1960
Liberalization of trade brought Japan demand from abroad and the opportunity to raise Japan's technological advancements to a world-class level. The introduction of large-scale power sources took place, which accelerated development of larger equipment.
1.4m3 was the common capacity for the models that had been already sold by other domestic companies, and Komatsu also started developing a model of the same class. As a result, Komatsu's Wheel loaders gained about half of the market share. Komatsu began to export JH60 along with JH30B in 1966 as well.
Up to this model, including JH30B, all had a rigid frame.
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.
