The RISE of Komatsu: Caterpillar’s Biggest Rival
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- From its breakthrough bulldozer designs in the 1940s to becoming a global leader in construction machinery, Komatsu's journey is nothing short of remarkable. What drove this Japanese company to innovate under extreme pressure, including producing a bulldozer for the military in just 30 days? Discover the untold story of Komatsu’s rise and the key moments that defined its legacy in the heavy machinery world.
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#machinery #heavymachinery #komatsu - บันเทิง
Hey everyone! Thanks for checking out this deep dive into the history of Komatsu. Before you go, I’d love to hear from you - have you ever worked with or operated equipment from Komatsu? Whether it’s a story, a tip, or just your thoughts on their machines, drop a comment below! Let’s get the conversation rolling and share some real-world experiences. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for more heavy-duty content! 🔔
The history of Komatsu isn't complete without the story of the 'Killdozer' in Colorado. Bulletproof!
I’ve had great luck with Komatsu excavators. Purchased a 1995 PC120, and a 1994 PC60 in 1996, and we ran the hell out of those machine until 2020. Sold them it to a guy stumping land for campgrounds in NH, and they’re still running strong.
Thanks for sharing your experience @boomersD9CAT!
@@heavymaticyt Thank you for your channel, and the content you provide !👏👏
Had a good experience with a Komatsu D39 dozer. It was a real workhorse and never gave any troubles. I see a LOT of D39s around. Seems to be a super popular choice. 100% would look at Komatsu first for my next dozer.
I worked for Komatsu at their Kalgoorlie facility in Western Australias Eastern Goldfields way back in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. If anyone from back then happens to read this a "big G'day"to you, and here's to the best years of my working life and thank you for making it that way..
Workers often complain about supervisors and management but with the quality and progress the company has achieved you would have to consider if this is actually accurate
I spent many hours in an old beater Komatsu 30 ton Rock Truck . It had heat , AC , Air ride seat , power windows , AM/FM and CD . Lots of room too . I smoked many cigarettes while trudging through the mud in this truck and loved it .
Always been a Cat man, however for last 6 years I've been running a Komatsu D53P-18 & a D85PX-15 Dozers on a landfill operation on behalf of my mate. They have preformed very well in a hostile environment for machines with very little down time.
As far as I'm concerned there's on two top dozer manufacturers, Caterpillar & Komatsu. All the others are second tier
Thanks for sharing your experience Jacob! Based on your familiarity with both, which one do you think is better?
One of my old boss swears by komastu, he has about 20 old pc200lc's from the 80's and still runs 5 of them right now 😂
Yeah, some people stick with certain models for a long time. And the most interesting part is that they still run after so much time!
The portrayal of Japan's role in WW2 as "something that just happened to have happened to Japan is "interesting".
@@teres-f8q Kings, queens, emperors (in Japan's case in WW2) and dictators fight for their own personal interests and they use the blood and treasure of their own countries to do so. God help us and the world, we may be about to find out what that's like in the USA.
Hands down the best dozers you can buy
Sorry mate cat are more comfortable and more agile trust me I’ve operated both
I was a certified Komatsu mechanic in the mid/late-80's and I would travel all over the state of Texas working on them. I was mainly an engine and tranny guy and built lots of them. I remember Komatsu had their own version of the Cummins NH220 they used in the beginning (mainly crankshaft changes) and the 855 as well before they started creating many of their own engines. Their excavators were a dream to run and they were kicking CAT's butt. Largest dozer engine I worked on was the D155 although there was only one bigger at the time for sub ocean floor work. I'm not sure anything became of it. I think we sold way more D65's and tons of PC220's back then. Those were very popluar.
makes it easy for them when they just copy and make small improvements as needed . whatever . .
@@joeguirey Yeah, evidently you hadn't had much experience with Komatsu, respectfully. They actually FORCED Cat to start upgrading their equipment and modernize the operator station and controls. I was factory certified for both and I had both to compare. If you watched the video, it actually showed the vintage CAT's versus the vintage Komatsu crawlers. At any rate, both are good machines.
We got Komstsu dozer on our coal stripping, I forget the model but it was close to a D10 size, an operator we had was a ww2 vet, he told the boss he won,t get on it, he said he remember,s Pearl Harbor, they didn’t, hold it against him.
Komatsu' success has been determined by the implementation of advanced management techniques in 1967. These methodologies were later on taught to Toyota, and then nearly all other Japanese companies. It took a decade to get results, buy they won the race. Maybe something Europeans and Americans shoould learn from, still.
