Liebherr introduces assistance system, joystick steering for wheel loaders at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020

Liebherr presented four wheel loaders to the trade audience at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020. These included an L 566 XPower which is equipped with numerous new assistance systems.

Liebherr also exhibited these assistance systems for wheel loaders for the first time at a trade fair in North America. These include active personnel detection, adaptive working lighting, the integrated tire pressure monitoring system and the weighing system with Truck Payload Assist. The L 566 XPower also has the new joystick steering for wheel loaders.

The largest Liebherr wheel loader, the L 586 XPower, which weighs 71,870 lb (32,600 kg), was also seen at the exhibition stand. Liebherr installs a power-split travel drive as standard in all large XPower wheel loaders, which combines the hydrostatic drive with the mechanical drive, the benefits of which come into effect over long distances and up hills. Thus, the power-split XPower drive ensures massive fuel savings and high performance, regardless of the user profile.

The L 538 represents the Liebherr medium-size wheel loader range at the exhibition stand. It is equipped with parallel kinematics for high holding forces in the upper lift arms area. This industrial design is suitable for working with heavy attachments, such as with high dump buckets when recycling.

Active personnel detection improves safety, protects against accidents

The new assistance systems for Liebherr wheel loaders increase the comfort and safety of day-to-day operation in a variety of ways. The active personnel detection at the rear of the machine uses automatic alerts on the display and audible signals to signal hazards at the rear of the wheel loader.

The active personnel detection uses sensors to automatically differentiate between people and objects. If a person moves at the rear of the machine, the system alerts the operator. The assistance system avoids unnecessary warning signals, reducing stress for the machine operator.

At the end of 2020, Liebherr will expand the active personnel detection on large XPower wheel loaders to include a brake assistant. Along with warning signals in the cab, automatic braking provides additional aid for the machine operator. The auxiliary brake function helps to reduce reaction times during braking. This increases safety and reduces the risk of serious accidents.

New joystick steering with force feedback and position control

The new joystick steering for the L 526 to L 586 XPower wheel loaders is a steering system which allows the machine operator to steer comfortably with one hand. In operations involving a large number of steering maneuvers, the joystick steering ensures less effort and more relaxed working as short movements on the ergonomically shaped joystick replace the intensive turning of the steering wheel. 

Like most assistance systems, the new joystick steering is also available for the L 526 to L 586 XPower models. In addition, for models L 566 XPower to L 586 XPower, Liebherr offers the operator's cab in combination with joystick steering without steering wheel and column. In the steering wheel-free version, the spacious cab of the XPower wheel loaders offers the machine operator even more space and an optimized view of the working attachment.