The Poclain LY belongs to the generation of French earthmoving machines that followed the company’s first excavators. From 1966 it used Poclain’s G1 1100 engine, and the LY 2P was one of the models built under licence by SEFAG in Argentina from 1968.
Poclain LY at a glance
| Maker | Ateliers de Poclain, Le Plessis-Belleville, France |
|---|---|
| Model | LY, with the LY 2P version |
| Engine from 1966 | Poclain G1 1100 |
| Shared engine with | LC 80 |
| Licensed production | SEFAG, Quilmes, Argentina, from 1968 |
| Other SEFAG models | TY 45, LC 80, TC 45 |
| Company founded | 1927, by Georges Bataille |
| First loader | 1948, on a Dodge 4×4 chassis |
| Loader plant | Carvin (CMC), from 1970 |
| Hydraulics division | created 1968, separate company from 1976 |
| Case stake | 40 per cent in 1977 |
Based on the Wikipedia articles on Poclain (English and French); neither covers the LY in detail, so this page is shorter than usual and the model’s own specification is not given.
History of the Poclain LY
Poclain before the LY
The Ateliers de Poclain grew out of a farm workshop at Le Plessis-Belleville, north of Paris. Georges Bataille founded the business in 1927 with the mechanic Antoine Léger and registered it under the Poclain name in 1930. Earthmoving began in 1948 with a loader unit built on a Dodge 4×4 chassis; the first hydraulic excavator, the TU, followed in 1951 and the TO in 1956. By the early 1960s Poclain was selling excavators in Germany and building its reputation on hydraulic motors of its own design.
The G1 1100 engine
The LY appears in the company’s chronology in 1966, when the G1 1100 engine was adopted to equip the LY and the LC 80. Using one engine across two machines simplified production and spares at a time when Poclain was moving from small-series workshop building to industrial production in large series, with the light machines assembled at Le Plessis-Belleville and heavy equipment at the Crépy-en-Valois plant.
Licensed production in Argentina
From 1968 Poclain excavators were built under licence in Argentina by SEFAG at Quilmes, in Buenos Aires province. The models listed for that arrangement were the TY 45, the LC 80, the TC 45 and the LY 2P, so the LY design travelled with the rest of the range. Poclain machines were also manufactured under licence in Czechoslovakia, India, Japan and Korea, and the company set up subsidiaries in Brazil and Mexico.
Loaders, hydraulics and the end of the marque
In 1970 Poclain diversified with the CMC loader factory at Carvin. The hydraulics division, created in 1968, became a separate subsidiary on 31 May 1976 and, after the family sold 40 per cent of the company to Case in 1977, was bought back by Pierre Bataille; it became an independent company in 1985. Case took over distribution in the United States and Canada and reached 98.7 per cent of Poclain by 1987. The earthmoving division passed to Fiat Geotech in 1999, which became CNH Global the following year, and the Poclain name disappeared from the machines; only Poclain Hydraulics still trades.
Design and features
- G1 1100 engine: adopted in 1966 and shared with the LC 80.
- Industrial series production: part of the range built in large series rather than one at a time.
- Licensed abroad: the LY 2P was built in Argentina by SEFAG from 1968.
- Backed by Poclain hydraulics: the company’s own hydraulic motors were the basis of its reputation.
Poclain LY versions
- LY: the model equipped with the G1 1100 engine from 1966.
- LY 2P: the version built under licence by SEFAG at Quilmes, Argentina, from 1968.
- Stablemates in Argentina: TY 45, LC 80 and TC 45.
The best-known Poclain of the period is described in the article on the Poclain TY45. More machines of the marque are in the Poclain collection.
Sources
- Poclain, French Wikipedia: G1 1100 engine, licensed production in Argentina, company chronology
- Poclain, English Wikipedia: 1948 loader, licences and subsidiaries, Case history
