Editor's Comments

I had an opportunity to operate a motor grader and a dozer fitted with Topcon’s 3D-MC2 control system while on a recent press trip to see their plant and newly opened training center in California. 

I have to tell you that I have had opportunities to operate dozers and motor graders without 3D-MC2 on other occasions at company demos and quickly learned how difficult it is to operate them well. I ended up with a nice washboard surface with a dozer. You know the feeling. You cut a bit deep and create a nice trough, so quickly raise the blade, but the dozer dips and rises as it passes in and out of the trough. Meanwhile, you are adjusting the height of the blade but aren’t in sync with the up and down movement of the dozer and you end up raising then lowering the blade too much, setting yourself up for another nice trough. 

So needless to say, I entered the Topcon-equipped dozer with trepidation. It was a test of man vs. machine technology. Well, I am happy to say that the technology won.

There is a nice, simple-to-use gauge which you use to position the blade at the right elevation. The 3D-MC2 system is so easy to operate that all I had to do was steer the dozer. My experience with the 3D-MC2 system on the motor grader was equally impressive. 

3D-MC2 utilizes Topcon’s GX-60 control box, GPS+ antenna, MC-R3 receiver and new 3D-MC2 sensor and pairs them with advanced new controlling software. The MC2 sensor combines a gyro, compass and inertial sensor to measure the X, Y and Z position as well as the roll, pitch, yaw and acceleration of the dozer.

While operating a dozer without this technology, I would make adjustments to the blade that took a second or more to execute. The 3D-MC2 system made adjustments to the blade up to 100 times a second! 

3D-MC2 increases speed up to 200 percent over existing 3D systems and makes it four times more productive than a manual dozer, according to Topcon. And I believe it. 

Imagine what this could mean to your company’s bottom line to have a single dozer with 3D-MC2 doing the work of two dozers at speeds and smoothness comparable to a grader. 

This is a revolutionary change that is reshaping the way we use machines to be more productive and profitable.