Wirtgen has launched a trio of high performance, next generation one-metre class compact milling machines which the manufacturer says are unique in the industry segment and integrate the proven technologies of its F-series large milling machines.

The W 100 Fi, W 120 Fi and W 130 Fi cold milling machine, which have been launched in the European market, are front loaders with working widths of 1m, 1.2m and 1.3m respectively. All three are powered by a Stage V John Deere diesel engine with a rated output of 360hp, which Wirtgen and John Deere have jointly tuned to offer torque characteristic that meet the specific needs of the cold milling process, said a statement from Wirtgen.

It added that as a result of the tuning, the machines use “significantly less fuel”, while delivering high productivity and milling to a maximum depth of 330mm. Wirtgen said customers can look forward to the same high performance in the new compact machines as they have experienced in the company’s large milling machines with onboard digital assistance systems Mill Assist machine control, Wirtgen Performance Tracker (WPT) and the Level Pro Active levelling system.

In automatic mode, Mill Assist selects the operating strategy with the most favourable balance between milling performance and operating costs. This increases milling performance and simultaneously reduces fuel, water and pick consumption and CO2 emissions. The operator can also pre-select one of three alternative operating strategies: ‘ECO’, ‘Performance-optimised’ or ‘Milling pattern quality’. This makes it possible, for example, to pre-define the required milling pattern quality on a scale from 1 (coarse) to 10 (very fine) at the press of a button, explained Wirtgen in its statement.

Mill Assist also automatically controls the drive system, the company adds, and iIn conjunction with the diesel engine, a very broad spectrum of applications can be realised by reducing or increasing the milling drum speed. The low-speed range enables reductions in fuel consumption and minimises pick wear. In the upper speed range, a high-quality milling pattern can be achieved, even in the case of higher area performance rates.

The manufacturer added that the Wirtgen Performance Tracker automatically determines area performance rates, milling volumes and the fuel and water consumption of the machine – without any need for external surveyors on the construction site. The operator can view all important performance and consumption data in the cabin in real time and send an automatically generated report to the machine owner by email immediately after completion of the milling job. WPT is an optional feature that can also be retrofitted to already operational compact milling machines at any time, Wirtgen added.