New Mecalac MWR Excavators deliver a practical solution with a revolutionary design
“Made in Mecalac” Design
Design that sets us apart from the crowd is a major feature of Mecalac products. Besides being a reason clients have been choosing us for decades, this is also a powerful and unique selling point. Because our in-house designers do more than give our machines character and personality, integrate them consistently with the range, and improve upon their perceived quality, image or colours: they get involved in a project very early on in the process, injecting user feedback and experience into the very heart of product development. The results of this original and innovative set-up are clear to see in our equipment’s ergonomics, functions and comfort. And, with the end customer firmly in mind, the creative process also focuses on the functionality and ease of use that are the hallmarks of our brand.
The Best of Both Worlds
Fans of wheeled excavators and crawler excavators fall into two opposing camps, and Mecalac certainly knows the arguments used by both because it has successfully designed and manufactured both types of machine, with its range of wheeled undercarriages and crawler undercarriages.
Mecalac has long helped shape the wheeled excavator sector, which is especially thriving in France, Germany and Switzerland, yet it also has a long history of working with crawler excavators. This is what inspired the company to take the best of both worlds and develop a unique solution that brings together their advantages and eliminates their disadvantages, to greatly boost the potential of the new MWR wheeled excavators.
Patrick Brehmer, Head of Marketing, Product Management and Design, said: “Our strength lies in our ability to offer solutions tailor-made to our clients. A combination of proactive customer focus and versatile industrial solutions enables us to plan, design and customise our offers and our machines. For Mecalac, design has long been much more than an optional extra. It is a powerful and strategic part of our brand identity, and is not just limited to how the product looks. It incorporates functionality, safety and intuitiveness in one sleek package, bringing added value to the entire user experience.”
An Exclusive Concept and Unique Solution
Combining the advantages of wheeled and crawler excavators has resulted in a unique Mecalac solution that incorporates mobility, versatility, stability, safety, accessibility, easy operation, lifting force and profitability. Welcome to the new MWRs.
MWRs are the end result of a new vehicle concept and the fruit of Mecalac’s combined expertise in wheeled and crawler excavators, aided by in-depth discussions with other wheeled excavator and crawler excavator professionals.
Its design was conceived to meet the demanding specifications for a versatile and compact machine that blends the best features of Mecalac’s wheeled and crawler excavators. The outcome?
Versatile and ultra-stable machines with XS dimensions and XL lifting force, benefiting from the latest internal and external technology patented by Mecalac (boom with integrated offset, cylinder coupling, CONNECT quick coupler, central control selector, and speed control function).
Whatever the requirements and demands, these vehicles guarantee optimum profitability thanks to their unprecedented performance, ease of use, and ability to keep both worksites and workers safe, ushering in a new generation of compact, versatile and ultra-mobile wheeled excavators for the construction industry.
Lower the Centre of Gravity by 20%? – What a Revolutionary Idea!
By having a lower centre of gravity than the competition, Mecalac is revolutionising the world of wheeled excavators with its MWR range, which are easier to get in and drive than ever before. This has an impact on all levels – from stability and accessibility to safety and “all-terrain” mobility – meaning the machine has greater balance and strength without sacrificing its original qualities.
Combining Power and Stability
An unrivalled Compactness/Lifting Capacity Ratio
The unique architecture of the new MWRs creates powerful and precise handling machines capable of lifting 50% of their own weight!
The offset articulated arm (which fits into the machine’s profile perfectly) forms a positive mass and a natural counterweight, thus optimising its lifting power and ensuring greater freedom to handle and turn with heavy loads. Which can come in pretty handy on construction sites.
2.5 Times More Compact then a Classic Excavator
Alexandre Marchetta, Executive Vice-President of the Mecalac Group, said: “The added value our teams bring throughout the entire design and manufacturing chain is being able to spot customers’ emerging needs and offer them new solutions, experiences and usage applications that are increasingly safe and effective.”
NATURALLY BALANCED
The new MWRs benefit from 360°iso stability: this means the machine’s stability remains the same regardless of the rotation angle of the upper carriage.
Lift, place, move, unload… all without moving. The new MWRs transform worksite logistics thanks to their incredible stability in any position and on any terrain.
Whatever the conditions, they stay balanced both when travelling in transfer operations between sites as well as during work phases. This gives them 360° lifting performance – an extraordinary feat.
Combining Simplicity and Safety
Max Boni, Director for R&D, said: “When a vehicle operator climbs into one of our machines for the first time, he or she must be able to understand how to use it immediately. We have succeeded in our goal for an intuitive, user-friendly system by designing the product based on user observations and a complete overhaul of driving logic.”
The Quest for Simplicity Driving Research
The MWR represents a new way to interact with construction vehicles, thanks to its completely redesigned internal and external ergonomics and unique interface between human-machine that combines accessibility and safety.
Each and every driver action is simplified, affording greater protection of everybody on the worksite. When it comes to innovation, “less is more” is definitely one of the keys to Mecalac’s success.
Getting In and Out with Ease
Thanks to the machine’s lower centre of gravity, drivers can access the MWR cab easily, with no physical effort or risk.
The cab is 20% lower compared to rival products on the market so now entering and exiting the vehicle requires much less effort, and is further eased by the addition of a step that has been perfectly incorporated into the machine’s design. One small step for man; one giant leap for worksite safety.
