30-Ton Articulated Dump Truck Shootout: Hyundai HA30 vs. CAT 730 vs. Komatsu HM300-5

Hyundai's HA30 entered a market that two names have owned for decades: Caterpillar's 730 and Komatsu's HM300-5. All three land in essentially the same payload class — right around 62,000 pounds — which makes this one of the cleanest apples-to-apples comparisons in heavy earthmoving equipment. If you're moving dirt, rock, or aggregate by the truckload and cross-shopping a 30-ton-class articulated hauler, here's the honest spec-by-spec breakdown.

The Spec Sheet, Side by Side

• Rated payload: Hyundai HA30 — 30 tons (Hyundai's own published class rating). CAT 730 — 61,950 lbs rated payload. Komatsu HM300-5 — 61,906 lbs rated payload.

• Engine and net horsepower: HA30 — Scania, 367 net hp. CAT 730 — CAT C13 ACERT, 325 net hp / 329 gross hp. Komatsu HM300-5 — Komatsu SAA6D125E-7, 324 net hp / 332 gross hp.

• Transmission: HA30 — ZF 8-speed automatic. (CAT and Komatsu each run their own proprietary automatic powershift transmissions matched to their engines.)

• Gross/loaded weight: CAT 730 — 50,376 lbs empty, 112,370 lbs loaded. Komatsu HM300-5 — 55,986 lbs empty, 117,892 lbs loaded.

• Top speed: CAT 730 — 34.4 mph.

• Standard telematics: HA30 — Hi-Mate included, plus integrated payload weighing and gradient monitoring on the redesigned cab. CAT and Komatsu each offer their own proprietary fleet-management platforms (CAT Product Link and Komtrax, respectively) as standard on current-generation trucks.

The Number That Actually Stands Out: Horsepower

Line up the payload ratings and all three trucks are functionally tied — within about 250 pounds of each other, which is a rounding error at this scale. But look at horsepower and the HA30 pulls ahead by a real margin: 367 net horsepower against 325 for the CAT 730 and 324 for the Komatsu HM300-5. That's not a marginal edge — it's roughly 13 percent more power moving essentially the same payload class. On paper, that power advantage should translate into faster acceleration out of a loading area, stronger climbing performance on grade, and shorter cycle times on a haul route with any real elevation change, since the HA30 isn't working as hard per ton hauled as its two competitors.

It's worth being honest about the limits of a horsepower-alone comparison, though. Gradeability and real-world cycle times also depend on gearing, torque curve shape, and transmission shift logic — none of which are fully captured by a single peak horsepower number. Hyundai's ZF 8-speed automatic is a well-proven, widely serviced transmission platform in its own right, but a direct on-site comparison pulling a loaded haul route on your actual grade is the only way to confirm whether that horsepower edge holds up in your specific application.

Where CAT's 730 Still Wins

CAT's articulated truck line has decades of field history behind it, and the 730 specifically has a published top speed of 34.4 mph — useful on longer haul routes where every mile per hour of travel speed compounds into meaningful cycle-time savings over a full shift. CAT's dealer and parts network is also among the deepest in North America for this equipment class, and CAT Product Link's telematics platform has years of refinement behind it with broad third-party fleet-software integration. For an operation already standardized on CAT equipment, or one that values the single deepest possible parts and service bench in the country, the 730 remains a very safe, very proven choice.

Where Komatsu's HM300-5 Still Wins

The HM300-5 carries the highest empty and loaded weight of the three, which reflects a heavier-duty frame and chassis built for sustained abuse in mining-adjacent and heavy quarry work. Komatsu has also built a strong reputation specifically in the ADT category through the HM-5 generation's dump-body and suspension refinements aimed at reducing spillage and cycle-time loss on rough haul roads. For an operation running punishing off-road haul routes at a quarry or large-scale earthmoving site where chassis durability under repeated abuse matters more than outright power, the HM300-5's heavier-duty build is a legitimate reason to choose it over either competitor.

The Cab Hyundai Just Redesigned Changes the Comparison

This comparison lands right after Hyundai gave the HA30 (and its 45-ton sibling, the HA45) a completely redesigned operator cab built around the same 12.5-inch touchscreen interface used across its current HX excavator lineup. That's worth weighing seriously: the new cab brings heated air-suspension seating, automatic climate control, a color-coded keypad, larger windows, an "auto-squat" function that lowers the front end for easier entry and exit, and an automatic brake-hold system for loading cycles. Hyundai backs the HA30 with a 3-year/3,000-hour full-machine warranty and a 5-year/10,000-hour structural warranty — competitive terms in this category, worth confirming directly against current CAT and Komatsu warranty offerings when you're comparing final numbers.

The interface-standardization angle matters more than it might seem. If you're running Hyundai excavators alongside the HA30, an operator can move between machine types with less retraining, because the touchscreen layout, menu structure, and basic control logic carry over. CAT and Komatsu each have their own version of this consistency within their own equipment families, so the real question isn't whether standardization matters — it clearly does — but which manufacturer's ecosystem your fleet is already built around, or which one you're planning to build toward.

