KOMATSU CONSTRUCTION AND MINING EQUIPMENT

Komatsu History

Komatsu machinery and equipment have long been renown for durability and longevity. Komatsu was founded in 1921 Japan (, and it focuses primarily on manufacturing construction, mining, and military equipment. They excel in producing high quality bulldozers (dozers), excavators, backhoe loaders, track loaders, wheel loaders, crawlers, crushers, graders, shovels, skid steer loaders, and trucks.

Komatsu also makes fantastic articulating dump trucks and forklifts. Their world-wide market reach is second only to Caterpillar which is arguably more of a marketing powerhouse, while some equipment operators believe Komatsu is more engineer-driven. This is an argument for another day, but the simple fact remains that "Cat" out sells Komatsu in present day - this may change over the years.

Komatsu came into it's own in the early sixties when they procured some extremely gifted design engineers and began sending a new breed of machinery off their assembly lines. All manufacturers of heavy duty equipment had to stand up and take notice of Komatsu's entry into the market. Up until this time Japanese products had a bad reputation for poor/cheap quality, and the Komatsu Corporation had to overcome this perception by over-delivering on their marketing promises. This approach paid off, and by the early 1970's they had completely destroyed the "cheap" stereotype perceived by heavy duty machine operators around the world.

Komatsu's First Equipment - WWII and Post War

Komatsu's first piece of equipment was a simple tractor, and then they soon made war-time products for WWII. They manufactured bulldozers, tractors, howitzers, trucks, and tanks for the Japanese military during this time. After the war was over they became popular for their bulldozers for use in the rebuilding of Japan. Komatsu dozers were a common sight during the clean up and regrounding of Nagasaki and Hiroshma. By the mid 1950s they had advanced far enough that they were producing their own high-powered engines (power plants) which really made competitors raise eyebrows.

Used Komatsu Equipment

Used Komatsu equipment can be had for a bargain, but you operators and owners must be aware of the maintenance documents (history) of any pre-owned loader - this goes for any brand or model, and all professionals realize this.

If you would like to purchase used Komatsu equipment you use some of the most common auction and trader sites online. You can also use Ebay or Craigslist (in Canada try Kijiji as well) if you want to see what is available for sale.

We can't stress enough how important service and repair records are. You also want to consider what country the equipment was utilized in, and how close to salt water the machinery was operated in. There is no such thing as machinery (and this includes Komatsu) that is not effected by salt water erosion and deterioration.

At LPATT.com we've set out to provide basic information on Komatsu equipment and we list links in the menu below. We cover a wide variety of subjects, such as; prices, reviews, service manuals, dealers, and parts lists. Furthermore we list attachments, and accessories for R&R (removal and replacement) on older Komatsu equipment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------