Filling Up without Falling Out
The fuel tank on the new MWR is extremely easy to access because it is now located in the undercarriage, level with the step that leads straight to the cab.
Besides helping lower the centre of gravity, the lower down position of the tank and its increased capacity also mean that the driver or fleet manager no longer has to carry out any operations at height, nor is there anything in the way when driving the vehicle. With the majority of other excavators still mounting the fuel tank in the upper carriage, filling up an MWR is as simple as it is safe. Because daily upkeep should always be risk-free.
Panoramic Vision
Overall visibility has been redesigned to optimise the driver’s direct line of sight.
At the rear, the shape of the hood has been reworked and the round window is now one uninterrupted piece (on the 15MWR) to give an unobstructed view. The boom of the Mecalac arm folds away, improving lateral visibility. The two-part retractable windshield and windows on opening doors mean the driver can be in direct contact with the worksite. With rear view mirrors and a perfectly integrated (optional) side camera, the driver can enjoy a whole new range of visibility of the site environment while operating their vehicle.
Switch between Parking, Site, or Road Mode in One Move
Thanks to the unique central selector, the driver can switch between road and parking mode in a single movement, instead of the 7-10 operations usually required in other excavators.
With this unique, worldwide exclusive, everything can be done instantly by selecting the desired configuration. This guarantees faultless and ultra-safe driving on construction sites, leaving the driver free to calmly focus on the tasks at hand and take full control of the machine.
High Security
At the forefront of Mecalac specification is optimising operator safety, as well as that of everybody else working on urban and suburban construction sites.
That is why the MWR has a lot of innovative equipment as standard. In addition to ‘boots on the ground’ maintenance, automatic locking of axle oscillation now makes it easier to secure the machine while the driver is concentrating on their work. These comprehensive safety features are further boosted by the lower centre of gravity and cab height. Integrated cameras may also be added as optional extras, and they interface perfectly with the 7” screen that provides you with views of the worksite as soon as you start reversing the vehicle.
More Compact and Efficient
Patrick Brehmer, Head of Marketing, Product Management and Design, said: “The MWR concept opens the door to new excavation methods. With extreme compactness and manoeuvrability, it proves that you don’t have to move around in urban environments to be efficient, fluid and powerful. With the MWR, Mecalac have finally found a solution to the challenges posed by modern-day worksites.”
Efficient Movement
The perfect partner for technical worksites where there is limited room for manoeuvre, MWRs with their slight, perfectly integrated offsets and three part arms are able to work beyond the scope of their usual dimensions, combining power with agility.
Without needing to move, the machine is always ideally positioned with remarkable precision in cramped or sensitive construction sites. Even when behind an obstacle such as a nearby wall running parallel to the vehicle, it can still dig downwards, and lift loads up to half its weight to a height of 3m with an exceptional economy of movement. The unique kinematics provides its articulated arm with a range of up to 9m in a single operation. Range coupled with precision and record working capacity means it can dig as easily and efficiently over short and long distances.
Ultra-flexible and versatile, the MWR brings profitability and comfort to complex or confined worksites.
Smaller means SAFER
With their tested dimensions, 360°rotation, and exceptional lifting angle of their booms (140°), the MWRs only need one lane in urban environments to accomplish their missions.
Traffic can continue to move and the driver can work right next to obstacles (buildings, street lights, plants, etc.) without endangering pedestrians. This compactness makes it possible for the machine to work at 100% performance with 100% of its functions, while also limiting the impact on the overall environment of urban worksites.
Versatility and Profitability
All-Terrain for all Weathers
Despite their weight, MWRs can tackle any gradient and any soil type, whatever the weather.
Because worksites are never completely flat, stability is absolutely crucial whether the machine is travelling, climbing or descending. Thanks to a dedicated travel circuit, a lower centre of gravity, four-wheel drive and three different tyre mounts, the driver can work in complete comfort without being bounced around. Whatever the operation and whatever the surroundings, the MWR will remain as smooth as it is mobile, and never loses its balance.
Overcome any Obstacle
The lower centre of gravity has not affected the machine’s ground clearance, which is something of an exclusive “Made in Mecalac” paradox.
Thanks to their architecture and their upper carriage being “built into” the undercarriage, the MWR can still be equipped with sizeable wheels without affecting its compactness. Remaining elevated in this way means the machine retains all of its mobility and can overcome obstacles safely and easily.
We’re Rather Attached to CONNECT
Eager to develop increasing safe and versatile products, Mecalac is delighted to unveil CONNECT – its patented quick coupler noted for its lightness, integration, ease of use and perfect safety.
Controlled from the cab, there is zero risk of it detaching from the tool either while it is being connected or while in operation. It is equipped with a detection system that alerts the driver if the tool is improperly secured (with visual and audible signals). Not only that, but it is also reversible and has an automatic clearance compensation function, making the CONNECT quick coupler the ultimate connection between tool and machine!
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
The MWR comes with a wide range of standard equipment, but that’s not to say it can’t be adapted to different types of customer, such as landscapers, diggers, public works professionals, or local authorities. So whether you want to change the colour of the paintjob, choose different tyres, or add air conditioning or cameras (without forgetting the numerous accessories, buckets and hydraulic tools), there are dozens of ways to tailor the new MWR to your brand and your business.
