Hitachi and TJ Earthmoving make a great team. After many years of working with compact excavators, TJ Earthmoving is rapt with the new Hitachi ZX85USB-7.
TJ Earthmoving is a family owned and operated business with over 25 years’ experience in earthmoving. The company undertakes small to large residential, commercial, civil and general works, and offers a personalised service from start to finish.
Based in D’Aguilar, Queensland, most of TJ Earthmoving’s work is done servicing the local area: Moreton Bay, Somerset and Sunshine Coast regions.
Owner Dave Andreassen is the second generation working under the well-respected name.
“We’re a small, family-owned earthmoving company,” said Dave standing proud in front of his latest acquisition: a Hitachi ZX85US-B7. “I took over from my father five years ago, and things just keep going up.”
The compact ZX85US-7
Hitachi’s new ZX85USB-7 is equipped with a swing boom which allows it to efficiently excavate near walls and guard rails, and is driven by common-rail, directinjection Yanmar diesel equipped with proven turbocharging technology. The environmentally friendly engine meets EPA final Tier 4/EU Stage V emissions standards, with diesel particulate filter, EGR and common rail to help further reduce emissions. It also features a versatile Power/Economy work mode that adapts the machine’s performance to the specific task at hand. In Power mode, the engine operates at higher speeds to deliver additional horsepower when necessary, whereas the Economy mode optimises fuel efficiency by reducing engine speed during regular operations.
The ZX85USB-7 is also equipped with a built-in auto-idle system which automatically reduces the engine to an idling speed if all control levers remain in a neutral position for more than four seconds. Once the levers are reactivated, the engine quickly returns to the previously chosen speed. This feature not only helps in reducing noise and exhaust emissions, but also plays a pivotal role in energy conservation and cost savings for operators.
An available attachment replacement support system streamlines the process of switching between different work tools, allowing adjustment of attachment flow settings directly from the low-reflective, colour, eight-inch LCD monitor in the cab, enabling operators to designate and save up to 12 unique settings.
It’s not only the operator’s productivity and comfort which have received special attention. Cab space has been significantly enlarged compared to the previous generation, and panoramic visibility helps create a safe and comfortable working environment. An Aerial Angle peripheralvision camera system gives operators an extensive 270-degree bird’s-eye view of the machine’s surroundings, and long-lasting LED ambient work lights on the left, right and rear of the machine ensure improved visibility. The work lights even remain illuminated for 30 seconds after the machine is powered off, enhancing safety when disembarking from the cab during night-time operations.
A wide-view wiper, featuring a parallel link mechanism, is also fitted to the ZX85USB-7, increasing the window-wiping area by 183 per cent compared to the previous model. A generously sized rear-engine cover provides convenient access for ease of maintenance, and the filters and the fuel/ water separator have been grouped together and are accessible at ground level. Additionally, features like remote swing-circle lubrication, along with a factory installed electric refuel pump, have been incorporated to streamline daily maintenance.
There’s some big steps forward in the dash 7 range – and the dash 5 were already great machines.
Hands on
Dave was happy to put the machine through its paces for our video review, but he and his crew had actually spent some time with the compact excavator before we arrived. To say Dave was happy with the ZX85USB-7 would’ve been an understatement.
“There’s a lot more room inside the cab,” he beamed, clearly impressed. “There’s a lot more space for the operator’s feet. You can actually fit a hard hat up behind the seat in the new model.
“And a couple of the tall operators used to be all squished up in the old cab, but there’s plenty of room now.”
The upgrades and features of the dash 7s were obviously a plus for the experienced Hitachi owner, especially the substantial power increase.
“It just pulls through the dirt no problem at all now,” explained Dave. “There’s heaps of power and the extra breakout force… everything just flows so nicely. It’s a big improvement with a lot more grunt!”
And aside from the extra power on offer, the increased efficiency of the machine also extends to moving around the jobsite.
“It’s just so smooth,” smiled Dave. “And the walking speed of these tracks! You can nearly doze a track up onto the pile as you’re walking up. It just moves around so much faster than the old machine.”
When you’re on a good thing
TJ earthmoving has been using Hitachi machinery for quite a while, and it looks like it’ll be using Hitachi for quite a while to come.
“I still have a couple of older machines,” recalled Dave, “and I think I’ve only ever blown one hose.
“I’ve had the ’65 and it has 6000 hours on it. It hasn’t missed a beat. So I thought I’d better keep upgrading with Hitachi. Now I’ve got the ’55 and the ’85 as well.”
“They’re all just so reliable.”
And the service from Hitachi?
“Probably one of the best,” confirmed Dave. “I don’t think I’d go anything other than Hitachi these days. I’ve had a few other brands and Hitachi seems to be the best.”
It looks like Hitachi and TJ Earthmoving will be teamed up for quite a while to come.
To see the video log on to landscapecontractor.com.au, and to find out more about the ZX85USB-7, see the Hitachi CM website at hcma.com.au.