The funny thing is...an American had much to do with that management system and he won a Japanese award. American companies refused to adopt it.
A brand new European (British) company was put out of business by Komatsu. Not because of Komatsu's superior management techniques, or by better technology, but because Komatsu - using its international big-company muscle - started selling to the British market at cost price. The British company, as a new starter, didn't have the resources to follow suit and soon went out of business. The company went to the British government for help but this was Thatcher's time and she, being an economic crank, refused to step in.
@ yeah, I know the story. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran taught the Japanese how to implement total quality management in 1954. That's why, still today, companies which excel in quality (in Japan) are awarded the Deming prize.
Nice video, thanks for sharing. As a Caterpillar engineer, my first encounter with Komatsu was in 1981. I was suprized by the quality and clever construction. Certainly not on par with Caterpillar. Regsarding their selling price, cost of operating and maimtenance Komatsu is hard to beat. Their direct competition comes from Hitachi and Volvo ranking 3#, Liebherr is at ranking 2# and Caterpillar at ranking 1#. Also resale value plays a big role.
Komatsu > caterpillar. As a user who owns both brands.
Yes @siberg6257
Thanks both for sharing your experience with both company's machines!
@@siberg6257we have a brand new fleet of 375 and 475 dozers. The amount of warranty work in the first 100hours hasn’t been impressive. And all the operators fight over the old d10s and d11 instead of using the new Krapmatsus😅
Caterpillar gear now is rubbish , take the D11 fusion for example
40 years with the UK Cat dealer. Komatsu became a growing rival to Caterpillar in the 80’s, it was a good product that earned a reputation for being reliable and good value for money. It was annoying that owners seemed willing to accept machine downtime with a Komatsu, something they deemed totally unacceptable for Caterpillar equipment. That’s all changed now of course. Today’s equipment buyer’s purchases are based on the financial package offered rather than the brand name.
If it’s Japanese for sure it’s real quality 😉
That's not the case anymore.
I had no idea that Komatsu had such a big role in helping American construction mining equipment manufacturers with their hydraulic articulation and hydraulic drive motors. 😮
A company well worth investigating is Prince Motors Japan. Datsun was a almost revolutionary car company, especially the 510. The Datsun 1600 was a nearly exact copy of the Prince. Nobody mentions it. Another interesting fact about the Japanese motor industry was the technical theft. Lift the bonnet of an early Nissan patrol and you find a 1936 Buick 6-cyclinder. They did the same with many other Japanese firsts.
Thanks for the suggestion!
A 15 year old engine can hardly be considered stolen technology.
The 'A' series engines (Datsun 1200 etc) were a lisenced copy of the Austin and the 'L' engines (1400 up to 2800) was a Mersedes engine.
A lot of these so called thefts were licensed productions of older engines, technology, machine tools etc. A lot of the big players found it profitable to sell licenses or even manufacturing tooling and assembly lines of products being phased out to poorer countries which they felt did not have the money or need for their latest products. A long way down the line when these companies are being surpassed, they say it was stolen technology. If a company stops innovating they fall aside and collapse eventually no matter how well protected they are by their home governments.
Very good video and very informative! I never knew the history of Komatsu.
I saw the D555A in Houston in 1981. I was surprised that Komatsu did not copy the Cat high sprocket design.
They can't, caterpillar hold the patent for that design.
14:45 The $1 Australian note, discontinued as a note in 1984.
Now issued as a $1 coin.
I worked for Clark-Michigan, later absorbed by Volvo-Euclid.
When in a meeting casual/formal I dissagree or felt my ideas rejected, I had a word said loud before I closed the door when leaving: " Viva Komatsu! ".
( I was the only Japanese ancestry guy in the Co., place Argentina).
Komatsu had produced the 475A Bulldozer and the 575A Super dozer which put the Caterpillar D11 their biggest dozer look like a normal dozer
You should do a video about Dresser, buying them out really helped komatsu become what it is today.
Noted! Thanks for the suggestion!
I have operated many of their machines and prefer them over Cat the newer ones Old Cat dozers are unbeatable.
I have a small pc05-05 as small house contractor i really loved it
Thanks for sharing your experience with PC05-5!
Is that the same Takeuchi that makes earth moving machinery ?
In 1921 Komatsu was founded by Meitaro Takeuchi. Meitaro’s son Akio founded Takeuchi in 1963. Although the family ties both brands are completely separate companies.
