Earthmovers April 2023

115-TONNE DOZER: EUROPE’S LARGEST

April 2023

Issue 228

Editor Graham Black

Editor@EarthmoversMagazine.co.uk

News Editor Kyle Molyneux

Sub Editor Paul Carter

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Publishing Director Paul Cosgrove

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Attachments are king

In many off-road industries, the eye-catching prime mover acts merely as a host, accommodating the operator by providing a safe and comfortable working environment.

It also hosts, powers and moves the attachment, which the operator uses to make the money. For some, the most significant part of the buying decision is an attachment that best suits their needs, while machine that is going to host it is of secondary importance.

An increasingly important part of this buying decision is how the attachment is going to be controlled, laser- and satellite-based systems offering an incredible level of automatic accuracy. The host excavator merely provides data on where it and its working equipment are positioned, then reacts to commands from the machine control system.

Gone are the days when a bucket was simply pinned to the end of a dipper; at the very least there will now be a quick coupler, perhaps even a tilting hitch. However, excavators in the UK are increasingly being equipped with tiltrotators, resulting in the use of Scandinavian-style buckets.

By no means am I suggesting the entire industry should run eyewateringly expensive heavy-duty buckets. Rather that there is a bit of fuel to be saved and a little more productivity to be eked out by more precisely matching bucket specification to the typical conditions encountered. It’s a lesson long since learnt in heavy-duty applications such as mining and demolition.

Yours till next month

Graham Black, Editor

38

Looking at the latest developments in automatic excavator quick-hitches.

45

Attachment used by JC Thomas & Sons to reduce oversize scrap metal.

D475A-5

Details of the first 9000 hours put on the largest dozer at work in Europe.

55

High-tech kit used to construct large, super-flat industrial concrete floors. 61

JCB 220X

High-spec excavator spearheading Waitings Group charity fundraising. 63

HQ

The CJ Charlton Group at work on a demolition site in Edinburgh. 68

South-east Ireland operator has added a used Hyundai HX220 excavator.

April

63

TAIL END

73 EDITOR’S COMMENTS BACKHOES

Graham Black on the future of these versatile multi-purpose machines.

75 FACTORY PROFILE CUMMINS

Latest developments at this long-term manufacturer of heavy-duty engines.

78 CLASSIC PLANT STRIPPING SHOVELS

The history of giant stripping shovels produced by Marion and Bucyrus.

84 MACHINES PAST WORKING EVENTS

Machinery highlights of the 2022 Morris Leslie classic working weekend.

89 INTERVIEW BALFOUR BEATTY

Technological advances in recent years on large public-funded projects.

94 PLANTMOBILIA LIEBHERR R9600

The latest 1:50-scale mining backhoe from NZG is a monster with plenty of fine detailing.

96 NEXT MONTH

Here’s a taster of just some of the exciting features planned for the next issue.

98 PICTURE POST

Got any interesting or unusual pictures of earthmoving men or machinery? WIN £20 for our ‘Pic of the Month’.

A LONG WAY TOGETHER

EARTHMAX SR 41

No matter how challenging your needs, EARTHMAX SR 41 is your best ally when it comes to operations that require extraordinary traction. Thanks to its All Steel radial structure and the special block pattern, EARTHMAX SR 41 provides excellent resistance against punctures and an extended service life. In addition to long working hours without downtime, the tyre ensures extraordinary comfort.

EARTHMAX SR 41 is BKT’s response to withstand the toughest operating conditions in haulage, loading and dozing applications.

Tel: +44 0151 728 4171

bkt_enquiries@kirkbytyres.co.uk

www.kirkbytyres.co.uk

STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD

As David Wylie reports, GBSS Civils and Plant Hire has invested in a new JCB 3CX Pro backhoe loader painted in a stunning livery

Based at High Bonnybridge in Stirlingshire, GBSS Civils and Plant Hire was established by the husband-and-wife team of George and Fiona Burns in 1994, with a used 13-tonne excavator. Today, the family-run, multi-disciplinary firm undertakes civil engineering and groundworks projects, together with offering plant hire, across the central belt of Scotland. This is in addition to

increasingly providing pre-construction value engineering, construction, commissioning and maintenance services.

Stars of the GBSS mass muck-shifting fleet are the latest GPS-equipped Komatsu dozers and excavators, plus various other excavators also equipped with 3D guidance systems. The fleet also includes excavators fitted with Prolec rated capacity indicators, which feature height and slew limiting. All their excavators are equipped with a green seatbelt light and a twinlock quickhitch, and pallet forks are available for machines above 13 tonnes.

A long-term customer of dealer Scot JCB, George started the firm as an owneroperator with an old JS130 excavator bought from his previous employer for just £25,000. With the support of Scot JCB,

“THERE’SSTILLAPLACE FORABACKHOELOADER, ASLONGASYOU’VEGOTA GOODOPERATORTOGET THEBESTOUTOFIT”

The modern-looking JCB 3CX Pro replaces a 3CX Eco 70th anniversary model, which featured iconic red wheels and buckets, together with a white cab.

he went on to rack up an impressive 19,000 hours on this machine. It was during this time that George took the decision to expand the fledgling business significantly by acquiring a second machine, a greycabbed JCB 3CX backhoe loader. He said, “I was once given good advice: the hardest decision I’d make in the plant

hire world was to double the size of my fleet, going from one to two machines, and it was right. Attracting and retaining good operators is an ongoing challenge, but one that we relish. We’re sitting with 75 machines in our fleet at present and the vast majority of experienced operators are on our books.”

BACKHOE LOADER

In the capable hands of operator Sandy Morgan, a JCB backhoe loader plays a key role in the machinery mix of GBSS. We met George and Sandy at the Calderwood village development scheme, to the west of Edinburgh. GBSS was the civil engineering and groundworks sub-contractor to

Left, above and below: The cab offers a great all-round view, from both the front and rear operating positions.

Operator Sandy Morgan praises his new mount’s roading abilities, the boom suspension and the new cab.

“OPERATORSANDYMORGAN APPLAUDEDTHECAB ENVIRONMENT,PARTICULARLY ITSCOOLEDANDHEATEDSEAT”

Morrison Construction for the recentlycompleted Calderwood school complex. It will provide primary education for 460 pupils, together with over 120 nursery places. GBSS continues to work in the rapidly expanding community on a residential housing site on behalf of Tough Construction.

George continued, “It’s fair to say that smaller rubber-tracked diggers are very popular machines on many construction sites nowadays, as are rubber ducks. That said, there’s still a place for a versatile backhoe loader, as long as you’ve got a good operator to get the best out of it for the client. I’m pleased to say Sandy is one of those operators.”

For the last five years, Sandy has been working at Calderwood on a limited edition 3CX backhoe, as George continued, “The JCB 3CX 70th anniversary model was displayed and bought at ScotPlant 2016. It now has 9600 hours on the clock and has performed well. It’s still a very tidy-looking machine that we are planning on restoring to as-new condition.” It will join George’s 1972 JCB Mk3 backhoe loader.

To save time and money on its restoration, the 70th anniversary model will get the factory-fresh 4-in-1 front bucket from the firm’s new JCB 3CX Pro backhoe. Sandy’s new mount is equipped with the bucket from the anniversary machine that, despite 9600 hours, is still in good condition.

Replacing an iconic 70th anniversary model with a standard yellow machine would be a bit of a disappointment, so George and his graphics guru designed a stunning black, red and gold colour scheme. Scot JCB’s painter took over a week to repaint the entire machine, suggesting

his own additions along the way, such as the red power stripe on the engine bonnet.

George said, “I must compliment Scot JCB’s Glasgow branch for the magnificent black and red paint job, and our own graphics guy for the brilliant looking gold decals. In general, Scot JCB’s service support is second to none, and we’re looking forward to getting another six years of good productive service from the new 3CX Pro backhoe loader.”

VERSATILITY

As George said, the key to running a backhoe loader in a modern plant hire fleet is its operator, in order to provide a truly versatile resource to the client and able to undertake a wide variety of tasks at a moment’s notice. On this housing site, Sandy was doing just that. Site dumpers were loaded using the backhoe, while the larger capacity front bucket was used to load trucks and to keep the gravel stockpiles neat and tidy.

The front bucket can be easily detached, allowing the pallet forks integrated into the quick-hitch to be flicked down. Ideal for unloading, stockpiling and transporting palletised building blocks and other materials around the site. The loader arms feature JCB’s Smooth Ride system, which provides dynamic hydraulic suspension of the load being carried.

Given that some parts of the site were still in the muck-shifting phase, Sandy and the 3CX were also deployed to keep the tarmac access roads safe and tidy. The 4-in-1 front bucket was used to scoop up the majority of the material, then a hydraulically-driven brush was attached to give the road surface a final clean.

3CX PRO: IN THE CAB

In addition to praising the roading performance, load stability and digging ability of his new 3CX Pro, operator Sandy Morgan applauded the cab environment, particularly its cooled and heated seat.

A revised version of JCB’s Command Plus cab was a key feature of the upgraded 3CX Pro’s launch at the end of 2020. Externally, it features four yellow flashing LED beacons integrated into the cab roof. This removes the need for vulnerable roof-mounted beacons and improves the coverage of the optical hazard warning.

The cab interior features a split colour line with darker grey in the lower half and a lighter grey upper half, helping the airy and spacious feel of the cab. A three-spoke steering wheel provides an improved view to the new front display screen.

For the first time, JCB supplies a factoryfitted radio with Bluetooth telephone, USB, AUX and SD card connectivity. The radio is now integrated into the headlining, but can be controlled by a rotary switch in the side console.

Audio and telephone functions are also displayed in the new 7in side display screen. This LCD side screen provides the operator with increased functionality and is controlled by an automotive-style rotary device, which provides quick access to the various menus.

Resplendent in its custom livery, the new 3CX Pro has delivered excellent levels of digging power.

AUTOMATED DRIVETRAIN

The 3CX Pro comes with a range of automated features designed to boost productivity by making life easier for the operator, for example a return-to-dig function for the front bucket. This model features a suite of automated sub-systems within its drivetrain, the star of the show being a new JCB six-speed autoshift powershift transmission, driven by their latest Stage 5 ultra-low emissions engine. The in-house driveline is completed by JCB’s TorqueLock system, which offers improved acceleration, faster road speeds and improved fuel economy. The latest version of auto-drive allows the operator to easily select a chosen engine speed when roading. Through the main monitor, the

operator can also adjust when the auto 2WD system kicks in. This automatically switches the transmission from all-wheel drive to two-wheel drive, when the additional traction is no longer required. It’s handy when digging into a stockpile in 4WD, allowing the system to do its thing as the backhoe reverses out of the pile and gains speed. It’s one less thing for the operator to do, which will have a significant impact on both fuel consumption and tyre life.

These tasks were undertaken by a single operator, so arguably taking the place of an excavator on loading duties and a telehandler on pallet work, to say nothing of a road cleaning solution. The ultra-low emissions, extremely versatile machine was consuming an average of just 5.8 litres of diesel an hour.

OPERATOR FEEDBACK

Having been brought up on a farm, then working for George for the past 18 years, Sandy is a highly experienced plant operator. After almost 10,000 hours in the anniversary model, he clearly enjoys the versatility that a backhoe can provide, both on civils and general plant hire work.

Sandy said, “The JCB 3CX Eco 70th anniversary model was a nice machine to operate and its iconic red wheels, buckets and white cab looked great. Apart from a few very minor niggles, the machine was on the whole very reliable, had great

all-round performance and has proved to be hugely versatile around this large jobsite.

“While I was more than happy with the 2016 3CX, this new 3CX Pro is even better equipped and has more performance, particularly its stability on the road and top speed, which can reach 50kph. The other advantage of the suspension damping system is on site, where there is little or no bounce, so a pallet of monoblocs is far less likely to split open when travelling across unfinished roads.

“The machine has other additional useful features, such as the front grille rubber bump stops when loading close in to vehicles. And the revised location of the standard radio in the headboard keeps it clean. The new cab layout is well designed with the operator in mind.

“This JCB 3CX has plenty of digging power, in fact I’d go as far as to say there isn’t another backhoe on the market that would out-dig a 3CX. Overall, I simply

can’t fault it, as it’s great to drive and looks stunning in this bespoke black and red livery.”

THE FUTURE

The civil engineering and plant hire divisions of the GBSS business have recently been

Left, above, and below: The 4-on-1 bucket is easily detached from the quick-hitch, allowing the integrated pallet forks to swing down, or a powered attachment such as a road sweeper to be fitted.

separated to work as sister companies, to better enable expansion in both sectors of the market. George anticipates a busy time for the civils side of the business in 2023, which will obviously have an impact on the hire business, to supply any additional machines required.

Independent of this, George has plans to grow the hire fleet with a mix of the latest kit, together with rebuilt machines. A paint shop has recently been added to their main workshop, which will enable them to refurbish machines in-house mechanically and cosmetically. As their existing fleet

reaches 7000 to 8000 hours, the plan is to give them a second life, which is expected to provide another 5000 hours of service. This will provide customers with a choice of cutting-edge technology, or a more costeffective option, both of which are to be found in their modern backhoe loader.

“ALLTHESETASKSWERE UNDERTAKENBYONEOPERATOR, HISVERSATILEMACHINECONSUMING JUST5.8LITRESANHOUR”

NEWS

A round-up of news stories in the plant and machinery construction industry

EPIROC BUYS MERNOK

Epiroc has completed the acquisition of Mernok Elektronik, a South African company that provides advanced collision avoidance systems for mining companies.

JCB HYDROGEN NEWS H

ot on the heels of JCB announcing that its hydrogen combustion engine will make its international public debut at the forthcoming Conexpo in Las Vegas, comes the news that the UK government has given its approval to test and use its world-first hydrogen-powered backhoe loader on the public highway. Of perhaps more strategically important news is that a JCB hydrogen-fuelled engine has been fitted into a 7.5-tonne Mercedes truck,

illustrating the scope of hydrogen as a key fuel of the future.

Chairman Lord Bamford said, “This is a giant leap forward for JCB and the rest of the world, because we all have one goal: to reduce emissions. The hydrogen engine we have installed in the truck is the same as those already powering prototype JCB machines. There is no reason we should not see hydrogen combustion engines in vehicles used on the roads in the future, including cars.”

