New range of graders: Set to deliver next

Jul 14, 2023

Designed to meet the emerging needs of the grader industry, Bell Equipment has expanded its mining and construction OEM product range to include motor graders. With several units running in diversified applications, production has been set to begin as early as Q3-2024.

The Bell Motor Grader follows the introduction of the Bell Tracked Carrier in 2020 and is a significant step forward in the company’s strategy to grow its own range of manufactured products for the global mining industry.

Bell Equipment Product Manager, Warren Swart, says, “Grading applications require a robust and powerful grader to achieve the performance and reliability expectations of the industry. We are confident that our new Bell Motor Graders will compare favourably with the proven industry leaders in this highly specialised market and give our customers exactly what they need.”

Bell will initially offer three base machines. The G140 is well suited to all maintenance and light to medium construction tasks while the G160, with its increased power and performance, is designed to handle heavy construction applications. Completing the range is the G200, which is designed for bulk earthworks and the mining industry.

Each base machine has the option of a four- or six-wheel drive configuration. Warren explains, “From the conception of the Bell Grader we factored in the requirements of a six-wheel drive configuration. This early integration, as opposed to trying to add into the platform later, has resulted in a better performing machine that is more controllable, robust, and easier to maintain.

The significant improvement in performance (achieved by adding front-wheel drive) is only useful if it is reliable for the life of the grader, so we have spent a lot of time ensuring that this is the case,” Swart adds.

The Bell Motor Grader is engineered to operate in the most challenging and harsh environmental conditions. While retaining a familiar control and layout, Bell has incorporated a range of advanced components and features that will help operators improve productivity, maintain costs, and deliver work efficiently.

Automation has also been one of the significant drivers in the motor grader design process. This automation allows the operator to be more focused on the job at hand and the final product of his grade, while still improving fuel efficiency and component life expectancy.

Recognising the diverse range of applications and remote uses of motor graders, Bell has standardised its high-quality, low-maintenance components such as a fully sealed circle bearing.

This provides extended service intervals and consistent grading performance without the need to make regular adjustments. To simplify operations further, advanced diagnostics are incorporated into the machine to reduce the complexity of daily checks and servicing efforts.

Utilising industry-leading components for all systems has been instrumental in achieving an efficient and robust grader.

“Getting established components to work well together is what our system engineers do well and – in a highly operator-sensitive product like a motor grader – we knew that we had to get the overall feel 100% right. We are confident we have achieved this as those who tested the product, have confirmed this for us,” Swart concludes.