The K100 boom change system allows the reconfiguration of the machine within minutes, without leaving the operator cab, so the most effective attachment can be used at every stage of the project.

“Listening to demolition contractors showed us that the industry is looking for a significant improvement in efficiency,” says Simon Saunders, Working Gear product marketing manager at Komatsu Europe. “At Komatsu, we took up this challenge, asking ourselves how to translate our own capabilities into the best business benefits for our customers. With the introduction of the patented K100 boom change system, we believe that our customers can fully benefit from the versatility built in to every Komatsu HRD machine, enhance site safety, and reduce project time.”

With a total of six different working configurations, from the 32m extended high reach through the powerful 28m high reach to the medium reach and digging equipment, the PC490HRD‑11 already offers a wide range of configurations, ready to handle any part of a demolition project. The K100 boom change system makes these wide ranging capabilities significantly more accessible. There is no need to manually handle any heavy hydraulic hoses or to carry out any manual work at height when changing the machine’s configuration. Used to its maximum effect, the K100 system could even allow the PC490HRD-11 to carry out both primary demolition as well as site clearance, perhaps even removing an extra machine from the site.

Komatsu’s New K100 boom change system

With relatively few changes to the structure of the well-known PC490HRD-11, the K100 builds on its durability and adds new in-house Komatsu Group technology with highly visual graphical controls, operating in compliance with ISO safety regulations. The operator cab of a machine with the K100 system looks very similar to that of the conventional boom change machine. All the controls of the K100 system are incorporated within the ‘Human-Machine Interface’ (HMI) panel, which doubles up as the working range indicator system in normal use. The HMI panel offers instructional animations as well as a built in view from the alignment camera so that the operator is fully aware of the machine’s condition at all times. No additional monitors are needed, ensuring the view from the operator cab remains uninterrupted.

Equipped with the K100 boom change system, the machine’s operating weight ranges from 62,105 kg up to 75,830 kg, depending on the working configuration. The machine is able to handle a range of demolition attachments, from 2,500 kg in the maximum 32m extended high reach arrangement, up to 3,350 kg in the common 28m high reach arrangement, up to 5,000 kg for the digging or medium height arrangements, giving a huge range of available power/reach.

Hydraulic performance of the K100 system is similar to the machine with the conventional boom change system, ensuring that users are able to make full use of the various working configurations available. The standard safety and fleet management equipment fitted to the PC490HRD-11 are retained with the K100 boom change system, with the ‘Neutral Detection System’, ‘Komatsu Care’, ‘KomVision’ and Komatsu’s telematics system, ‘Komtrax’, all featuring in the standard specification.