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS NEEDED

New figures from the Construction Industry Training Board reveal that hundreds of thousands of extra workers will be required by 2027 to meet the demand from the construction industry. Their annual construction skills network report shows that 224,900 extra workers will be needed to meet UK construction demand between now and 2027.

They predict that construction output is set to grow for all regions of the UK, as slow market growth returns in 2024. The major sectors for demand are private housing, infrastructure, repair and maintenance. If projected growth is met, by 2027 the number of people working in construction will be 2.67m. The construction industry is expected to remain a sector where there is demand for workers, despite the economic uncertainty.

KOMATSU LOADER MONITOR

Komatsu has announced a new control screen – called SubMonitor – for its WA380 to WA500 wheel loaders. It merges many features found in the previous cab into one device, with a 12.1-inch touch-screen as the operator interface. New features include a rear-view Supervision system, which combines a high-definition camera with a radar obstacle detection system.

CAT COMPACTS IN SCOTLAND

Finning UK & Ireland continues to expand its regional compact equipment dealer network. The trio of Mark Garrick, RC Dalgliesh and LCF Engineering have joined the existing compact dealer in Scotland, DM Forklifts. Each of the family-owned businesses is strategically located: Garrick covers northern Scotland, Dalgliesh takes responsibility for the south, DM Forklifts covers the east, while LCF will serve customers in the central belt.

SECOND LIFE FOR CAT 836

The recycling and waste management firm FCC Environment has given Finning the green light to complete the UK’s first certified machine rebuild on a Cat 836 landfill compactor. The 15-year-old machine is expected to have another 15 years of work left in her, while the rebuild will cost approximately half of the price of a brand new replacement, particularly if remanufactured major components are used. Rebuilding a machine instead of buying new can have significant environmental benefits. One estimate suggests that the process saves 85% in energy costs, uses 85% less water and generates around 60% fewer greenhouse gases.

MORE CRUSHERS & DUMPERS FOR MCHALE

McHale Plant Sales is now an official distributor in Ireland for the Jonsson Crushers range of mobile crushing equipment. Jonsson is now owned by Metso, whose products have been distributed by McHale since 2015. The Jonsson range includes tracked jaw and tracked cone crushers, together with an electric-powered tracked double crusher.

In other news, McHale now sells and

supports the Prinoth range of tracked all-terrain vehicles in the Irish market. Their six-model range of dumpers offer payloads from 5715kg to 13,200kg. In addition to increasing use of tracked dumpers across several land-based industries, the broader range of Prinoth configurations are also suited to specialist applications, such as electric transmission, pipe-laying, drilling, forestry and crew transportation vehicles.

WORSLEY NOW OILQUICK DEALER

Worsley Plant is now an official UK dealer for the OilQuick fully automatic quick coupler system, which allows hydraulically-powered attachments to be changed directly from the driver’s cab in just 10 seconds. Worsley already offers crushing and screening buckets from REMU and MB, as well as demolition attachments from Rotar, magnets from Dynaset and Montabert breakers.

PRODUCT LAUNCH // CAT LOADERS

DUO OF 20 TONNERS

The new generation Cat 950 and 962 wheel loaders feature simple-to-use operator aids to boost their operating efficiency. Using the new Autodig sub-system, the operator can now fully automate bucket loading to improve fill factors and loading times. Working in combination with the new Auto Set Tires sub-system, it significantly reduces tyre slip and wear. The Advanced Payload with Assist sub-system includes Tip Off Assist, which automates the load adjustment of the final bucket to match target truck weight.

New application profiles give operators the ability to set customised profiles for specific applications at the touch of a button, optimising loader settings for the job in hand.

The ultra-low emissions Cat C7.1 engine drives through a five-speed transmission with a single clutch and lock-to-lock shifting, resulting in faster acceleration and speed on grades. The new loaders offer improved traction with standard front manual differential locks, while optional automatic front and rear differential locks are available.

Depending on region, the 950 and 962 models are equipped with either conventional or optimised Z-bar linkages. The standard Z-bar design delivers high breakout force at ground level. The optimised Z-bar linkage offers parallel lift capability for precise attachment control as well as providing high breakout force at ground level.

Cat’s Performance series buckets are matched to these linkages, resulting in higher fill factors and better material retention. The Cat Fusion quick coupler offers quick, safe and easy attachment changes, without the operator leaving the cab.

The new loaders can be factory built for specific applications, including industrial and waste-handling variants with additional guarding and reinforcement, or forestry models with increased lift and tilt capabilities.

IN THE CAB

Sound suppression, seals and viscous cab mounting decrease noise levels and vibration feedback to the operator.

A conventional steering wheel is included in the standard build, while a seat-mounted electro-hydraulic joystick steering system is

available as an option. Other options include a multi-camera system, a rear-facing radar detection sub-system, together with various access, service and work lights.

Wirelessly connecting the machine to the office, Product Link gives access to production and essential machine health information for making fact-based decisions. Connecting the machine to a Cat dealer’s service department, Remote Troubleshoot helps to efficiently diagnose problems.

Ensuring the new loaders operate with the most up to date software, Remote Flash pushes software updates to the machine in the background and installation can be initiated by the operator in a safe manner, reducing impact on production schedules. The Cat app helps to manage fleet location, hours and maintenance schedules and provides alerts for required maintenance.

BRIEF SPECS

Key stats for the Cat 950 include a 249hp engine, 19,260kg operating weight 11,961kg full turn static tipping load, 181kN of breakout force and 2.67-9.0m3 bucket capacities. The new Cat 962, meanwhile, has a 269hp engine, 20,171kg operating weight, 12,487kg tipping load, achieves 189kN of breakout force and offers the same bucket capacity range as the 950 model.

As Kyle Molyneux reports, Caterpillar has introduced a pair of 20-tonne class wheel loaders

Above and inset below: Caterpillar has launched two new 20-class wheel loaders, one rated at 249hp, the other at 269hp.

8 th - 11 th March @ 8.00am Roall Lane, Kellington, Nr Goole, Leeds, DN14 0NY

THINKING ABOUT SELLING?

JCB Auction Number 77

Live Internet and Onsite Bidding

Sale to be held on: Tuesday 28th March 2023, 9:00am prompt Machines to be sold at 1pm

To include: 9 x Fastracs, 8 x Excavators,

7 x Wheel Loaders, 4 x Dumpers, 4 x Teletrucks,

2 x Telehandlers, 1 x Backhoe Loader and 1 x Dumpster

3 x Inoperable Machine Units (for dismantling purposes only)

250 x Lots of JCB Spares, Parts and Accessories

2010 Vauxhall Antara Station Wagon and 1997 Mercedes Sprinter Pick Up

Location: J C Bamford Excavators Quarry, Cauldon Lowe, Staffordshire, ST10 3HA

Viewing: Strictly by appointment on Friday 24th and Monday 27th March 2023, 9am - 4pm

On Exclusive Instructions from: J C Bamford Excavators Ltd - all machines wholly owned by JCB Excellent selection of 34 x JCB Machines (including 19 x Ex-Demonstration) For all JCB enquiries contact

Bell B30E - choice2018 Komatsu D61PX-24 - choice

JCB 540-170 - choice

2017 Bomag BW219DH-5 - choice

2012 McCloskey J40 Tracked Crusher

2014 Massey Ferguson 9380AL Combine Harvester

2017 Volvo EC220EL - choice

DORIC DUCK DELIGHTS

Paul Argent reports from Aberdeenshire on a reduced swing radius Liebherr wheeled excavator in service with A&A Civil Engineering

After many years of working for civil engineering companies around Aberdeen, five years ago Alan Gordon set up on his own. He and his wife Sylvia formed A&A Civil Engineering based at Kinellar, between Kintore and Dyce.

Alan and Sylvia now have a workforce of 25, together with a range of machinery to undertake construction, civil engineering, concreting and development projects. Such works are undertaken on behalf of a long list of repeat clients, from private individuals to major Scottish house builders and local authorities.

Alan said, “We have been very fortunate to have numerous contacts within the construction and civil engineering fields

around here. It has still been hard work to get to the position where we are today, only achievable due to the dedicated workforce.”

SITE VISIT

We met Alan on a 60-plus house development scheme located on the outskirts of the picturesque village of Oldmeldrum, some 20 miles north-west of Aberdeen. The A&A team had previously installed the roads and sewers on site, then went on to create the plots, installed the drainage and performed the landscaping works.

As the site now enters its final stages, Alan said, “The project will see two of our gangs working here throughout 2023 until the final completion of the site. At this moment we are booked up solid for the

Top and inset above: The reduced swing radius Liebherr is a versatile excavator with good digging performance; its low noise emissions are ideal for working close to occupied properties.

“WENEEDTOINVESTINTHEBESTKITTO KEEPTHEGOODOPERATORSHAPPY.”

LIEBHERR A910 COMPACT

The A910 Compact model is the smallest wheeled excavator in the Liebherr range. Depending on configuration it has an operating weight of between 12.1 and 13.1 tonnes. Unlike the rest of the range, it has a minimal options list and comes as standard to a high specification, which includes an offset, three-piece (TAB) working equipment. The undercarriage is where the main options are, revolving around a choice of blade to the front and rear, a front blade with rear stabilisers or, as in this case, just a front blade.

Hiding under the skin of the compact upper-structure is a four-cylinder, 3.6-litre Deutz engine rated at 115hp. Despite the compact dimensions of the upper-structure, there is good access to all of the major components without the need to strip the machine apart.

forthcoming six months on other projects too.”

As the site has progressed, A&A slimmed down the machinery they used, as more compact equipment was deployed to work in and around the plots. The largest machine currently on site is their latest fleet addition, a new triple articulated boom (TAB) Liebherr A910 Compact wheeled excavator. Alan continued, “We have a 10-tonne class wheeled excavator from another

manufacturer, which is a good machine and ideal for the work we do. We wanted a second one, took a look at the Liebherr and quickly realised it was in a different class.”

The high-spec 12-tonne Liebherr compact duck, which includes a Steelwrist X12 tilt-rotator, has been handed to Gary Bruce, as Alan commented, “Gary is a great operator. Buying the Liebherr and putting the extras on it makes it a little more personal for him. We need to invest in the

best kit to keep the good operators happy.”

At the time of our visit, Gary was undertaking a reduced level dig to accommodate footings. In addition, this reduced level dig would then allow a temporary haul road to be established round the new plots, suitable for trucks

MUDGUARD ISSUE

The high-specification Liebherr A910 Compact model has an Achilles heel, as Liebherr does not offer mudguards. Alan said, “We looked for aftermarket versions, but couldn’t find anything suitable. Speaking to Paul Whyte at DGR Fabrication, he said he could make a set of four brackets to bolt on a set of proprietary plastic, half-round mudguards. We left the machine with him and within a couple of days we had it back looking exactly how we wanted it.”

While the installation looks a simple affair, there were several factors to consider in producing a practical solution, not just to ensure that the mudguards were sturdy enough for daily site use.

Operator Gary said, “We had to take into account the oscillation of the axles and allow for sufficient clearance over the tyres. Also, we needed to ensure that the mudguard didn’t foul the bodywork as the machine slewed with an axle at its full lean. What DGR has come up with is perfect. They are flexible, mounted on stainless steel brackets and do just what we expect them to do.”

The triple-articulated boom Liebherr A910 Compact is fitted with wide, super single flotation tyres, along with cab top and counterweight MittX light bars from S Type X. Alan commented, “I wanted the Liebherr to stand out and be a little bit of a flagship for us. We are really pleased with the service and quality of the product from Pat Bulcock at S Type X. That also goes for the installation of the lights and tilt-rotator, which was done by Gareth at Evans Engineering.”

delivering the timber frame kits. The task would usually be assigned to a 13-tonne tracked excavator, rather than a physically smaller wheeled machine.

Using a Scandinavian-style bucket on the tilt-rotator, Gary set about reducing the ground by approximately 500mm. While the soils easily flowed in and out of the bucket, the occasional large rock

needed to be picked out by the corner of the bucket. As Gary and the A910 rubber duck ploughed through the reduced dig, Alan commented, “For a small machine, she will dig.”

What is surprising is just how quiet the Liebherr is: even when Gary was digging hard just a few metres away, we could hold a conversation without raising our voices, as Alan explained, “We do have some occupied properties on the site and,

Below left and right: The wheeled, 12-tonne class A910 Compact model is surprisingly good when it comes to excavating tasks. This reduced dig was well within its performance envelope.

“WE’DBEMORETHANCONFIDENTABOUTPUTTINGTHE LIEBHERRTOWORKINANYAREASWHERENOISEMAYBE ANISSUE”

Above: With the bucket mounted on a tilt-rotator at the end of three-piece working equipment on a swivelling boom foot, the compact duck provides a large working envelope.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS // LIEBHERR A910

while we can’t do anything about the other kit, we’d be more than confident about putting the Liebherr to work in any areas where noise may be an issue.”

CONCLUSION

On the subject of fuel consumption, Alan points out that the Liebherr is slightly heavier than the 10-tonne duck and is capable of undertaking heavier work, but is still returning very acceptable fuel figures not dissimilar to the smaller

machine. Both Alan and Gary are pleased with the machine’s performance so far, saying that it is proving to be a very versatile and productive excavator. Alan concluded, “We have been impressed with the way Mark Gorrie at Liebherr Bathgate has been through the entire process. When the delivery of the machine was put back, through no fault of Liebherr, Mark quickly got us a stand-in A914 to see us through the couple of weeks until our machine arrived. It’s customer service on that level that makes Liebherr stand out from the crowd as far as we are concerned.”

“IWANTEDTHELIEBHERRTOSTANDOUTAND BEALITTLEBITOFAFLAGSHIPFORUS”

Right and below: Operator Gary Bruce reports that the new Steelwrist-equipped Liebherr A910 rubber duck is proving to be a versatile and productive excavator.

Right: Alan Gordon is pleased with the performance and economy of the A910 Compact model and praises Liebherr’s pre-delivery support.

DO MORE. EARN MORE.

A tiltrotator makes your digging up to 50% more efficient and transforms your excavator to a versatile tool that besides digging, also can lift, pack, sweep, tear and more.

The entrepreneur can therefore take on more jobs and solve them quicker, smarter and also more enviromentally friendly since the resources used in the form of material, fuel and time, will be less.