Payload Weighing and Gradient Monitoring, Standard

All three trucks in this class offer some form of onboard payload weighing, but it's worth flagging that Hyundai includes both payload weighing and gradient monitoring as standard, integrated features on the new cab rather than a separate add-on system. On a haul route with real elevation change, gradient monitoring feeding directly into the same display the operator's already watching for payload data is a genuinely useful safety and efficiency combination — fewer separate systems to check, less chance an operator misses a grade warning because it's on a different screen than the one they're already looking at.

Duty Cycle and Haul Road Conditions Should Drive the Decision

The honest way to choose between these three isn't the spec sheet alone — it's an honest inventory of your actual haul roads. A site-development or highway-adjacent operation running mostly graded, maintained haul roads with real elevation change will get the most value out of the HA30's horsepower advantage and the CAT 730's top-end speed, since both trade well on routes where sustained travel speed and climbing power matter more than raw chassis toughness. A quarry or aggregate operation running rutted, ungraded pit roads day after day is a different calculation entirely — that's where the Komatsu's heavier-duty chassis and suspension earn their keep, because the truck spends its whole life absorbing impacts a highway-grade haul route would never produce.

It's also worth factoring in load-and-carry versus dedicated-haul-route work. A truck that's constantly loading, executing a short cycle, and dumping benefits more from quick acceleration and a tight turning radius than one running long, sustained highway-speed hauls on a bigger site. None of the three manufacturers publish a definitive answer to which configuration wins every scenario, which is exactly why a real duty-cycle analysis with your dealer — not just a spec sheet — should be the last step before you commit.

Fuel Efficiency and Total Operating Cost

Payload class and horsepower get most of the attention in a comparison like this, but on a truck that's going to accumulate thousands of hours moving material, fuel burn per ton hauled is where the real operating-cost differences show up over a multi-year ownership period. None of the three manufacturers publish directly comparable fuel-consumption figures in the materials available for this comparison, which means it's a question worth asking directly of each dealer, ideally backed by real fleet data from existing owners running similar duty cycles rather than a lab-rated number. A truck with slightly lower horsepower but meaningfully better fuel economy on your specific haul profile can easily out-earn a more powerful competitor over the life of the machine.

What This Means If You're Financing Heavy Civil or Quarry Work

Contractors in aggregate, quarry, and heavy site-development work tend to run articulated trucks in fleets rather than as a single unit, which means the decision here often isn't "which one truck" but "which manufacturer's ecosystem do we standardize the fleet around." We've looked at the same brand-versus-brand trade-off in other equipment classes — our Hyundai HD130 vs. Komatsu D61PX-24 dozer comparison and HL960A vs. CAT 950 GC wheel loader comparison both cover similar ground for their respective categories, and the same logic applies to ADTs: consistency across your fleet on telematics, parts, and operator training usually outweighs a modest single-machine spec advantage once you're running more than two or three units.

Resale and Trade-In Considerations

All three of these manufacturers have established secondary markets for articulated trucks in North America, so resale liquidity isn't a major differentiator on its own. What does vary is how well-documented a specific truck's history is by the time you're ready to sell or trade it — and this is where Hyundai's standard Hi-Mate telematics on the HA30 gives a buyer a genuine edge. A verifiable hour, location, and usage history removes a lot of the guesswork a buyer would otherwise have to take on faith, which tends to support a cleaner resale valuation regardless of brand. If CAT's Product Link or Komatsu's Komtrax data isn't consistently maintained or transferred with the machine, that documentation gap can work against resale value in exactly the same way.

Renting a 30-Ton Hauler Is Not a Long-Term Plan

Articulated dump trucks in this payload class rent at premium day and monthly rates, and quarry, aggregate, and large-scale site-development work is rarely a short-duration project — it's the kind of work that runs for months or years on the same site. That combination makes renting one of the most expensive ways to run this equipment class over any meaningful timeframe. Every month of rental payments on a machine this size is real money that never converts into an asset you own, while the job that justified the rental in the first place keeps generating revenue for someone else's balance sheet, not yours.

Financing any of these three trucks instead means the same haul contract that would have justified a rental instead builds equity in a truck you keep running on the next quarry contract, the next subdivision's mass grading, or the next highway job — all while this one is still being paid down. That's the core of how BFC thinks about heavy equipment financing, and it applies just as directly to a 30-ton ADT as it does to an excavator or wheel loader. For more on how Hyundai's growing North American presence affects parts and service support on equipment like the HA30, see our piece on Hyundai's expanding dealer network.

Bottom Line for Contractors Deciding

If horsepower and a genuinely redesigned, standardized operator interface matter most — especially for a fleet that already runs or plans to run other Hyundai equipment — the HA30 makes a real case on both counts. If the deepest possible dealer network and top-end travel speed on long haul routes matter more, the CAT 730 remains the safe, proven pick. If your work is punishing, off-road, and quarry-grade rather than road-adjacent site work, the Komatsu HM300-5's heavier-duty build is worth the premium. All three are legitimate, well-engineered machines from manufacturers BFC finances every day — the right answer depends on your actual haul routes and your existing fleet, not on which badge is most familiar.

Ready to Finance Any of These Three?

BFC finances Hyundai, Caterpillar, and Komatsu equipment every day — whichever hauler wins this comparison for your operation, we can structure financing around it. Learn more on our home page, apply directly through our equipment financing application, browse current listings on our equipment for sale and financing marketplace, or subscribe to the BFC blog for more head-to-head comparisons like this one.