Gas Engine Equipment: Atlas Copco Dynapac CA1300 and CA1500 Rollers
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Atlas Copco has introduced its CA1300 and CA1500 single-drum soil rollers for high maneuverability and visibility on parking lot, road, utility pipe and street projects. The new CA1500 roller features Atlas Copco’s exclusive Active Bouncing Control (ABC), a cross-mounted Tier 4 Interim or Tier 4 Final engine and steel blades that improve compaction, safety and visibility.
The engines on the CA1300 and CA1500 are cross-mounted, or placed perpendicular to the frames, which is an industry first. The rollers’ hydraulic pumps are also in line with the engine. This allows users to reach all the necessary components on the engines and hydraulic pumps for fast and easy service and maintenance. And because the engines are cross-mounted rather than parallel to the frame, they provide optimal weight distribution and contribute to the units’ minimal footprint.
The CA1300 features a Tier 4 Final, 75-horsepower Kubota diesel engine, and the CA1500 uses a Tier IV Interim, 100-horsepower Cummins diesel engine. Both have top-mounted, cool air intakes with side vents that combine with the ejector exhaust outlet to minimize engine noise and prevent dust from being sucked into the engine compartment, which is a common occurrence on soil compaction sites.
The rollers’ high static linear loads make them ideal for compacting a range of materials, from clay to rock fill. The CA1300 features a static linear load of 73 pounds per linear inch (PLI), and the CA1500 has 112 PLI. The compaction power is transferred through the rollers’ drums to efficiently compact soil with minimal passes.
The CA1300’s 54-inch drum and the CA1500’s 66-inch drum give operators optimal visibility and allow them to maneuver into tight workspaces, such as pipe trenches or road shoulders. “With high visibility, operators can monitor the drums and keep an eye out for nearby workers,” said Vijayakumar Palanisamy, Atlas Copco Dynapac product marketing manager. “This means operators don’t need to sacrifice productivity or safety when working on cramped worksites.”
Atlas Copco’s ABC system, an optional feature for the CA1500 through CA6500 models, prevents operators from over-compacting the soil, which can damage the rollers. Once soil reaches its maximum density, further vibrations from the roller begin to travel back into the machines. This double jumping can crack drums and cause premature fatigue damage to the rollers’ frame, hitch and other structural components, which are expensive and time consuming to replace. The optional ABC system helps protect the frame and drum by detecting double jumping as soon as it begins to occur and shutting off the roller’ vibration.
“We created our exclusive ABC system specifically to help contractors get the most life from their compactors by minimizing a main cause for roller repairs,” Palanisamy said. “Without double jumping, the equipment stays in the field longer; compaction is more efficient; and the ROIs are greater.”
The service alert systems and easy-access engines allow contractors to service and maintain the rollers on the worksite without taking them to a shop. The service interval alert in the instrumentation display indicates when and what type of maintenance is required.
Optional strike-off blades help the rollers’ consistency by removing oversized rocks and obstacles in front of the thick drum shells. The blades have an innovative, divided profile that efficiently pushes out rocks, which can break up compacted soils. All Atlas Copco pad foot rollers are fitted with heavy-duty drum scrapers to keep the drums clear of clay and mud to ensure consistent compaction.
For environmentally sensitive worksites, the rollers feature Atlas Copco’s ECO Mode, an rpm-management system. The system reduces fuel consumption as much as 20 percent by delivering to the rollers only the amount of power that is necessary to operate at any given time. It is standard on the CA1300 and is also included with the Antispin/ECO Traction Systems for the CA1500 through CA6500 models.
Atlas Copco’s speed limiter makes it easy for the operator to reach consistent speeds in the CA1500 through CA6500 models. With a speed limiter setting, the operator sets the desired speed in the controls and pushes the joystick completely forward to quickly and accurately achieve the same compaction speed every time.