Check out the range here

LIFELONG RED & GREY FAN

Nick Drew reports on a small business owner who is a long-term user of Takeuchi compact excavators

Herefordshire-based James Hilldrup is a big fan of Takeuchi mini-excavators. He was smitten with them from an early age, since riding in the cab of an early TB020 model operated by his older brother Adam.

As their father Adrian Hilldrup was a well-respected local builder, the brothers grew up around the building game and diggers. Sadly, when James was only 15, their father passed away. Adam took on the small family business, while younger brother James went to college to become a bricklayer. After leaving college, James initially worked for the family firm but it was not long before he decided to broaden his horizons.

James recalls, “My brother-in-law is

a digger driver, and at the time he was working for a chap who did some groundworks and a bit of building. He was looking for someone to come on and lay a few bricks, so I went to work for him.

“It turned out that his son was a contracts manager for Hampshire-based Raymond Brown, now Knights Brown, who had a long run of work down in Cardiff. I decided to go and work with them, building the Dr Who Experience, and on that job I laid 120,000 brick pavers. From there we went on to the Sennybridge Training Area for the Ministry of Defence, where I was involved in building a fort using those precast concrete Lego-style blocks. That was followed by a park-and-ride scheme in Merthyr Tydfil.”

OWNER OPERATOR

Despite this early success as a bricklayer, James really wanted to be involved in groundworks, in the cab of a digger. As major bricklaying projects dried up, he began to hire an old Takeuchi TB125 from the person he had been working for.

Undertaking a few small jobs of his own at weekends, James went on to purchase this mini-excavator – his first owner-operated machine.

Another family member provided James with a contact within the main contractor for a blockwork contract at the Cadbury chocolate factory in Leominster. This firm constructed large concrete floors for warehouses and farms, together with all the associated civils work.

“WEHAVEBEENRUNNING TAKEUCHISFOROVER10 YEARSNOW;YOUJUST NEVERHAVETOPUT ASPANNERTOTHEM”

James Hilldrup has been running Takeuchi compact excavators for a decade. His current mount is a TB290-2, complete with a tilt-rotator and a 3D GPS machine control system.

James said, “I got talking to the guy and he asked what I did. I replied, well I have a digger and I’m keen to focus more on the digger work, rather than brick and block laying. He then said, come and see me Monday morning and we will get you going!

“Some 12 months on, the TB125 was starting to get a bit tired due to the hours we were putting on it. I decided to trade her in for a more modern, low-hours TB228 and we were away. Armed with the newer machine, I was offered a two-week job in

Essex. As so often happens in this game, that two-week job transpired to be 12 months of work, as the farm manager kept adding work on. It was a lot of travelling, but it established me as a sub-contractor.”

Another job arose with the same firm, which would see James supplying all the kit and labour, and the contractor supplied all the materials. As the workload continued to expand, James often found himself jumping between his three-tonne mini and a larger midi excavator. It came to the point

Below: TAB and GPS-equipped ninetonner can get through a lot of work, and its versatility was improved by a number of attachments for its Engcon tilt-rotator.

where James decided to purchase a used eight-tonner, in the form of a venerable Takeuchi TB175, an example of which was available from local dealer Bow Plant Sales. Bizarrely, when inspecting it at the dealer’s yard, James discovered some of his old paperwork in the cab, as he had used the excavator a couple of years earlier. As it turned out, some seven years later, this purchase is viewed as the catalyst for what James’s business has become today. Now with an eight-tonner and a threetonner, he picked up more contracts, building a core of regular clients. He currently employs two young adults, one of whom is doing an apprenticeship at a local college, plus a network of subbies he can call on, as and when required.

FLEET FOCUS

The latest addition to the fleet is a fourtonne Takeuchi TB240, which replaced a TB230 model, but retained its Engcon EC204 tilt-rotator. The fleet also includes a 1.5-tonne Takeuchi, together with a range of site dumpers from one to six tonnes capacity, plus a Bomag BW120 double-drum roller, all with a matching Takeuchi-style red and grey paint job. Unusually for such an operation, James also has a small Blaw Knox tarmac paver, enabling him to become more self-sufficient and less reliant

on paving contractors. Again, to be more self-sufficient, he runs a beavertail HGV to move his kit around.

The pride of the fleet is the nine-tonne class TB290-2, which arrived late in 2021. It is an all-singing, all-dancing midiexcavator, configured with a TAB boom, an Engcon EC209 tilt-rotator and a Leica 3D GPS machine control system.

James continued, “We have been running Takeuchis for over 10 years now, and apart from regular servicing work, you just never have to put a spanner to them.

“In terms of operation, I just find them to be really good, so smooth on the hydraulics and completely userfriendly. We have tried other brands that we have hired in, but it’s always a delight to jump back in the Takeuchi. One thing I always notice is that you can grade stone easily with the cutting edge. Whereas, with some other less-refined machines, you end up having to use the back of the bucket to get the desired finish.”

Regarding local Takeuchi dealer, Bow Plant Sales, James said, “We have a really good working relationship with them.

The father and son team of Martin and Ollie Hughes are always on the end of the phone if you ever need anything, and the deals are always spot on. I can’t fault them really.”

CONCLUSION

We met James on an agricultural building project in Herefordshire. The job involved demolishing existing structures, then perform the groundworks for a new steel-framed shed, lay a massive concrete floor, together with all the associated external drainage works for the new building. There was plenty for the small team to go at.

Looking to the future, James does have ambitions to move up the weight scale and invest in a compact 14-tonne excavator. Predictably, he has his eyes on a Takeuchi TB2150R and concluded, “I am looking at them, but our nine-tonner can turn out an awful lot of work, it’s such a capable machine. Everything we have here today is paid for and earning, so I will wait and see how things pan out.”

Below: The latest addition to the fleet is a four-tonne Takeuchi TB240 mini-excavator, equipped with an Engcon tilt-rotator used on its predecessor.

“EVERYTHINGWEHAVE HERETODAYISPAIDFOR ANDEARNING,SOIWILL WAITANDSEEHOW THINGSPANOUT”

ATTACHMENT SPECIALISTS

First for HIRE, SALES & REPAIR of all Hydraulic Manufactures

MTK Breakers specialise in sales and hire for a large range of hydraulic attachments, offering an extensive and customerfocused service from purchase to fitting.

We offer a quick, reliable, and professional service for clients across a range of different industry sectors. There’s a reason MTK is one of the UK’s leading providers of hydraulic excavator mounted attachments. Whether you’re hiring; buying new; purchasing second-hand equipment; or require repairs, service, or spare parts for your own equipment, we like to go the extra mile for the customer, making sure that all your needs are taken care of and that equipment is delivered on time and direct to site.

With a huge range of attachments for HIRE & SALE you will not find a better place to look

We offer:

BREAKERS / COMPACTOR PLATES / PILING HAMMERS / SORTING GRABS / ROCKWHEELS / AUGERS / STEEL SHEARS / PULVERISERS

MULTI PROCESSORS / CLAMSHELL BUCKETS / RIDDLE BUCKETS / RAKES / RIPPER TEETH / TREE SHEARS / PATCH PLANERS / FLAILS

CRUSHER BUCKETS / BRICK GRABS / TILTROTATORS

REPAIR INSTALATION available for all the above as well as TOP BRACKET FABRICATION & SPECIALISED FABRICATION JOBS

INDECO HAMMERS

The heavy-duty Indeco HP range of hydraulic breakers, weighing from 500kg to a truly impressive 140 tonnes, are manufactured in their factory at Bari in southern Italy.

Hardox steel being used for their casing, the range is designed to tackle heavy-duty jobs. The FS in the model names stands for fuel saving.

The attachment’s smart hydraulic system automatically varies the energy and frequency of the blows, according to the hardness of the material.

Optimising the hydraulic performance of the attachment in this way not only improves the productivity of the operation, but also minimises the power demands from the host excavator, helping to improve its fuel consumption.

INNOVATIVE ATTACHMENT HIRE

Paul Argent discovers that an unusual attachment hire arrangement is playing its

in extracting a nationally

resource, while supporting the work of the charity Prevent Breast Cancer

Nestling into the side of a hill just outside Glossop in the High Peaks, Shire Hill Quarry primarily produces high-quality dimensional stone from the deposit of Buff Derbyshire Millstone Grit. The material is blessed with excellent physical and mechanical properties and is used in prestigious builds, including the steps of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. In addition, the robust stone produced at Shire Hill is often specified by leading manufacturers of paving, walling and architectural products.

Large boulders have been used by the Canal & River Trust, Environment Agency and the Peak District National Park as rip rap. This rock armour is used for scour protection, bank stabilisation and as a pitching stone for moorland footpath remediation. Crushing what is left over produces a gabion filling stone, together

with a range of construction materials and landscaping products.

The operation is a specialist part of the family-owned Marchington Stone business (see panel), of which quarry manager Paul Boam said, “We are a small part of the company here at Shire Hill. We’re not a volume production site, as we concentrate on extracting blocks as big as possible for use in architectural works. Any smaller material is stockpiled to be used as rip rap or crushed down for aggregates, so we waste very little of material at this site.”

The dimensional stone blocks weigh anything up to 20 tonnes, which is the site’s limit for the team to safely move and load it on to a truck. The blocks are extracted with a recently-acquired Doosan DX530 excavator using a heavy-duty ripper tooth, while a Cat 980M wheel loader transports them to the lay-down area for sizing.

Until recently, the team manually drilled

each block to split them out, a long and tedious job. The arrival of a used Liebherr R922 excavator configured as a drilling rig has not only made the job quicker, but it has also massively improved site safety.

BREAKING FOR CHARITY

For occasional tasks, such as to open up new ground or to size material for rip rap, the operator of the 53-tonne Doosan excavator has access to a five-tonne Indeco HP9000FS hydraulic hammer, which is on long-term hire from Manchester-based MTK Breakers.

Paul continued, “We use the breaker on an as and when needed basis. The deal with MTK allows us to keep the attachment here, but only pay for the days we use it. As it is a hire attachment, when it is off-hired, MTK is able to pick it up and send it to another customer. We take it back when it’s finished. The flexibility works well for both parties.”

part

important

SITE VISIT // SHIRE HILL QUARRY

Every day this pink-liveried attachment is on hire is good news for the charity Prevent Breast Cancer, as MTK donates a percentage of the breaker’s earnings each year. Sadly, MTK’s Mark Thomas lost his wife Victoria to the disease in 2019. Through a variety of fundraising events since she received her diagnosis, Mark’s family, MTK and their customers have raised almost £45,000.

MTK has been an Indeco dealer for over two decades, supplying the Italian company’s range of demolition, recycling and forestry attachments. MTK is also a manufacturer of breaker headstocks and the like, in this capacity also acting as a supplier to Indeco UK.

In turn, Indeco UK reports good product and spares availability, together with great customer service from the manufacturer. It’s an example of an international supply chain that is working well, from the Italian factory to a breaker left at a customer’s premises, available for hire and as when required, all of which helps to raise money for charity.

MARCHINGTON STONE

Established in 1970, Marchington Stone is a specialist supplier of natural and recycled aggregates, sand, gravel and tested soil, together with block stone, to the construction and civil engineering industry. The family-owned business is one of the largest private, independent suppliers of construction aggregates in the north-west of England. They have been involved with many major projects in the region, from the current Trans-Pennine rail upgrade and Manchester Airport relief road, to the Etihad Stadium and Salford’s Media City.

“WEUSETHEBREAKERONANAS ANDWHENNEEDEDBASIS.THE FLEXIBILITYWORKSWELLFOR BOTHPARTIES”

Left, below, inset and previous page: A five-tonne Indeco HP9000FS hammer is on long-term hire from MTK Breakers to the Shire Hill Quarry, where it is attached to the site’s new Doosan DX530 excavator.

THE CRUSHER BUCKET FOR YOUR EXCAVATOR

Jaw crusher for excavators. When installed on your excavator, it crushes any type of inert material.

SPECIALIST DEVELOPMENTS

Eoghan Daly reports on some of the more specialist machines on display at the recent Bauma trade show

The bulk materials handling and opencast mining sectors of the industry are long-term users of machinery powered from an external electrical supply.

The giant gantry loaders from Sennebogen and Liebherr helped to showcase such zero-carbon emissions working methods at last years Bauma show.

The use of electric machines in such surface applications is driven by their significantly reduced long-term maintenance and energy costs, coupled with high availability rates, compared to an equivalent machine powered by a large diesel engine. Electric machines are also extensively used in the underground mining sector, where their lack of exhaust emissions reduces the demand on the air extraction system, saving time and money.

While much of the focus at Bauma was on the global full-line manufacturers launching batterypowered mini-excavators, elsewhere on the giant showground, less well-known firms had pushed the technology boundary even further. One example was HBM Nobas, which launched the world’s first full-sized, battery-powered motor graders.

As previously reported, Liebherr also showcased a tunnelling excavator powered by an external electrical source. It reflects a surge of new products for those involved in tunnelling applications, including Volvo excavators on the SSM stand configured with roof and sidewall scaling working equipment.

FIRST ELECTRIC MOTOR GRADERS

The HBM Nobas division of the Papenburg Group focuses exclusively on the design and manufacture of motor graders. One star of its display was a heavy-duty BG240TA-4 model complete with an armoured cab, designed for the German armed forces. However, the big news is the launch of the world’s first electrically-driven motor graders.

There is no surprise that the first of the two new models is designed for underground applications. The 8.6-tonne low-profile BG110ME tunnel grader is a mere 1.8m high and offers an operating time of up to five hours, between a 25-minute recharge from a DC power source.

Designed for normal surface grading applications, the new 14-tonne/100kW BG120TA-E motor grader offers up to eight hours of working time on a single charge. This first zero-emissions motor grader represents an important step by the industry towards net zero carbon working methods.

TRACKED KAISER TUNNELLER

Best known for its wheeled spider excavators, Kaiser introduced the tracked 20-tonne class TEC TB20 tunnelling excavator at the show, produced in collaboration with tunnel equipment specialist Avesco. This excavator is powered by an ultra-low emissions Perkins engine and provides a maximum upward reach of 7m, together with a large working envelope.

BATTERYPOWERED KIT

dding to its growing range of electrically-propelled machines, Tesmec introduced its Marais E-Sidecut trencher, in addition to the PE1150 electric cable-pulling winch.

