m3) of material per pass if equipped with an optional blade. The D575A-3 can dig to a maximum depth of 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) using its single shank ripper.
Currently the largest bulldozer in production, the D575A has been produced by Komatsu Ltd. in Osaka, Japan since 1991. Surface mine operators in the United States, Canada and Australia are the primary users of the D575A, although it is sometimes used in heavy construction applications.
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.
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).
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 Zealand's South Island in the Stockton mine.
The D555A prototype was first shown to the public in 1981 at the Conexpo equipment exhibition in Houston, TX. Due to economic conditions at the time, development was stalled for much of the 1980s. A successor to the D555A, the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper began field testing in 1989 and was the first model to enter production beginning in 1991.
The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper was the first production version of the D575A, going into production beginning in 1991. The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper included a single shank ripper capable of digging to a maximum depth of 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m). The D575A-2 SR Super Ripper was superseded by the D575A-3.
The D575A-2 SD Super Dozer was the second version of the D575A, going into production alongside the D575A-2 SR Super Ripper beginning in 1995. The D575A-2 SD Super Dozer is an 1,150 horsepower (860 kW), 143,300 kilograms (315,900 lb) dedicated dozer with no ripper. The D575A-2 SD Super Dozer was superseded by the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer.
The D575A-3 is an 1,150 horsepower (860 kW) dozer/ripper weighing 131,350 kilograms (289,580 lb) and capable of moving up to 90 cubic yards (69 m3) of material per pass. The single shank ripper has a maximum digging depth of 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m).
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.
Due to its immense size, the D575A must be broken down into component form when it is moved from one job site to another. Moving all the components requires six to eight truck loads
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