These japanese very well know how to build back their empire/nation even after any kind of catastrophe events.
You should’ve talked about the long history of their Concrete Crushing machines
Moral of story never give up 😊
Ive operated both through the yrs they both have pros and cons I say buy what you like
Here in Northern Sweden at least our company prefer Hitachi over Komatsu in regards to excavators and Caterpillar in regards to bulldozers, and Volvo in regards to wheel loaders. We tried Komatsu excavators but among several things Hitachi has better hydraulics (probably best on the market).
I would like to work with Komatsu.
The wheel loader wasn't invited by them. It was invented by hough in 1939.and they may have had high quality standards back then but today they do not.
Scoopmobile was before Hough
Kamatsu makes good dozers etc. I know because I have one. An old one.
Komatsu’s AHS is called FrontRunner.
Too bad there is more footage of caterpillar tractors than Komatsu ...
Do you have links to your sources? I want to be able to quote them and back up my argument
I'm surprised Modular dispatch system wasn't mentioned.
Komatsu didn't develop Modular. That purchased it.
Thanks. Could you please investigate Fuchs Petroleum. Fuchs makes the best, neutral Ph, high creep, synthetic penetrating fluid, yet doesn't market it. It is called RIVOLTA TRS Plus. I tried buying a can in Australia and was told it was reserved for the MINING INDUSTRY. I found this extradinary.
Great competition
Great video!!! Thank you so much
Make a video about Mitsubishi 😊
Wonder how unions slowed the progress at Cat?
Can you create a content about Volvo, SDLG and Shantui, pls
All the fuss about the use of AI sounds good and definitely has many advantages. But a major disadvantage is that it could cause many people to lose their jobs and thus their livelihoods. This affects every country on earth and to submit fully to the power of AI (and thus to the corporations that provide technology and data links) just to increase the profit margin by half a percent is, in my opinion, a loss of responsibility. People should be the focus, not money. I myself drive a Komatsu harvester, which is undoubtedly a good machine. But the company's ability to monitor down to the second and centimeter and the pressure that this creates are accelerating the dehumanization of the world more and more. And all because of money, the fuel of wars, depression and inflated egos.
Well said my new friend.
I love their excavators but dozers not so much. That's an interesting take on Japan's "involvement" in ww2
Komatsu uses Cummins engines mostly.
Speaking of Cummins, make sure you check our documentary on the company th-cam.com/video/aQDSM7VGblI/w-d-xo.html
No, power stroke
@onesykaranja2903 Cummins.... Power stroke is Navistar.
Yanmar
Yanmar and Cummins
Good old KILLDOZER!
In my obervation, Caterpillars have more powerful engine, so mostly they're doing the heavy work, but generally, it consumes more oil and fuel.
Komatsu is more fuel efficient, cheap to buy and cheaper to run, and reliable but not so good on digging hard rocks and soil or other heavy-duty works. So mostly they're at the rear operations moving the dugged rocks and soil from the Caterpillar.
They complement each other.
What 😂😂. They are used in all applications. Keep dreaming bro
@jonathanpalmer228 huh?
All the large Komatsu tractors have more drawbar pull than the equivalent cat tractor , so in short will shit all over caterpillar ripping
@spannaspinna if that so, PC200 series won't be the best sellers. Consumers know better.
@@saltymonke3682 like for like Komatsu is a Better machine
I cant imagine how much money they lost on making the D575 when only 60 were made. Had to be the most unreliable POS dozer ever made. 🍻
I stopped watching when I saw the CREEPY AI-animation of old b/w Portraits - please stop this nonsense before it spreads out of control 😉💀
Which company should we feature next? Comment below with your suggestions and don't forget to subscribe for more heavy machinery videos!
Gradall
KUBOTA!
SUNSHINE! JAPANESE DOMESTIC MARKET KUBOTA TRACTORS REBADGED, AND BUILT FOR A FARMING CO OP, GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED FARMING!!
Hyster
Mahindra. Now outsells John Deere in USA.
Why use AI so much?
Driverless trucks are the go it’s the most boring job you can’t get people to come to work do t have to feed the driver if you want them to slow down the truck slows down made my life as a supervisor way more less stressful 😂😂
Best excuvator i ever drive till the yanks got a hold of Perkins, last one i drive big end bearing fell out the bottom, spoke to the guy who designed the perkins crankshaft, he said cat was not the same they also they made great wee chainsaws, before efco bought them over.
