March 2017 - At bauma 2016 in Munich, Liebherr presented its new model series of the crawler excavators R 920, R 922 and R 924 for the first time. Meeting the requirements of customers from low regulated markets, these machines are specifically based on tried-and-tested European standards. A new R 922 built by Liebherr Machinery (Dalian) Co. Ltd has been working for the Xi’an Tianyi Earth-moving Co. Ltd since August 2016. This excavator is one of the first machines from the new model series operating in China.

The new R 922 crawler excavator is carrying out earthmoving work at the Meibei Lake construction project close to the city of Xi’an. On the job site the machine’s main tasks are excavating soil from the bottom of a drained lake and then loading the trucks removing the wet material. Having already undertaken more than 700 hours of operation in four months, the excavator has impressed its new owner with high operating speed, low fuel consumption and low maintenance time.

Xi’an Tianyi Earth-moving Co. Ltd’s new R 922 crawler excavator is equipped with a 5.7m boom, a 2.9 m stick, a 1.1m³ backhoe bucket and an LC undercarriage. Driven by a Cummins engine with an output of 110kW / 150HP, the machine’s performance is superior to other manufacturers’ models used by the company prior to its acquisition of the Liebherr machine.

The Positive Control dual circuit hydraulic system enables the machine to operate smoothly, comfortably and productively at high work speeds. Combined with the largest fuel tank available on the market in this size class and low fuel consumption at only 13 litres per working hour, all the client’s expectations have been met.

Thanks to the R 922’s elaborate performance-focused concept, the machine has shown itself to be a cost-effective workhorse: it is in operation on the construction site for up to 70 hours a week in 10 to 12 hour shifts and loads more than 200 trucks a day.

Another factor improving productivity is maintenance. All machines in the new model series benefit from a revised and simplified maintenance concept, which increases machine availability. The batteries, all filters and most centralised lubrication points are accessible from ground level, ensuring that daily maintenance and checks can be quickly and easily performed. An optional automatic lubrication system reduces precious servicing time while guaranteeing optimal lubrication of the excavator. As for the service intervals, everything has been taken into account to reduce the frequency of interventions in order to minimise the machine’s downtime and reduce costs. This includes the interval for changing the hydraulic oil, which can be up to 3,000 hours, or the interval for changing the engine oil, which is every 500 hours.