E-quipment highlight: Husqvarna electric plate compactor

Husqvarna’s new LF 60i LAT battery-powered compactor delivers serious soil compaction and the convenience of cordless power.

A significant step up from the 18 and 20V power tools most of us have in our garages, the Husqvarna BLi-X 36V battery is a professional-grade cordless power pack that the company has engineered into series of job site-level power tools – and the this new plate compactor is the newest addition to the lineup.

“With two BLi300 batteries, you can run the forward plate compactor continuously for up to 45 minutes. If one battery is drained, it switches automatically to the next,” said Magnus Lindeberg, Global Product Manager for Light Compaction. “… many Forest and Garden machines feature the same batteries and chargers as well.”

The LF 60i LAT compactor shares many features with Husqvarna’s standard gas-powered compactors, but being powered by batteries means there’s no oil mix, no choke, no rope, and no throttle control needed. At the same time, the convex bottom plate and sprinkler system are designed to prevent asphalt from sticking to the equipment or from marking the surface.

What’s more, the LF 60i LAT should offer more uptime than the its ICE-powered siblings. A lot more, if the company’s PR is to be believed:

Both the efficient battery-operated drive unit and the eccentric unit are completely maintenance-free. Together with the brushless motor, this means lower running costs and a better total cost of ownership while keeping downtime to a minimum.

HUSQVARNA

Husqvarna showed off its new compactor at World of Concrete earlier this year, and opened the US order books for the LF 60i LAT in May, and the first production units should be reaching customers’ hands as you read this.

Electrek’s Take

Cordless power tools have come a long way, and next-level tools from Husqvarna and others are proving the worth of batteries in extreme duty conditions. The more that happens, the more likely crews are to welcome electric power in ever-larger applications … like excavators and wheel loaders.

And, whether they like it or not, ever tightening noise and emissions regulations are making battery power a must-have in more markets by the day.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Husqvarna, via Equipment Journal.