Caterpillar owns Perkins, how could they be different?
@ccclc6159 caterpillar bought Perkins, Perkin engines used to be one of the most reliable engines in the world, originally built in England. Made with different materials.
@@davydacounsellor my dad bought a new1130 Massey Ferguson in about 1971, it was very stout, it would pull as much as his 1150, very few issues with the 1150 but that 1130 had engine problems constantly, most others who had 1130's or 1135's didn't have all those problems, so I know first hand Perkins built at least 1 bad one
You said it all, smoothest hydraulics ever, used to fall asleep driving them , dump truck drivers used to have to phone me up to wake me up while I was loading them, and you are right about Perkins after Cat got them , bearing in the water pump failed , no impeller fins left and an engine cooling system filled with rust at about 1750 hours and that was on a piece of Cat junk , if you wanted to slew a few mil to the right the bloody thing had to go about 50 mil to the left first before it would go right , putting manhole rings in was a bitch.
@@ccclc6159 the 1135 engine was also licensed out to other countries and being built n Mexico, Argentina, Turkey, Peru, South Africa, Brazil and the USA
All though i am all for hightec equipment i believe if you ask people who lost there jobs to robots what they think i would belive that no mater what they would rather have a job than sit at home hungry
AHS beats the "skills and experience" of human drivers...100%
Yeah, it's pretty advanced system.
CAT AHS system sh*ts all the Komatsu AHS system.
Interesting that this video does not mention the acquisition of LeTourneau in 2011, a company that is in Caterpillar's back yard!
The only thing LeTourneau has got going for it is that the Venga Boys used the sound of a LeTourneau loader horn in one of their songs 😂
Komatsu WA475-10 wheel loader, I rank that as the most miserable front end loader I've ever been in. And I've been in a long list of loaders in my 20 plus years in quarry operations.
Interesting... Thanks for sharing your experience with WA475-10 Nicholas! What particularly you didn't like?
This sounds like a corporate slideshow for a company that's a few years away from going bankrupt
War crimes complicity? Apartheid involvement?
Did you blackface a Japanese man in the thumbnail?
I own a Komatsu 1968 D 60 almost purchased 197?? A Komatsu a 155 it was too big what i was doing instead i leased D8K i liked this one for terrian size of bush handling weight power
Love that 8k tractor
I liked the subject but hated the production of this video so much. The AI animation slop and unrelated pictures are vomit-inducing.
Modern Komatsu is a shit show. We run them. Oh all modern diesels are a shit show. Lo 3 codes all the time. Lo1 mainly codes for emissions. 1300 dollars for the def sensor. Which has heater hoses to warm the def. We just had to delete 2. Oh this is a problem for all manufacturers. Egr coollers last a year. Almost a radioator per year (most have 2 to 3 which is common) this is industry wide. Im not knocking them. Yes i prefer cat power over Cummins though. Some do not hold a slope well. That can happen depending on the size to any machine. I have found the trackhoes have crazy fast hydraulics. Visibility in the medium size is excellent. Bigger is horrible. Smaller hydrostatic transmission dozers struggle in high heat. Good machines though
Reliable kit cats should have been renamed dogs or cat s--t
I wonder how many caterpillars tractors they copied??
I smell a ton of AI bullshit or judt general bullshit, oth in the video and the comments.
STUPID AI GENERATED GRAPHICS
Garbage! Buy a Cat.
Nothing is better than John Deere the best by far you pay for what you get
You pay through the nose and you only own JD to the extent they decree.
You've obviously never had the opportunity to try out the other manufacturers and only see it through nationalistic glasses. That is pure subjectivity and therefore not relevant.
@ you pay for what you get
In the 90's - 00's Deere was unbelievably better then Cat! I don't know about now. Been out of the game since 08!
More of those electric hybrid pieces of sht excavators will bring Komatsu to it's knees again. Absolute junk nobody wants
The most overrated brand ever. No comfort,no power .210 ,170,240 ... I ran them and they are shit.
Seriously?
And you are a Cat fan, no doubt?
Cat, Komatsu, Hitachi are the three best manufacturers for heavy equipment on the planet
They are powerless. Their trucks are descent for the most part. But it's pretty obvious why their loaders and hoes are cheap.
@@michaelmackey754 Liebherr No. 1 and not only in Australia
boring video even more boring commentary, dull, lifeless, repeating facts over and over does not make for an interesting video, take note