1980
More and more innovative technologies were applied to products with a heavy focus on hydraulic shovels. Using mechatronics for engine control was one of the examples of Japan's advanced electronics technology that surpassed the world standards.
During the time of the partnership with International Harvester, it was more common to import large size loaders with a bucket capacity of 5.4m3 or over, however, Komatsu started developing ones with a bucket size of 10.5m3, which was much larger than WA600 (5.6m3).
Positioning this model as a matching machine for a 78-ton Dump truck, "-1" models used a V8 engine with 800 horsepower, which suffered from low reliability and durability. When upgrading to "-2" models, it was equipped with 12V140 engine just as HD785 Dump truck, and this was proven as a great model, sweeping away any bad reputation previously made.
Wheel loader
It was 1949 when the first wheel loader was manufactured in Japan, however, it was not until mid 1960's when Komatsu entered the wheel loader market aligning with International Harvester. From JH series in the beginning, to the 500 series, to Komatsu's original WA series, our wheel loaders have met the needs of construction sites by scaling up, coping with the environment and adopting advanced technology such as mechatronics and IT.
