Komatsu Smart Crane

Our Smart Crane technology builds on Smart Flow, our intelligent crane control that includes, among other things, an intelligent crane valve to ensure that the right pressure and flow are supplied to the crane at all times, regardless of the load. With its active crane damping, it also ensures impressive responsiveness and great precision in all crane movements. The crane quite simply feels like an extension of your own arm. Smart Flow reduces pressure losses as well, thereby improving fuel economy. Komatsu Forest has seen fuel savings as high as four percent during a normal forwarding cycle with both loading/unloading and off-road transport. 

Smart Crane offers advantages that include a reduced physical burden on the operator, enabling them to maintain constantly high production throughout the day. This is made possible by the crane's precision and smooth movement patterns, which with less sway and vibration enable the operator to remain more relaxed while working. A relaxed operator can work efficiently throughout an entire shift, which makes a big difference to how much can be produced in a single day.

Smart Crane simplifies crane control. With just three joystick movements, the operator can easily control the grapple with great precision. The telescopic boom extension is controlled automatically, meaning one less thing for the operator to think about. Fewer joystick movements make the job easier – even for an experienced operator – and also mean better operator ergonomics. Another advantage is that it is much easier for an inexperienced operator to quickly hone their crane operation skills.

Smart Crane alters its behavior depending on which stage of the crane cycle the grapple is at, just as an experienced operator does. This means that the crane behaves differently depending on whether the operator is gathering timber from the ground, loading it into the load space or stacking it at the roadside – everything to ensure maximum productivity every step of the way. This is seen, for example, in how Smart Crane priorities the telescopic boom extension over the main boom, saving both time and fuel. These settings can be adjusted to match the operator's preferences.