Liebherr PR776 Bulldozer

For years, Caterpillar had the patent on a high drive or elevated drive for their range of tracked tractors and it is now interesting to see Liebherr enter the fray with the PR776 dozer incorporating the elevated drive concept. The new entry from Liebherr tips the scales at 74 ton and is powered by a 12-cylinder diesel engine delivering 768hp. The PR776 offers significantly lower fuel consumption to similar pushing performance with infinitely variable hydrostatic travel drive and intuitive joystick control for enhanced operator comfort.

The model in 1:50th scale has been produced by WSI and is certainly engineered to the same high standards as their previous Liebherr models. On the first production run, the rear ripper functionality was limited in a way that prevents it from mimicking the full movement of the original and to their credit, WSI has fixed this on the latest production release.

There are some nice additions to the model, like the various grills located on the sides and upper engine panels which are separate photo-etch parts showing the perforations nicely.

The cabin interior has been finished in a light grey colour with black seat and hand controls visible. Exterior cab details include metal grab handles, front, side and rear screen wipers and rear view mirrors while printing has been used on the windows to simulate the rubber seals.

Safety in the mining sector is of paramount importance and walkways are located on both sides of the machine, complete with etched floor panels and accurately scaled metal safety railings.

The front blade has good surface detailing of the bolt holes for the cutting edge with perforated upper spill guard. Side hydraulics allow the angle to be changed while the main lift cylinders, complete with flexible supply lines and integrated front facing lights are stiff in operation and allow the blade a full range of movement.

The track frames really look good, with the lower rollers pivoting and the idler wheels tensioned to keep the linked tracks taut while the raised final drive shows surface detailing of the fixing bolt heads and toothed sprocket. At the rear, hydraulic lines are fitted to the lift and tilt cylinders of the ripper frame and the shank is held in place cleverly, allowing it to be extended / retracted easily without having to remove a locking pin.