A

HUGE MATERIALS HANDLER

The largest materials handler on show was from Sennebogen, in the form of their 320-tonne tracked gantry 885G model, which offers a reach of 38m. It can be specified either with a 597kW ultra-low emissions diesel engine, or as a 500kW electrically-driven machine.

VERTICAL SHAFT EXCAVATOR

Several special configurations of tracked excavators were shown on the Hitachi stand, including a Zaxis 350-7 vertical shaft machine, complete with a telescopic boom. It can be configured to provide a maximum operating depth of 30m, with a 1.55 cubic metre capacity clamshell bucket. The cab hydraulically moves forward by 960mm, for better visibility of the working area below.

WHEELED ROOF SCALER

German manufacturer Paus displayed a range of machines designed to work within a low headroom tunnel. They include the wheeled Pscale 8-T roof scaler, which features a hydraulic breaker on the end of its 8m telescopic boom, and a tilting cab. Incorporating a host of features to allow the machine to work in such a high-risk environment, a 10m-reach version is also available for higher clearance tunnel applications.

MULTI-ARTICULATED BOOM

Several Volvo excavators adapted for tunnelling work were on the SSM stand, including a compact ECR58 model. It is a dual-fuel machine, powered either by its on-board ultra-low emissions diesel engine, or from an external electrical supply.

This midi tunnelling excavator features the unique SSM working equipment, which provides a high degree of movement and an extraordinary working envelope, particularly close-in to the machine. The same overall design of boom was fitted to the full-size Volvo

ECR335E NL tunnel excavator. It can not only perform roof-scaling work, but also bring the scaling bucket close to the sides of the machine, enabling excavation at the juncture of tunnel floors and sidewalls.

Trenchless technology equipment manufacturer Tracto Teknik introduced the JCS130E electric-powered directional.

UNDERGROUND ADT

In addition to their scaling rig, Paus also presented their new PMKM 8030 underground articulated dump truck, which complements the firm’s well-established PMKM 8010 model offering narrow width working at a standard loading height. The new model is a broader, shorter design, offering a reduced loading height in a narrow package. The PMKM 8030 offers a payload of 16 tonnes from its standard

8cu.m capacity body, which can be customised for low- or high-density materials.

The machine’s surprisingly large cab features a rotating operator’s seat; when operating in a tunnel such a machine spends a lot of time being driven backwards at speed. Main driveline components can be tailored to meet the required emissions rating, and owners have a choice of either Cummins or Caterpillar engines up to 190kW.

GRADALL MINE SCALER

American manufacturer Gradall, through its European dealer Finland-based Tieka, showcased an example of its unique wheeled excavator configured for mine scaling applications.

Gradall’s telescopic and rotating boom provides a long reach within a large working envelope. This example was configured with a scaling hook, and a wide range of other attachments are available. In scaling configuration, the Gradall features a tilting cab, additional boom, upper-structure and undercarriage protection, together with a full fire prevention system.

SMART SURFACE MINING

Featuring a cutting width of 2.75m, Wirtgen’s 116-tonne/783kW 280SMI surface miner features a conveyor system on the rear, which can be used to directly load mined materials into haulers, or form a windrow for retrieval by other means. Equipped with Wirtgen’s Level Pro Active System, it automatically maintains the desired cutting depth, despite the undulating terrain that the machine’s track units allow it to work across.

MULTI-PURPOSE CARRIER

The Austrian-made SynTrac multi-purpose carrier is designed for use across several industry sectors, including forestry and agriculture. At the Bauma show, it was configured with two PTH construction attachments, a grader at the front and a three-plate compactor on the rear.

The four-wheel steer/four-wheel drive SynTrac is powered by a 310kW Cat engine, linked to an 80kph continuously variable transmission (CVT).

MASSIVE MATERIAL MIXER

The RS650 is Bomag’s latest top-of-the-range mixer unit, intended for intensive soil stabilisation and road recycling applications. It provides a maximum working width of 2.6m and a maximum working depth of 600mm.

LOW HEIGHT LOADING

Underground mining and tunnelling equipment specialist, Swiss-based ITC, presented its 125 F4 tracked tunnel hauler loader. Designed to work in narrow and low headroom environments, it features heavy-duty excavator working equipment up front to feed the material on to a conveyor belt, which loads an underground hauler positioned directly behind it. Available in several configurations, such a machine also has uses on the surface, including specialist applications in the rail sector.

ULTIMATE ELEVATING CAB

One of the more unusual materials handlers on show was an electricpowered, wheeled gantry version of Liebherr’s LH150E, which offers a reach of 30m and weighs between 150 and 185 tonnes depending upon configuration. Note the smaller boom and dipper used to position the cab for the best view of the working area.

GOOD CONNECTIONS

Peter Anderson reviews the latest developments in automatic excavator quick-hitches

There is no doubt that excavator fully automatic quick-hitches are among the most successful labour-saving devices to have been adopted by the machinery industry in recent times, both in terms of productivity and safety. Although buckets directly mounted to the end of the dipper arm are used on heavy-duty mining excavators and the smallest of minis, the standard UK spec for everything in between is a quick-hitch, enabling rapid bucket changes. Some compact machinery applications work successfully with a manually-operated quick coupler, but hydraulically-operated quickhitches are now what is expected on most construction sites.

Following a series of fatal accidents, semi-automatic hydraulic quick couplers were banned from UK sites at the end of 2008, prompting the widespread uptake of fully-automatic hitches.

They allow the operator to change buckets quickly from the safety of the machine’s cab. To ensure the bucket is correctly coupled, this new generation of fully-automatic hitches come with a host of safety features. As well as mechanical systems, they also increasingly digitally monitor attachment changeovers and their security while working. While quick couplers that feature either a tilting or a rotation function also have a role to play, the UK

construction industry is rapidly turning towards tilt-rotator hitches to bring even more productivity and safety gains.

Like their colleagues in the demolition industry, such excavators are typically used with a selection of hydraulically-powered attachments. Tilt-rotators can automatically connect hydraulic and other services, at the same time as making the physical connection to the attachment, saving a lot of time and effort. Operators of demolition rigs have the same connectivity for their heavy-duty rotating attachments, avoiding the risk of working on the ground and encouraging the use of the most appropriate tool for the job.

HIGH-QUALITY HARFORD

orwich-based Harford Attachments produces the Uni-Lok range of doublelocking, fully-hydraulic quickhitches, suitable for excavators from three

to 18 tonnes. They are said to be durable, easy to operate and low maintenance. While they are easy to fit, Harford offers a full on-site fitting service if required. The Uni-Lok is also available as a full

180-degree tilt coupler, as are Harford’s two mechanical couplers, the Pro-Lok and the Safelock, which are designed for compact excavators from three to eight tonnes.

STREAMLINED MILLER

Featuring a novel twin-locking independent back-up system, the latest GT series of automatic quick couplers from Miller are available to suit excavators from one to 50 tonnes. This modern design consists of only four component parts, a far cry from some other hitches. The streamlined design reduces repair and maintenance costs over the long term. Its low profile allows shorter pin-to-point distances, delivering maximum breakout force. A dual radius front jaw on most models and variable OEM pick-up on the rear jaw provide the versatility to use various attachments, all controlled from the cab.

BACKGROUND UNIVERSA L HITCH PATTERN

Compared to agricultural tractors’ standardised rear hitch patterns and Scandinavian universal quick couplers and attachments, excavator users in the UK and Ireland suffer from a lack of flexibility. This is mainly due to excavator manufacturers offering their own, slightly different attachment pin sizes and spacings. One result of this is the need for the business to carry a largerthan-needed inventory of attachments, which also results in a far from seamless process to swap attachments, for example a hydraulic breaker, between similar-sized excavators.

UK owner-operators of wheeled excavators soon discovered the limitations of the traditional pin pick-up hitches. For a start, their specialist Scandinavian attachments were designed around an S-type coupling, and this small UK community widely adopted this hitch pattern to allow attachment sharing.

The symmetrical (S-type) quick coupler standard was originally defined in 2006 by the Swedish Trade Association for Suppliers of Mobile Machines. It is an open, industry-wide standard, intended to safeguard the interchangeability of quick couplers, tilt-rotators and non-powered attachments, no matter who makes them.

However, pin pick-up hitch systems are the industry standard way to automatically connect buckets in the UK and Ireland, originating from an era when side-swiping with an excavator’s bucket was frowned upon. The design of S-type couplers has a different origin, to transmit the more complex forces generated from the use of an attachment on a tilt-rotator.

INTEGRATED JCB HITCHES

Designed to exceed current and anticipated legislation, JCB has developed a range of hydraulic and manual hitches to fit its one- to 36-tonne excavator range. Their manual hitches feature a high visibility safety lock pin, which is mechanically operated and the spring-loaded lock released with the use of a tommy bar.

The stars of the JCB hitch range are their automatic hydraulic couplers. Mechanically, they feature a unique lock shape and double locking mechanism, ensuring the safety of the attachment even in the event of a hydraulic failure. The simple, low maintenance design requires no greasing and few replacement parts.

Where they differ from the rest is that they are fully integrated into the host JCB machine’s electrical and

hydraulic systems, with no need for a separate in-cab control box. The in-built system monitors the security of the attachment while it is working and, together with boom position sensors, manages the attachment changeover procedure. The hitch will only operate in a safe zone, not with the working equipment up in the air, and the operator follows a four-step process to release or attach buckets.

HILL TEFRA RANGE

The Terra range of automatic hitches was launched in 2010, suitable for excavators from two to an impressive 120 tonnes. They feature a wide pin pick-up range, offering maximum flexibility when handling many different types of attachments. They also feature a ‘smart valve’, which restricts oil flow to the operating mechanism of the hitch until the coupler is orientated towards the operator – part of a suite of measures to ensure safe connection and disconnection of attachments.

The range was enhanced with the introduction of Tefra-Tilt, offering 180 degrees of movement, available for excavators from three to 25 tonnes. Last year a further variant, Tefra-Connect, was launched. It features a unique method of automatically connecting and disconnecting hydraulic services while also maintaining the benefits of being able to use the full capability of the pin pick-up hitch.

BACKGROUND AUTO HYDRAULIC CONNECTION

While not discounting the undoubted success and safety of modern pin pick-up hitches, nor suggesting a short-term move to S-type couplers, it is time to look to the future. From Scandinavian buckets used with tilt-rotators, to increasingly sophisticated and powerful hydraulically-powered work tools, the average cost of excavator attachments will continue to rise at an alarming rate.

Particularly with hydraulic attachments, there is a strong business need to allow these to be easily shared among the excavator fleet to ensure their full utilisation. What cannot be allowed to happen is that the market fragments into slightly different ways to automatically make the hydraulic and other service connections within a quick coupler.

It would also be counter-productive for the construction and demolition sectors of the industry to agree on a different set of standards, which is one reason why there is, as yet, no universal standard. A good selection of construction-orientated Scandinavian tilt-rotator manufacturers are promoting the new Open-S standard. This may not suit the extensive existing user base in other sectors of the industry, particularly in demolition and recycling applications.

The time to think about a change is when it becomes clear that there will be a universal standard, which allows hydraulic attachments to be connected from the safety of the cab. They can be seamlessly shared between similar-sized excavators, helping to improve the productivity of the operators and getting the best return from the investment in more specialised attachments.

OILQUICK AUTO COUPLERS

There are nine fully automatic quickhitches in the OilQuick range, designed for excavators up to 120 tonnes. In addition, there are five specific models designed for use on OilQuick tilt-rotators for host excavators up to 30 tonnes. If that wasn’t enough, there are also two models specifically designed for wheel loaders and a further two for materials handling applications. OilQuick also offers the OQLS LockSupport system, providing user-friendly operator support for safe and secure attachment switching on all the fully automatic quick couplers. The system provides a controlled connection process, sensor detection of attachment pins and locking cylinder position, together with automatic activation of the machine’s hydraulics.

Further safety features also include: double hose break valves – a system for constantly readjusting the locking bolts hydraulically; a lock switch with double function; and a warning light and alarm.

CONNECTED KINSHOFER

German manufacturer Kinshofer offers a huge range of automatic quick couplers across different industry sectors, including excavator standard, tilting and tilt-rotating hitches.

Kinshofer’s SmartFlow system allows the automatic connection and disconnection of hydraulically-powered attachments.

NEW ARDEN COUPLERS

French based Arden Equipment has recently introduced the Series 3 QA05H23H compact quick coupler to its range, suitable for excavators from 800kg to 12 tonnes. Any excess play is automatically removed, and they can be used with reversed buckets and feature a lifting eye. In addition to the Series 3 QA range, Arden offers a seven-model range of S-type couplers suitable for excavators up to 40 tonnes.

An interesting option for SmartFlow is a retrofit electric coupling, providing a total of 16 connections each rated at 10amps.

It can be used for a variety of purposes, including powering the attachment, connecting to sensors or a Can-Bus component, or controlling a tilt-rotator.

CAT AUTO S-TYPE HITCHES

Caterpillar offers a five-model range of hydraulic connecting S-type (HCS) couplers, suitable for excavators from 19 to 40 tonnes. They are designed to provide significantly higher oil flow than normal through the hitch to power heavy-duty attachments. The lower hydraulic restriction results in better fuel efficiency of the host machine. The quick disconnect design prevents contamination of the hydraulic system, while the design of the coupler protects hoses and components from damage. Cat HCS couplers feature cutting-edge sensor technology and multiple sub-systems to keep attachments connected in the event of a hydraulic pressure loss.

STEELWRIST AUTO-COUPLERS

Best known for its tilt-rotators, Steelwrist also offers an impressive 11-model range of fully automatic, oil-connecting quick couplers for excavators from two to 70 tonnes. They feature an upgraded system to provide higher oil flow, but with reduced long-term maintenance, designed to meet the Open-S SQ standard.

A quick coupler controller is available for controlling and monitoring the coupler functions such as locking, unlocking and an optional pressure relief valve.

The system module is installed in the cab and the indicator panel provides clear and easy identification of the various functions.

THE LEHNHOFF SYSTEM

Sold and supported in the UK by Worsley Plant, in addition to three mechanical quick couplers, Lehnhoff offers a wide range of automatic quick-hitches, including the four-model HS Series.

Featuring fully automatic hydraulic service connections, the four-model HS-V Variolock range caters for host machines up to 130 tonnes. The SQ quick coupler range consists of six models for excavators from eight to 43 tonnes, featuring automatic oil connections to the emerging SQ standard.

