New Komatsu WA480-6 Wheel Loader

Komatsu America Corp. announced the addition of the new WA480-6 wheel loader with Large Capacity Torque Converter to its fleet. With a net horsepower of 299 HP, the WA480-6 has an operating weight of 55, 920 to 56, 340 pounds and a dumping clearance of 10’6” when equipped with a 6.0 yd³ general purpose bucket.

The new wheel loader comes equipped with the latest KOMTRAX® technology which monitors a variety of machine operating information including daily fuel consumption, working hours, hour meter, location, cautions and maintenance alerts. Utilizing wireless technology, KOMTRAX relays this information to a secure website for analysis, thereby increasing machine availability, reducing the risk of machine theft, and allowing for remote diagnosis by the distributor.

The WA480-6 has a newly designed Large Capacity Torque Converter that provides the machine with excellent tractive effort, improved acceleration and improved hill climbing ability. Because of the increased tractive effort, the machine has greater productivity in V-cycle applications. The improved hill climbing ability allows the machine to up-shift gears faster due to improved acceleration, achieve higher gear ranges and maintain higher ground speeds when working in load-and-carry or hopper feeding applications. In either application, production is increased and fuel consumption maximized resulting in improved fuel efficiency (tons/gal).

The WA480-6 is powered by a Komatsu SAA6D125E-5 diesel engine with an Electronic Heavy Duty Common Rail fuel injection system that provides fast throttle response while optimizing fuel combustion. The engine is EPA Tier 3 emission certified without sacrificing power or machine productivity.

The WA480-6 is designed with a wide and spacious cab to reduce operator fatigue and increase productivity. The wide pillar-less flat glass affords excellent front visibility, and the wiper arm covers a large area for excellent visibility on rainy days. The cab’s low-noise design of 72 dB(A) creates a comfortable working environment. With its built-in ROPS/FOPS structure to protect the operator, the new roomy cab is mounted with Komatsu’s unique viscous mounts to keep noise at a minimum and provide a low-vibration, clean operating environment. The layout of the cab has also been improved for easy access to levers, and the air conditioner has been relocated to the front of the cab to increase seat reclining and backward slide adjustment.