ROTOTILT CONTROL

The new Rototilt Control (RC) system is said to promote better utilisation of all the tilt-rotator’s functions. There is a sleekly-designed minimalist touch-screen in the cab controlling not only the tilt-rotator, but also the SecureLock hitch/attachment coupling monitoring system. RC tilt-rotators can be retrofitted with the QuickChange automatic hydraulic services connector system.

’s y the tators

SMP

QUICK COUPLERS FROM

Swedish manufacturer SMP offers three heavy-duty quick couplers for excavators from 30 to 90 tonnes, together with six

Hardlock models for excavators up to 50 tonnes, offering a reversible S-type hitch. The SMP Fast Change (FC) range features integrated hydraulics, lubricant and electrical connections, and is suitable for excavators up to 70 tonnes

Nick Drew reports on the arrival of a 10-tonne shear, used to reduce oversize scrap metal at the long-established business of JC Thomas & Sons

SHEAR FORCE

Headquartered in Glastonbury, with satellite sites in WestonSuper-Mare, Yeovil and Taunton, JC Thomas & Sons certainly knows a thing or two about scrap metal. Established in 1924 by Joe Thomas, today the business employs 35 people and is run by the third generation of the family.

Martin Thomas recalled that, back in the day, a Hymac 580C was the scrap metal recycler’s excavator of choice, and at one point they ran half-a-dozen of the Britishbuilt machines. He joked that, by the time you got them all running, the first one had

broken down again, but at least they were cheap and easy to repair.

Martin said, “From Hymac we moved on to try a Hitachi UH081, which was our first modern machine, but it didn’t last long with us. We then purchased a Cat 219 back in 1991, which, in our eyes, was the best machine ever. We worked it until it had amassed 36,000 hours on the meter, at which point the meter stopped working, but the machine continued to work for another couple of years. We loved the Cat so much that we then bought our first brand new machine, a 320 materials

handler. However, we found that, as the business grew, it wasn’t quite up to the job, so we looked at other options.

“We had never considered Liebherr before, so we tried one on demonstration. We really liked it and have never looked back; we have probably purchased about a dozen new machines from them. We have a long-standing contact within the Liebherr GB business, Matt Jennings, who we like to deal with. He is always very helpful during the sale process, and the after-sales and support back-up we receive from them as a company is second to none, just brilliant.

The heavy-duty 9.8-tonne Fortress FS-95R shear attachment provides a jaw opening of 991mm and a jaw depth of 1067mm.

“IAMVERYIMPRESSEDWITHIT ALREADY,IT’SBEENTHEMOST PLEASANTSURPRISEFORME ANDOURBUSINESS”

At this depot alone we are running three LH40 materials handlers, which are fantastic machines for our application.”

NEW SHEAR

At their Glastonbury premises, JC Thomas & Sons operates a large 1250 Lefort Amazon static metal processing shear, which is due to be replaced with a new machine in a few months time. Surprisingly, the business has never run an excavatormounted shear at this site, where any over-sized material is manually reduced before being fed into the huge static shear.

Keen to improve the overall efficiency of the operation and to mechanise the downsizing process, the decision was recently made to invest in a 10-tonne rotating shear attachment, together with a suitably-sized excavator to host it.

After much research, the American-built Fortress range of shears from Shearcore seemed to best suit their requirements, as Martin was particularly impressed with their build quality. Ordered through dealer Blue Machinery, the second largest shear in the Fortress range was chosen, the 9.8-tonne FS-95R model, which offers a jaw opening

of 991mm and a jaw depth of 1067mm.

The upper and lower jaws of this impressive attachment are fabricated from 6in-thick, high-yield structural steel plate, which significantly reduces the need for laminations, and an over-sized pivot group further improves durability. At the business end, high alloy BladeCore blades are used, for extended edge life and for dealing with non-ferrous metals. From the brick outhouse school of industrial design, the Shearcore Fortress shear is designed to achieve unrivalled power at its cutting tip, with the strength and rigidity to perform these duties reliably over the long term.

Regarding the host machine for this monster of an attachment, Martin continued, “I spoke to another chap we know at Liebherr, John Diggens, who is the used equipment manager. Another great guy, who looks after us if we buy a secondhand machine, and who you can have faith in to deliver a good quality product.

“He sourced us this 2018 model 56-tonne

The site runs three Liebherr LH40 materials handlers. A used 56-tonne Liebherr R956 excavator was chosen to host the new shear attachment.

R956, with only a few thousand hours on it, which they prepared for us. The attention to detail from the team at Liebherr says it all, as they had spotted the sump gasket had a small weep on it. You cannot replace the sump gasket without taking the engine out, so they just whipped the power pack out, replaced the gasket and put it all back together again.”

SITE VISIT

The 56-tonne Liebherr excavator hosting a 9.8-tonne Fortress FS-95R shear had been set up the day before our visit. Having worked in the yard since he was a teenager, company director Martin is very much a hands-on boss, taking change of this combination to see if it would live up to expectations.

He said, “I was totally blown away by it to be honest. It’s been chopping through stuff here in ten minutes that would normally take us half a day with gas cutting gear. It’s a bit of a baptism of fire learning how to use the Fortress, as we have never run an excavator-mounted shear here before. I’m sure there is a knack to cutting things most effectively, and we will soon pick it up.

“It’s going to have a massive impact in time saving and storage space around the yard. Oversize material takes up so much space, so having the ability to downsize it straight away, as it comes in, helps to keep the yard much tidier.

“We do like to keep a tidy yard. We put concrete down throughout the yard in the 1990s, but as we are on soft peat ground, we often have to replace areas. As you probably noticed when I was running the machine, the ground shakes and moves under the weight!”

Martin concluded, “Nicky and Jack at Blue Machinery have been spot on. I ordered the shear and, luckily for me, it was one they already had coming in for stock. I ordered it in December and it had only just then been put on the boat. Now towards the end of January, it’s here and working on the machine, so I can’t complain. I am very impressed with it already. I was prepared to be a bit disappointed, so it’s been the most pleasant surprise for me and our business.”

I have to say it was one of the tidiest metal recycling yards I have visited over the years, a real credit to the team. Last year they processed in the region of 80,000 tonnes of various metals. Although no longer directly involved in the export business, about half their output goes to the docks, and the other half is despatched to steelworks in Britain.

From what I witnessed, their stunning shear combination is going to be yet another game changer for this longestablished family firm, which next year celebrates the incredible milestone of 100 years in business.

“IT’SBEEN CHOPPING THROUGHSTUFFIN TENMINUTESTHAT WOULDNORMALLY TAKEUSHALFA DAYWITHGAS CUTTINGGEAR”

Above and top: The excavator/shear combination is used to reduce oversized chunks of waste metal before they are fed through the large static shear on site.

COLLARD GROUP FLEET RENEWAL AUCTION

Friday 3rd March 2023, 10.30am

Viewing Thursday 2nd March – 9am to 4pm

Eversley Quarry, Fleet Road Eversley, Hook RG27 0PZ

RIPPING EXTREME

David Wylie reports on the first 9000 hours put on Europe’s largest dozer

Last month we covered the undercarriage overhaul of a 115-tonne dozer working for Fife Silica Sands, marking its 9000-hour anniversary in this extremely arduous application. This month, we review how this up-armoured Komatsu D475A-5, currently the largest dozer working in Europe, has fared since it was commissioned at the Burrowine Moor Quarry at the end of 2017.

BACKGROUND

Over the years, the management team of this silica sand quarry has tried different extraction methods for the highly abrasive material. None has performed as well as a large dozer, as its sheer weight, ripper action and deep grouser tracks also act to primary crush the material. A Komatsu D375A was successfully used for six years. Fitted with an over-sized ripper from its bigger brother, it weighed close to 80 tonnes.

In the May 2016 issue of Earthmovers, we reported on its replacement, a new 70-tonne class Cat D10T2 dozer. Unfortunately, within six months of the Cat’s arrival, the team hit an extremely hard band of material, which no normal dozer could be expected to cope with. A 100-tonne Cat D11R, one of only two examples in the UK, was hired in for a year to keep production going, while the team searched for a suitable machine of their own.

With experience of these unique site conditions gained while supporting the

Below and inset: The 900hp Komatsu D475A-5 dozer is 4.65m tall and 11.5m long, and this up-armoured version weighs 115 tonnes.

“ANULTRA-CLASSDOZERISTHEBESTWAYTO EXTRACTHIGHPRODUCTIONVOLUMESOFTHIS ABRASIVEMATERIAL”

D375A, UK dealer Marubeni-Komatsu recommended a somewhat extreme solution, the 900hp D475A-5 model, up-armoured to cope with the abrasive material. It was available with a comprehensive 12,000-hour/five-year warranty and service support package. Up front there is a 3m-high semi-U blade offering a capacity of 27.4cu.m. This attachment now weighs 20 tonnes, thanks to the armour package designed and fitted by Marubeni-Komatsu. Together with other bespoke wear protection, this ultra-class dozer tips the scales at 115 tonnes.

RIPPING PERFORMANCE

Key to this application is the big dozer’s ability to generate 853kN of pry-out ripping forces, applied to the tough silica sandstone through its rear single-shank ripper attachment, which provides a maximum working depth of 1774mm.

At the time of our visit the D475A-5 was working in a section known as A-bed, which contains a low iron content material. The Komatsu was providing consistent and good ripping performance. The expectation was that its ripper tip may last as long as a week in this material.

However, there are other areas of the quarry where there are much harder

“ITISQUITEAN EXPERIENCETOSIT ATTHECONTROLS OFTHEBIGGEST DOZERINEUROPE”

The Hardox armour has stood up well to ripping and pushing an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of tough and highly abrasive silica sandstone.

materials and where a ripper tip lasts only a day or so. Ripper shank shrouds play a vital part in the attachment’s performance. This dozer uses the Apex shark-fin shroud, which helps it cut into the rock and extend the life of the shank face of the ripper.

Quarry manager Martin Lyle said, “The machine started out with a small number of teething troubles, as it settled into the

DRIVETRAIN

At the heart of the D475A-5 beats the well-proven 30-litre V12 Komatsu engine. In this dozer application it is rated at just 900hp at 2000rpm, compared to 1200hp when used in an HD785-7 mining dump truck. The planetary powershift transmission offers three forward and three reverse speeds. Maximum forward travel speed is 11.2kph, reaching an impressive 14kph in reverse.

A key to translating this power into consistent ripping performance is to maintain good track shoe-to-ground contact. This means that the track pads on this example, working in a highly abrasive material, have been changed every 3000 hours or so. The standard 710mm-wide single grouser shoes run on Komatsu’s K-Bogie undercarriage system, using eight flexible-mounted lower track rollers and two upper rollers on a twin bogie system. This allows a high vertical track roller movement over the undulating terrain.

This example is fitted with Komatsu’s optional traction control system, which has proved to work well when ripping the hard silica stone. In the hands of skilled operators, the big dozer’s telematics system indicates a lifetime average fuel burn of just 79.9 litres an hour. In practical terms, it gets through half the contents of its 1670-litre diesel tank in a 10.5-hour shift.

quarry operations. However, if you take its availability over the last five years, and given it’s the prime mover for extracting over 500,000 tonnes of material per annum, it’s been a good, reliable machine.

“One of the outstanding aspects of this machine, in comparison to its competition, is its consistent ripping performance. For maximum production and efficiency, we need to rip and cross-rip the various quarry benches, using most of the available ripper shank length.

“The other impressive aspect of the ripper and undercarriage geometry is how it keeps the tracks flat and in contact with the material. Changing the track pads on a regular basis makes economic sense, to keep the big dozer operating at peak performance and maximising the planned uptime of the machine.

“It’s also certainly not short of performance when it comes to the dozing phase of extraction and stockpiling. After moving over 2.5 million tonnes of abrasive silica sand and rock, the dozer blade finally needs to be re-skinned, which is quite an impressive performance.

“We are also pleased with the Hardox wear package that was fitted by the dealer back in 2017. The protection plates on the draught arms, belly plates and final drive heel blocks are the original items.”

After 9000 hours of arduous duty, this exceptionally wellmaintained D475A-5 is in good mechanical condition, and the cab interior looks like new.

Below and inset: The application revolves around cross-ripping the highly-abrasive material. Ripper tips are lucky to last a couple of days in the harder material found on site.

OTHER FLEET

Patersons of Greenokhill has invested in a range of other Komatsu machinery, including a PC490 excavator, together with a WA470 and a WA380-8 wheel loaders for the Burrowine Moor Quarry. More recently, they have bought a pair of WA500-8 wheel loaders, together with the first Komatsu WA475-10 loader to be supplied in Scotland. It features Komatsu’s new hydraulic-mechanical transmission, getting the best of both worlds in helping to improve both machine performance and fuel economy.

OPERATOR FEEDBACK

Colin Keir, who is normally to be found in one of the site’s Volvo ADTs, provides holiday cover for the big dozer’s main operator. He said, “With the new track shoes fitted, you feel an immediate improvement in the ripping performance, as the single grouser pads bite into the harder rock for much improved traction. It’s a hard-working machine and requires a fair degree of concentration from the operator to get the best out of it. It is also quite rewarding when you see the amount of material it can rip and then doze into a big stockpile. It has amazing performance for sure.

“When its usual operator, Rab Bryson, takes annual leave, I really enjoy the D475A-5. It is quite an experience to sit at the controls of the biggest dozer in Europe.”

Not only is the D475A-5 mechanically well maintained by Marubeni-Komatsu, clearly it’s well looked after by its operators. After thousands of hours operating in abrasive silica sand, the paint on the bodywork is in remarkably good condition and the cab interior looks like new.

Quarry manager Martin commented, “While the dozer comes with many advanced driver aids, such as the anti-track slip feature and torque converter lock-up system, it takes an experienced operator who really knows the quarry geology to get the best out of the machine. We are fortunate we have people who can do just that.”

DEALER SUPPORT

Martin declared that the back-up from the dealer has been excellent, as their team carry out regular inspections and routine maintenance to maximise the big dozer’s uptime and performance. He also reports that, given it is an ultra-class dozer not usually seen in Europe, parts availability and response times from Komatsu have been impressive.

He has also been impressed with the commitment and standard of workmanship shown by the recently qualified MarubeniKomatsu field service team. In particular, their recent replacement of the big dozer’s undercarriage was undertaken without incident, making the machine available for work when promised.

At current extraction rates, the site has sufficient reserves to last at least another 55 years. There is no telling what machine

technologies will be developed over the next decades, but in the meantime an ultra-class ripper dozer is considered the best way to extract high production volumes of this abrasive and tough material.

The 115-tonne Komatsu dozer has proved its worth in this demanding application, undertaking the work at an average fuel consumption of just 80 litres of diesel an hour. However, now at over 9000 hours, it is entering the last phase of its carefully planned and monitored first working life.

As exclusively revealed in the previous issue, site owners Patersons of Greenokhill have ordered its replacement. A 1000hp ultra-low emissions Dash 8 version of Komatsu’s D475A ultra-class dozer is due to be commissioned at the Burrowine Moor Quarry within the next few months. Watch this space.

“INTHEHANDSOFSKILLED OPERATORS,THEBIGDOZER’S AVERAGEFUELBURNIS JUST79.9LITRES ANHOUR”

Above: The new D475A-8 dozer will leave the factory at around 112 tonnes, which we expect will be subsequently up-armoured to meet the unique challenges of this site.

Above: At the end of 2017, a hired-in 103-tonne Cat D11R dozer at Burrowine Moor Quarry was replaced by a new beefed-up Komatsu D475A-5 at 115 tonnes.

Imagine a skid steer with the power and capabilities of world class loaders but with one difference – fully electric with zero environmental impact.

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With its compact dimensions, the MiniZ is perfect for work in complicated interiors.

It is suitable in many different environments; agriculture, landscaping, demolition and many more.

FINE FLATWORKS

Eoghan Daly reports on the high-tech kit used by Kerry-based FRC Construction to construct large, super-flat industrial concrete floors

When it comes to warehousing, manufacturing and other specialist industrial buildings, the performance and flatness of the concrete floor slab is of critical importance. By the very nature of commercial structures, they often require substantial concrete pours, adding to the challenge of producing a high-class finish within precise levels of flatness and gradient.

County Kerry-based FRC Construction was established in 2014 by Denis Riordan and Damien Griffin, focusing on formwork, reinforcement and concrete, hence the company name. Denis has a 20-year track record in concrete works

over a wide range of project types. In addition to much experience of concrete works, Damien has run his own groundworks company. He said, “We have proved our ability to deliver the specification demanded on large-scale warehouse and commercial building flooring projects. Even though we have a wide range of plant and equipment to cater for formwork and other aspects of concrete construction, flooring has become one of our main specialities.

“Investment in the latest equipment has meant we can cater for large projects and maintain the kind of progress needed, while keeping the quality of the finish we achieve to the highest standards.”

SKID-STEER GRADING

When in the market for a machine to perform precise levelling of the substrate, often within structures, FRC decided that a tracked skid-steer loader was their best option. Hosting a grader attachment and controlled by a 2D laser-based guidance system, it would quickly leave the surface within a few millimetres of the design level. A used TR320 model was sourced from the local Case dealer, as Damien continued, “Availability of tracked skid-steer loaders, new or used, at the time we were looking to purchase was very limited. Luckily Macadam Equipment had a Case TR320 in stock, which they had taken as a trade-in machine from one of their customers.

“WITHTHELATESTEQUIPMENTWECAN CATERFORLARGEPROJECTSANDMAINTAIN THEKINDOFPROGRESSNEEDED”

Above and inset: AFRC Construction runs a small fleet of JCB excavators and telehandlers, plus a tracked Case skid-steer used to host a laser-controlled grading attachment.

“We found them good to deal with and since then the service has been good. The dashboard display gave some problems, but they had us back to work as fast as possible. Any parts we need are always with us within 24 hours.”

The TR320 has proved to be a proficient host machine in this application. It is highly manoeuvrable in tight spaces and provides the necessary power, traction and oil flow to get the best from the specialist attachment. Its traction is particularly evident while quickly pushing out piles of material, which it will then precisely grade.

A grader blade was seen as being too cumbersome for operating inside structures, and the FRC team considered that a grader box was better suited to their work. Coupled to the tracked skid-steer, this combination could work close in to any supporting columns and to the edges of the floor area, minimising the need for manual intervention. A grader box would also

achieve the final grade in fewer passes than a grading blade, as there is no side spill or micro-drifts of material between passes.

After evaluating numerous grader boxes available for skid-steers, based on a combination of specification and value for money, FRC opted for an American-built Level Best PD model. This design offers bi-directional working, grading can be conducted in both forward and reverse, maximising the productivity of the combination.

Equipped with a Leica 2D laser guidance system, the Case/Level Best combo is grading sub-base material within tolerances of 2mm to 3mm. FRC has recently invested in a Trimble 3D machine guidance system for their strange-looking concrete levelling screed, which is also compatible with this skid-steer and grading box.

Above, right and below: The Case TR320 has proved to be a good host for the Level Best grader box, which is currently controlled by a 2D Leica control system.

“THETR320ANDLEVELBESTGRADERALLOW USTOGETTHEPREPARATORYWORK COMPLETEDQUICKLYANDACCURATELY”

SITE VISIT

We met the FRC team undertaking a large project at Nenagh, County Tipperary, where the works focused on constructing a high-performance concrete floor to accommodate a major factory extension. The floor area of 8500 square metres was to be formed by six separate pours, leaving the external hard standing and concrete aprons to cover an additional 4500sq.m.

Part of FRC’s success in this specialist work is having in-house plant to cover every aspect of such a project, giving control over the whole process and helping them to meet their commitments on completion targets. Damien is a big fan of JCB excavators, of which FRC has a JS130 and a 67C midi to undertake any groundworks required prior to installing formwork.

The firm also runs a pair of JCB telehandlers, a 13m 540-140 model and

a 17m 540-170. They are extensively used on such a project, assisting the formwork crews, handling the rebar mesh sheets and moving the power float kit around the site.

It goes without saying that the accuracy obtained with the Leica-controlled grader attachment on the Case skid-steer is superb, but the most noticeable element of this combination at work is how fast it performs these duties. At first sight, the Level Best grader box seems relatively simplistic, but clearly is a result of decades of experience in this specialist application, as every aspect of its design has been carefully thought through. It can achieve a phenomenal work rate at whatever level of accuracy a machine control system can provide.

Damien continued, “Not only does the TR320 and Level Best box grader allow us

to get the preparatory work on floor bases completed extremely quickly and accurately, it also means we have a very high level of control over our projects. Since we are working to such a high level of accuracy, there are no cost overruns on projects due to greater concrete requirements. The contribution of technology makes our work as precise as it possibly can be.”

The Case skid-steer forms the substrate base in two layers, a double-drum vibratory roller constantly working in its wake, which is shortly to be replaced by a new Bomag tandem roller. Following grading and compaction, the damp course membrane and rebar steel are laid by the FRC team.

Inside the structure, different sections of the works are advancing in a production-like manner. As one pour is being completed, the team will be finishing off the rebar

A typical pour on this site was between 300 and 350 cubic metres, delivered efficiently to the crew via a concrete pump.

work on the following section, and the skid steer working on the next in line.

This factory extension project at Nenagh demonstrated the massive logistics effort required for each pour. Due to the large volume of concrete required for a single pour, the contract was split between two local suppliers, Kellys of Fantane and Fogarty Concrete. Both suppliers assigned the maximum number of trucks to support the pour, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of material to the concrete pump serving the project.

Advance planning eliminated the need to relocate the pump during the pour, resulting in more consistent concrete placement. Even with headroom restrictions within the structure, in the hands of its experienced operator, the concrete pump worked to its full capability.

CONCRETE SCREEDING

Despite the concrete pump on this site typically delivering between 300 and 350 cubic metres of concrete for a single pour, the FRC team did not seem intimidated by the enormity of the task in front of them. A long-term user of well-regarded, American-built Somero equipment, their ride-on S-485 laser screed has proved to be highly effective over the years. However, 18 months ago, FRC supplemented it with a two-tonne remote-

controlled SRS-4 model, which has taken this aspect of their operation to a new level of efficiency. Working from the adjacent rebar level, the machine reaches across the freshly-poured material with its telescopic boom to level the concrete to a precise grade thanks to its laser system.

It then moves across the rebar and performs the same cycle, until the whole width is levelled and finished, before relocating to allow the concrete pump to fill the section it has been working from. Fitted with four flotation tyres, the machine has no impact on the rebar or damp course membrane. All four wheel stations are on a rotating mount, so it offers tremendous manoeuvrability.

All the functions of the SRS-4 are accomplished by the operator using a remote-control unit. Once in position along the edge of the pour, the machine is levelled with three jack-up stabilisers. This leaves the machine ready to extend its two-section, 5.48m telescopic boom, which carries a standard 3.1m laser screed head.

Employing the Somero soft landing feature, the screed descends on the concrete to the predefined level. The first pass is to level the material and remove any excess. Following passes use the integrated vibrating auger, which achieves a smooth and uniform finish, irrespective of the concrete slump.

Above, above right and below: The two-tonne Somero SRS-4 screed features a 5.48m telescopic boom, on which it carries a standard 3.1m laser screed head.

“WORKINGWITHTHE3D-BASEDGUIDANCE SYSTEMONTHELASERSCREEDHASMADEA MAJORDIFFERENCE”

For most of this project, the SRS-4 screed has been working with a laser-based 2D machine control system, producing incredibly flat large surfaces at pre-defined gradients, but without really knowing where it is on the face of the earth.

3D POSITIONING

One of the final stages of the works at Nenagh was to form the yard surrounding the new factory extension. This was to feature several surface angles, accommodating manhole covers, storm water grids and the like. A labour-intensive task, it could have been tackled in separate sections, but with time and cost implications, and the loss of any technical advantages of a single large pour. FRC therefore invested in a specialist Trimble 3D machine guidance system to help them undertake the screed work on the later stages of this project.

Somero’s Derbyshire-based European dealer greatly assisted in setting up the system on the SRS-4 laser screed and, critically, spending the previous day surveying the pour site. With a base station

set-up, the perimeter of the pour was plotted, followed by points for all the different cross falls, manhole covers and surface drainage grids. A digital site plan was generated on the same Trimble module that had been used on a staff to survey the site, before it was physically mounted on the Somero screed.

Damien commented, “Working with the 3D-based guidance system on the laser screed has made a major difference. Without it, we would have had to greatly reduce the size of the pour, based on the amount of manual finishing that would have been involved. The whole pour went very smoothly and the ease of use of the system was unbelievable. Technology like this really brings new levels of productivity to the equipment we use and it simply is a vital part of the job we do.”

FINISHING WORKS

Once the concrete has begun to cure, the power floating process can begin, and FRC has a range of ride-on and pedestrian floats to undertake this work. They include machines with combination floating plates as well as dedicated finishing machines.

The latest power float to join the fleet is the Belgian-manufactured Beton Trowel BT1200HH unit. A twin-rotor, ride-on machine, it is designed to cover large areas

quickly. It includes integrated water mist dispensers, which assist greatly in achieving the desired finish. In addition to the finish of the floor slab, a power-floating process enhances the concrete, resulting in a harder wearing upper surface. Another key part of the process is cutting expansion joints, which is completed as soon as practicable, using high-capacity, walkbehind floor saws.

The FRC team worked through the winter months of 2022/23 on the Nenagh project. During windows of appropriate temperatures and weather, every opportunity was taken to advance the project with carefully-planned large pours, including late night and early morning stints.

With skilled operators and specialist machinery to undertake high-value work on large concrete pours, FRC Flatworks continues to invest in technology. Their recent move into 3D machine guidance/ control systems is already getting the maximum benefit from their futuristiclooking telescopic screed, which will also open up more opportunities for their skid-steer/grader combination.

Above and inset: To perform the more complex large pour to form an external hard standing, a Trimble 3D machine control system was used on the Somero screed.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

Paul Argent reports on a high-spec JCB excavator that is spearheading an ongoing charity fundraising campaign by the Waitings Group

The Penrith-based, family-owned Waitings Group undertakes a variety of construction and civil engineering disciplines across the UK. To support local cancer charities and hospices, Waitings commissioned a pink-painted JCB JS220 excavator, the firm donating a percentage of its profits to local charities. In tragic circumstances, not long after the arrival of the pink machine, managing director Victoria Waiting lost her short battle to a brain tumour. Heartbreakingly, Victoria had recently lost her sister-in-law to the same disease. Operations director Adrian Ash said, “It has been a very difficult few years for us all at Waitings following the loss of Victoria.

Thankfully Robert Waiting, Victoria’s brother, had re-joined the company before she passed, so the strong ethics and family values we treasure are maintained from the top. While we were devastated at the losses, we knew that Victoria would want us to carry on our fundraising efforts, as a legacy to all the great things she stood for.”

The JCB JS220 served the firm and its clients well over the years. When it was time to move it on, the pink excavator also attracted a substantial bid at a Richie Bros auction. Its total earnings during its time on the Waitings fleet resulted in over £100,000 of charitable donations, split between Hospice at Home, Eden Valley Hospice and Brain Tumour Research.

This old-style JS excavator has recently been replaced by a new generation 220X model, again factory-painted pink and supplied through Scott JCB.

“WE ARE VERY GRATEFULTOOUR SUPPLYCHAINAND OURGENEROUS CLIENTSFORMAKING THISVENTURE POSSIBLE”

Right and above right: The family-owned Waitings Group has recently replaced their pink JCB JS220 excavator with a new 220X model, which will raise substantial charitable donations.

Adrian remarked, “The factory and the dealer embraced the idea and supported the project all the way, for which we are very grateful.”

ATTACHMENTS

The new excavator has been outfitted by Manchester-based MTK with a Kinshofer NOX tilt-rotator, supplied in a matching pink colour scheme. As reported in the Shire Hill Quarry feature in this issue, attachment supplier MTK supports several cancer charities in the north west, and manufacturer Kinshofer has also come on board to help with such charity fundraising.

As did Irish bucket manufacturer Titus,

which was keen to supply a Scandinavianstyle bucket in the same livery. As this 220X is destined to spend a great deal of its time working on rail infrastructure projects, it has been fitted a comprehensive Xwatch XW5 safety system, through local rail engineering specialist Allan Hargreaves. Adrian is keen to point out that, when the deals were done for the machine and attachments, any discount provided by the dealers was paid directly into the 220X’s own charity account.

Adrian said, “We decided to set up the JCB with its own bank account, making it totally visible as to the amount of money it is earning for charity. All of the discounted monies from the likes of MTK, Allan Hargreaves and Xwatch, Titus and Leica have been paid into the account. Without the machine doing more than a few days work, we have already raised in excess of £5000.”

SITE VISIT

We gate-crashed a JCB video shoot of the new 220X excavator on an access road project being undertaken by Waitings close to their Carlisle HQ. With JCB’s social media star Georgina Williams at the

controls, the tilt-rotator equipped excavator quickly spread the material, feathering it out to the haunches of the road.

Georgina said, “My role as a JCB test driver gave me the opportunity to drive all sorts of different machines, but getting to operate this custom pink 220X is definitely a career highlight. Using a tilt-rotator is a new challenge for me, but something I could absolutely get used to.”

After a couple of days work on this site, the 220X was taken back to the yard in Carlisle to have its standard working equipment replaced by a 15m long-reach boom and dipper set-up, before being despatched to a rail project in London.

Adrian concluded, “We did the same with the older machine, which allowed us to fully utilise its capabilities. It works well as a long-reach machine and is liked by our rail engineering teams.

“More importantly, the more work we are able to put the machine on, the more money we can raise to help our chosen charities. We are expecting to earn far more with this machine and have set targets that, if achieved, will be fantastic. Again, we are very grateful to our supply chain and our generous clients for making this venture possible.”

“THEMOREWORKWEAREABLETOPUT THEMACHINEON,THEMOREMONEYWE CANRAISETOHELPOURCHOSEN CHARITIES”

Inset right and above: Any discounts negotiated with dealers were paid into the excavator’s own bank account. It has already earned £5000 for charity without scratching its bucket’s pink paintwork.

BREAKING INTO A GOLD VAULT

David Wylie visits a large demolition site in Edinburgh to see the CJ Charlton Group at work on a large and arduous project

Having invested in additional demo-spec excavators, demolition and dismantling specialists the CJ Charlton Group, headquartered in Surrey, has recently expanded to cover the north of England and Scotland. We met their team undertaking an arduous, high-profile contract in Edinburgh.

The impressive concrete structure of Drummond House, on a business park near Edinburgh Airport, was no ordinary large office block. As the former headquarters of the

Royal Bank of Scotland, the structure contained a huge gold bullion and cash vault deep within its massively reinforced basement.

The CJ Charlton Group won the contract to demolish this building, part of an evolving southern extension of the Edinburgh Park business area. It will see the construction of a new network of modern office buildings with vehicle parking concealed below their landscaped decks.

It took the Charlton team almost four months to complete the soft strip of this

impressive building, leaving just its heavilyreinforced concrete shell. The main structure features unusually high 5m ceilings on each of the three floors, together with a deep basement and the vault area. The floors are made up of 700mm-thick Waffle Slab reinforced concrete, supported by 700mm round columns, which are densely packed with 40mm rebar. The vault area is made from massive, thick, high-strength concrete, plus the extremely generous use of 50mm-thick rebar.

“THEFORMERHQOFTHEROYALBANKOF SCOTLAND,THESTRUCTURECONTAINED ABULLIONVAULT”

KOMATSU PC490HRD-11 BASIC SPEC

HIGH-REACH RIG

During our visit, Charlton’s Komatsu PC490HRD-11 high-reach demo rig, now with 2600 hours on the clock, was busy munching its way through the top floors of Drummond House. Working in the standard high-reach configuration, this excavator has a maximum pin height of 28m, providing a working height of up to 30m.

On this job, initially operating at a pin height of around 15m with a 2.5-tonne Demarec DCC25, twin-cylinder concrete crusher, the Komatsu’s extra reach allows it to work at a safe stand-off distance. It is equipped with a dust suppression system, with a water connection at the nearside rear of the machine and pipework running the length of the boom to the attachment. Using Komatsu’s quick-change system, a shorter mid-boom section will be fitted to tackle the lower levels of the structure, using the same Demarec attachment.

Director Chris Charlton said, “The Komatsu PC490 high-reach is a fantastic demolition machine, which appealed to us

on a number of levels. First, it’s UK built and designed, we have a full factory warranty from start to finish and the back-up from the Komatsu dealer MKL is also extremely good. Before we bought it, we spoke to other demolition contractors and operators, who provided nothing but very positive feedback on its performance.”

With over 20 years of demolition experience, Charlton’s site manager Charlie Hutton said, “We’ve operated high-reach excavators from other leading brands in the past, but the Komatsu PC49011HRD is in a different class. The whole machine is very well engineered from the ground up, as it’s designed and built by Komatsu UK at their Birtley factory.”

At the controls was operator Darren Scott, who said, “The PC490 high-reach is a well-balanced machine, even with a large 2.5-tonne attachment fitted. The tilting cab offers a stress-free view when working at height, so it’s comfortable to sit in all day long and I can place the tool precisely where we need it to be. I’d go as far as to say

“THEPC490HIGH-REACH ISAWELL-BALANCED MACHINE,EVENWITH A2.5-TONNE ATTACHMENTFITTED”

it’s probably one of the best high-reach demolition machines I’ve ever operated.”

OTHER FLEET

Chris continued, “In addition to the Komatsu PC490HRD-11, we’ve also made investments in the latest low emissions excavators from Hitachi and Volvo, to offer our client high productivity and emissions on this

project. From an excavator point of view, everyone is also particularly impressed with the latest Volvo EC380E.”

That view was echoed by Charlie, who said, “Our 40-tonne class Volvo EC380Es produce outstanding digging performance. When coupled with the high-performance Euro-fab buckets, I believe there’s nothing that’ll out-dig this machine. I’d go as far as to say you could put it up against a 50-tonne machine and it would outperform that too.”

In addition to this Volvo, a new Hitachi ZX490-7 and a smaller Volvo ECR145E were put to work on this project. As were several other machines from Charlton’s fleet, including a Hitachi ZX210 and a standard Komatsu PC490.

BESPOKE BUCKETS

The new excavators deployed to this project were equipped with bespoke Euro-fab buckets. The package included a 3.3cu.m heavy-duty rehandling bucket, built using a Hardox 450 wear package and the Kprime P50RC tooth system. For the 50-tonne excavators, a 2.5cu.m extreme-duty rock bucket was ordered, complete with Hensley bolt-on side protection, heel and lip shrouds, and using 50mm Hardox 450 steel. The Volvo EC380E was equipped with a 1.8cu.m bucket, again with Hardox 450/Kprime P30 tooth combination.

Director Chris Charlton said, “With this prestigious contract in Edinburgh to deliver, and as Euro-fab is only 30 minutes from the jobsite, it meant we could visit the factory and see first-hand how dedicated the team was at providing the very best buckets in the market for this tough demolition application.”

Site manager Charlie commented, “It was a pleasure dealing with Derek Macaloney at Euro-fab, a genuine bloke who does what he says. The spec and quality of the four buckets he and his team delivered for this arduous application are outstanding. By digging out tough concrete rubble and rebar, we’ve worked the buckets and the Komatsu Kprime teeth package hard, and have no complaints on their performance and durability to date.”

Left and below: Operator Darren Scott reckons that this Komatsu PC490 is one of the best high-reach demolition machines he has operated.

Left, right and above: This British-built Komatsu PC490HRD-11 demolition excavator offers a maximum working height of 30m, in this case working with a 2.5-tonne attachment.

SITE VISIT

Once the Komatsu high-reach demo rig had munched its way through a decent volume of material, leaving the arisings on the floor, a Hitachi ZX210 excavator with a hydraulically actuated magnet was used to pick out the rebar.

The new Hitachi XZ490-7, now with 670 hours on the clock, used the large 3.3-cube rehandling bucket to form a stockpile of material for crushing. This will be processed by Charlton’s Kleemann Mobicat MC110EVO mobile jaw crusher, which has a capacity of 450 tonnes per hour.

The stockpiled material was primarily loaded by the new Volvo EC380E excavator. Nearby, another EC380E, fitted with a heavy-duty muncher attachment, was used to break out any remaining rebar from oversize concrete pieces, before running it through the crusher. Handling the material from the crusher was a Doosan DL450 wheel loader, which carried the material a short distance to the large stockpile of sized product.

With 40- and 50-tonne excavators supporting the 60-plus-tonne high-reach demo rig, a factory-fresh, compact radius, 14-tonne Volvo ECR145E excavator was delivered to site during our visit. Equipped with a grading bucket, a digging bucket and a selector grab, it will be used to carry out a variety of clean-up and other tasks on site. It will get into places that the larger machines cannot reach, consuming far less fuel in the process.

Once the main building is cleared and the concrete foundations removed, a level 13-acre site will be left, ready for the client to redevelop the area.

Below: A Kleemann MC110EVO jaw crusher is fed by a Volvo EC380E excavator, while a Doosan DL450 wheel loader handles the processed material.

Right: The latest excavator to join the fleet is this compact radius 14-tonne Volvo ECR145E, equipped with a grading bucket, a digging bucket and a selector grab.

“AKLEEMANNMC110EVOJAWCRUSHERISFEDBYAVOLVO EC380EEXCAVATOR,WHILEADOOSANDL450WHEEL LOADERHANDLESTHEPROCESSEDMATERIAL.”

BUILDING ON SUCCESS

Eoghan Daly reports on a small fleet working in the south-east of Ireland, which has recently been bolstered by a used Hyundai HX220 excavator, hosting a new Daemo hydraulic breaker

Having obtained his civil engineering degree, Ciaran Kelly gained much industry experience working with prominent companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. However, it was always his intention to return home to Ireland, to establish his own local groundworks and plant hire business, serving customers in the south-east of the country.

C. Kelly Groundworks was duly established with a used Hitachi 135US reduced swing radius excavator. That soon gave way to a new Komatsu PC138US-11 model, which Ciaran purchased in 2018, along with a Komatsu PC29MR mini-excavator.

KOMATSU FEEDBACK

Regarding his continuing use of compact 14-tonne class excavators, Ciaran said, “Since getting the first Komatsu PC138US-11 reduced swing radius excavator, I have been really impressed by them. The first machine now has 3900 hours and has been almost completely trouble free, with the exception of a problem with the Adblue system, which was resolved without delay by McHale Plant Sales.

“I am impressed by how the machine hasn’t shown any signs of wear. All pins and bushes are like new, proved by the fact that there is absolutely no play in the dipper arm. The engine has been 100% reliable and the hydraulics are still as powerful as day one.

“The only areas I could see room for improvement are in the 360-degree camera system, which may be very handy, but still has poor image quality. A change from halogen lights to LEDs would also be welcome. Another negative is that replacement parts for the machine are expensive. Despite this, I continue to be impressed by the machine.”

Ciaran recalled, “I got a lot of smaller projects, including excavation and groundworks for one-off houses and farm building projects. Even though these types of works are still important to us, it is difficult to expand while concentrating on smaller projects alone. Consequently, to grow the business further, I decided the time was right to take on larger projects. Even though this can be challenging, it made sense to capitalise on the level of work going on at local level.”

Ciaran invested in a second Komatsu PC138US-11 model and, for more intense bulk excavation and deep drainage work, in 2021 he acquired a used Hitachi 210-6 excavator. With a workforce of six, he remains very much a hands-on operator, which he sees as the key to delivering on the commitments provided to his clients.

He continued, “We may still be a relatively small team, but can cope well with the demands of our current projects. The labour shortage facing the industry is a major challenge. It is very difficult to get experienced operators and skilled ground workers. Based on the type of projects we are currently engaged in, where a level of flexibility is required from all involved, me being on the ground personally is crucial.”

MAJOR PROJECT

With an economic mix of new and used machines, Ciaran’s plan to grow the business by taking on larger projects has worked, to the point that the team was awarded a major long-term project. The firm secured the site

clearance, bulk excavation and complete groundworks package for a large residential development for BHA Construction, together with the construction of the house bases to sub-floor level.

Located on an elevated site on the edge of the seaside town of Tramore in County Waterford, the site affords commanding views of this picturesque location. The site’s sloping nature required the formation of terraced levels for the new houses. Comprising 91 units, the development incorporates a mix of house types, including an apartment block and a crèche. In addition to constructing site roads and completing all groundworks, the scope of works included upgrading the adjoining public road, as well as enhancements to a nearby roundabout. With approximately 18 months of work ahead of the team on this project, the search was on for an excavator to undertake the

Right, inset above, above right and below right: The 2017-built, Cummins-powered Hyundai HX220 features a refurbished undercarriage and is proving to be a good host for the 1.7t Daemo breaker.

Above and below: The cab on the Hyundai HX220 is commended, as is the excavator’s digging power and fast hydraulics. The machine is also proving to be fuel-efficient.

“THEHYUNDAIHAD ANEWUNDERCARRIAGE FITTEDANDWASFULLY SERVICEDBYWHELAN BEFOREDELIVERY”

heavier-duty tasks on site. This revolved around finding a suitable way to deal with the layer of rock running close to the surface throughout the site, the density of which significantly increased with depth.

BREAKER EXCAVATOR

Despite the key roles played by the Hitachi 210-6 and the pair of reduced tailswing Komatsu PC138US-11s on Ciaran’s modest fleet, one of the smaller excavators would need to be replaced with something offering far more grunt, able to wield a decent-sized hydraulic hammer.

Ciaran continued, “I needed to go up a size class with one of the machines to best cope with this latest long-term project, so I went to the market to look at the available options.” His first choice would have been a PC210 excavator in good condition, then source a hydraulic hammer for it. Even though some high-spec used Komatsu excavators were available, they came at a price.

Dealer Whelan Plant Sales approached the situation from a different perspective, offering Ciaran a new Daemo Alicon B210 hydraulic breaker, together with a refurbished 2017-built Hyundai HX220 excavator as host.

Ciaran said, “For breakers that are not overly expensive, Daemo give great performance and reliability over the long term. Which meant the combination being offered by Whelan was the best solution and represented a worthwhile saving over purchasing a used PC210 and hydraulic breaker.

“Even though I had never dealt with Whelan before, the package they put together was most appealing. The standard of used machines they offer makes them

HITACHI FEEDBACK

Having run a few used Hitachi excavators, Ciaran rates their performance, general reliability and resale value. The Hitachi 210-6 was purchased in 2021, has now recorded 5400 hours and is a key part of the small front-line fleet. Ciaran said, “The Hitachi probably has superior build quality over Hyundai and is smoother to operate, but its reliability is a let-down, as the Adblue system has been very troublesome.”

very attractive. Purchasing a used machine that has gone through the workshop and received everything it needed should mean there will be no major expense for some time. The Hyundai HX220 has had a new undercarriage fitted and was fully serviced and checked over by Whelan before delivery. They made the process straightforward and the back-up and dealer relationship they offer is excellent.”

USER FEEDBACK

Ciaran continued, “On arrival on site, the Hyundai went straight to work, as the settings for the new breaker were easily loaded on the control system, allowing us to get the most from the machine from the very start. With just 4500 hours, it is a very clean machine and is proving to be lighter on fuel than the Hitachi 210-6.

“Working on the reduced level digs on this site, the Hyundai has really shown that it can deliver on performance. It has excellent digging power and gets the most from the hydraulic hammer when breaking rock. When doing foundations together with the Komatsu PC138US-11 the two machines combine very well. Even though it is a larger machine than we would normally use on house foundations, with the density of the rock on this site, it is the only way to keep up the pace. Overall, it is setting a very positive impression.”

These sentiments are echoed by Ciaran’s operators, who view the HX220 as offering a comfortable cab, plus the combination of a powerful Cummins engine and fast hydraulics to provide good performance. Now with a Hitachi 210-6 and a newer generation Hyundai HX220, the small

team has a considerable excavating resource at their disposal. However, the Hyundai’s place on the fleet is based on it undertaking higher value-added work, by acting as the host to the allimportant hydraulic breaker. Manufactured by a long-established firm based in South Korea, the Alicon B210 weighs 1.7 tonnes and incorporates many of the features found on Daemo’s much larger hydraulic breakers. They include stroke selection, for which two stroke intensity settings are available, achieved by altering the selector on the hammer housing. This allows the attachment to be easily set up to best match the density of the rock being worked. Other features include a silenced housing, an anti-blank firing system, together with an autogreaser.

A high-voltage power line extends across the Tramore site, which will be replaced by underground cables. In the interim, the Hitachi was fitted with a GKD height restrictor by local dealer Wrench Hydraulics. Normal truck-loading duties take place outside of the overhead line’s exclusion zone, and the GKD system provides the flexibility to safely undertake groundworks closer to the live lines when required.

“NOWWITHAHITACHI 210-6ANDAHYUNDAI HX220,THESMALLTEAM HASACONSIDERABLE EXCAVATINGRESOURCE”

Left and right: The Hitachi 210-6 undertakes the more intense bulk excavation, loading and deep drainage work and is held in high esteem.

CONCLUSION

Without the financial burden of investing in a fleet of new machines, Ciaran’s mix of used and new excavators has eased the challenge of expanding his small business. The Hyundai has made a good start, and the Hitachi 210-6 is still held in high regard by his team, which has recently been updated to work on the Tramore site (see panel).

Having two 21-tonne class excavators and the reduced radius Komatsu PC138US-11 is considered a sufficient resource to meet projected demands of the business.

However, Ciaran has decided to replace his smallest front-line machine, saying, “Even though the Komatsu remains trouble free and is delivering the same high level of performance it did at the start, I would expect to upgrade it over the coming months.

“A one-owner machine should have retained its value well. It makes much more sense to move it on now, while it is still at its peak, rather than wait for things to deteriorate. Replacing it with a new model will bring the added benefit of warranty cover, as well as keeping the fleet renewed, which is always important.”

Seemingly content with the scale of groundworks projects his team now handles,

Ciaran is looking to expand the range of services offered by his small business, concluding by revealing, “I’ve been awarded a waste collection permit, which allows us to haul soil, stone and concrete rubble to licensed tips. This is of benefit when we are clearing sites for construction and means we can cater for the complete process, and gives greater flexibility in the type of work we can undertake.”

Left and right: The compact 14-tonne class Komatsu PC138US-11 excavator is a great all-rounder on the firm’s projects, but for these foundations the rock first had to be broken out.

The Tramore groundworks team, from left to right: Ciaran Kirwan, Ciaran Kelly, PJ O’Sullivan, Shane Roche, Keegan Power and Yevgenii Diachyn.

BACKHOE-LOADER OR LOADER-BACKHOE?

Graham Black comments on the future of backhoe loaders

Is it a backhoe loader or a loader backhoe – that is the key question? The concept was developed around the same time on both sides of the Atlantic, but with a slightly different focus. To the Americans, it was more of a loader tractor that could also dig. To the Brits, it was a back-actor tractor, with the front counterweight replaced by a loader. Both approaches resulted in virtually the same design: a versatile machine that could perform a wide range of tasks, including loading, carrying and excavation work.

In the UK, the backhoe loader was principally used as a mobile excavator, often in the hands of owner-operators or trusted longterm employees. With a mindset focused on trenching and grading work, for some, the front bucket was little more than a large stabiliser, used in conjunction with the rear legs while digging. Saying that, it did provide a useful way to carry a drum of diesel, another attachment or a load of aggregate.

The availability of Drott-style 4-in-1 buckets transformed the muck-shifting capability of the backhoe loader. This multi-purpose front attachment is used to push, level and grade material, in the same manner as a tracked loading shovel. Those operators that mastered both front and rear attachments were, and still are, the cream of the crop.

“TOAMERICANSITWASA LOADERTRACTORTHATCOULD ALSODIG.TOTHEBRITS, ITWASABACK-ACTOR TRACTORWITHALOADER”

Below and inset: Unlike the American market, the materials handling capability of the front of a backhoe loader has been under-valued over the decades.

However, even with the availability of pallet forks incorporated into the front end, the material handling capabilities of a backhoe loader were widely under-valued by UK users. Not without some justification, as balancing a pallet of blocks while traversing a muddy and undulating building site was achievable, but was often not a pretty sight.

In more recent times, this aspect of a backhoe loader’s performance has been transformed by the use of a hydraulic stabilising system on the front arms. This has been aided by a general increase in operating weights and sizes, together with the use of superior tyre technology, as the largest machines now feature all-wheel steer, as well as all-wheel drive.

MISSING MACHINE TYPES

But these developments came too late, as the digging duties of backhoe loaders were undertaken by tracked hydraulic excavators. The near universal uptake of 360-degree excavators also signalled the demise of several other once-common machine types, including tracked loading shovels.

Undervalued as a materials handler and truck loader – even with rough-terrain fork lift trucks are going out of fashion – UK sites turned their back on backhoe-loaders.

The three big northern hemisphere construction equipment markets of the USA, Europe and the UK take different approaches to on-site materials handling. In America, still a large market for backhoe loaders, a skid-steer loader is the universal materials handler. For a lot of Central Europeans, never big fans of backhoe-loaders, a compact wheel loader is the universal machine of choice. Across Scandinavia a wheeled excavator, or even a full-sized wheel loader, is the universal machine of choice, together with large articulated backhoe loaders.

Sites in the UK and Ireland take a different working approach, featuring a heavy reliance on site dumpers as the universal materials hauler. Truck unloading and materials delivery duties are typically undertaken by a telescopic handler, while a tracked excavator

is used to load the muck-away trucks and manage the stockpiles.

The road works sector was, and to some extent still is, the last bastion of a load-andcarry utility machine, initially in the form of loader-compressor industrial tractors, more recently with adaptations of a loader backhoe. In theory, a high/long-reach telehandler performs such tasks on construction sites. In practice, they are typically only used to handle incoming materials, not to shift or load muck.

THE WAY AHEAD

As skid-steers and compact loaders, neither of which can excavate a trench, never really found favour, what UK and Irish sites lack is a load-and-carry muck-shifting machine. Not that we have missed having such a bit of kit, it is more a case of those few that do, wonder how they ever managed without one.

The real value of a utility load-and-carry machine is that it allows the mainstream crews to focus on what they are good at: excavators and dumpers on the main muck-shifting effort. Telehandlers are used to position loads at height or at reach, not suddenly diverted to deliver a couple of tonnes of sand, urgently required at the other end of the site. All this while providing an asset capable of loading trucks and taking pressure off the main excavator fleet.

Wheeled excavators traditionally fulfilled this role on UK sites, however, by start of the new Millennium, they were going out of favour. Then pioneering UK owner-operators began to adopt Scandinavian working practices, based around a high-spec wheeled excavator equipped with a tilt-rotator, often working with

a range of hydraulically-powered attachments. This combination is now being widely adopted throughout the industry.

CONCLUSION

Wheeled excavators and backhoe loaders represent two different price points to broadly achieve the same objectives. They both offer a flexible resource that is equally at home on the road and on site, undertaking a wide range of excavation and materials handling duties, increasingly with hydraulicallypowered attachments. When principally used for digging, the excavator wins every time, as it did decades ago, when 360-degree hydraulic machines were first introduced.

Those enjoying continued commercial success with backhoe loaders seem to have one thing in common: it is the front end of the machine that makes the regular money. The backhoe undertakes higher value-added work, such as trenching, or more accurate work, such as loading site dumpers or wielding a hydraulic hammer.

This seems to be true no matter what the environment, from the over-sized examples working in Scandinavia, through American mass-market machines, to the example featured elsewhere in this issue, run by a modern UK plant hire operation. These folk do not have backhoe loaders, rather they are loader backhoes.

All of which brings us to the impending launch of JCB’s world-leading hydrogenpowered model. However, the long-term commercial success of this British engineering innovation is not going to be based on existing backhoe loader users looking to upgrade.

Rather, it will be based on a greater appreciation not only of what a modern loader backhoe can achieve, but also the crucial role the new model can play on our net-zero carbon sites of the near future.

A loader backhoe provides broadly the same functionality as a wheeled excavator, but at different price points and with different excavating working envelopes.

“THOSEENJOYING SUCCESSHAVEONETHING INCOMMON:ITISTHE FRONTENDOFTHE MACHINETHATMAKES THEREGULARMONEY”

The imminent arrival of a hydrogen-powered JCB will mark the beginnings of a new chapter in the history of the loader backhoe.

ENGINES PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

David Wylie reports on the latest developments at Cummins, a long-term manufacturer of heavy-duty engines in the UK

Last year Cummins engines celebrated 70 years in the UK, representing a significant milestone in the story of British industry. More recently, their massive factory at Darlington has been testing hydrogen combustion engines and fuel cells, a far cry from powering post-war earthmoving machines.

The Cummins story in the UK starts in the late 1940s, when Blackwood Hodge became the distributor for American-made Euclid

machines, whose 15-ton dump trucks were ideally suited to helping Britain back on her feet after WWII. Then a Euclid factory was established near Motherwell in Scotland for machines that came with either a General Motors or a Cummins engine.

At the time, Blackwood Hodge was one of the world’s largest sales and services organisations for construction machinery. As the machinery dealer was impressed with Cummins powerpacks across their various product lines, they began

Below: From 1952 to 1984 the American engine manufacturer’s UK dealer was Cummins Diesel Sales and Service, owned by Blackwood Hodge.

“CUMMINSESTABLISHED THEIRFIRSTENGINE FACTORYOUTSIDEOFTHE USABETWEEN EDINBURGHAND GLASGOW,CLOSETOTHE EUCLIDPLANT”

Above left and right: The latest 400-tonne Komatsu excavator is powered by a Daventry-built, ultra-low emissions 60.2-litre, V16 engine rated at 1877hp.

negotiations to become the American engine manufacturer’s UK distributor, going on to form Cummins Diesel Sales and Service in 1952.

Just four years later, Cummins took the decision to establish their first engine factory outside of the USA, located halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow at Shotts, close to the Euclid plant. This resulted in several truck manufacturers also offering Cummins engines, including Seddon Atkinson, ERF, Foden, Guy and Scammell.

In 1965 Cummins opened its Darlington factory in northern England and started production of its ‘Small Vee’ family of V6 and V8 diesel engines. Twenty years later, production switched to its mid-range engines. At the beginning of 2022, the factory built its 1.5 millionth mid-range engine, a 5.9-litre unit exported to South Korea for fitment into a Hyundai HX220 excavator.

Cummins’ other UK factory is at Daventry and was opened in the early 1970s to build the K-series and other heavy industrial engines, serving the power generation, marine, rail and mining sectors of the market. Daventry-built engines would go on to power legendary mining kit such as the O&K RH120-C and Demag H225 mining excavators. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Cummins Daventry factory, where today the site produces engines above 38 litres, right up to the massive 78-litre QSK78, a V18 powerpack rated at 3500hp. To better serve a wide user base across many industry sectors, in 1984 Cummins bought out Blackwood Hodge’s interests in the UK Cummins Diesel Sales and Service firm. A broader range of services was then introduced, including maintenance contracts and engine rebuilds.

UK R&D INVESTMENT

In the next few months Cummins is expected to open the first phase of a £14m investment in its Darlington site to develop a new powertrain test facility. It is designed to be fuel-agnostic, able to cope with combustion engines powered by hydrogen, other gases or sustainable diesel, together with hydrogen fuel cells and battery-electric drivelines.

This facility will not just test driveline components, but also chassis-installed powertrains and completed vehicles, including heavy-haulage trucks and double-deck buses, in addition to construction and agricultural machinery. They will be able to be dyno-tested on site, and the heavy-duty dynamometers within

Below and right: Cummins has 2000 hydrogen fuel cell and 500 electrolyser installations, both key technologies as part of the energy mix of Komatsu’s next generation of large haul trucks.

“THESEARECRITICALTECHNOLOGIES FORHELPINGMININGCUSTOMERS REDUCECARBONEMISSIONSAND ACCELERATECARBONNEUTRALITY”

The Darlington factory produces engines from 3.9 to nine litres. A year ago the benchmark of manufacturing 1.5 million mid-range engines was reached, a 5.9-litre unit destined for a Hyundai HX220 excavator.

the test cells feature an energy recovery system, pumping electricity into the ring main of the Cummins site.

For on-road vehicles, the impending introduction of Euro 7 emissions standards, which will apply to petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric powered kit, presents significant challenges to engine and vehicle manufacturers. In the off-road machinery market, there is accelerated demand for the next generation of zero carbon solutions, all of which require considerable development to translate the theory into sellable products.

Cummins will take a big step towards a net zero carbon environment at the forthcoming ConExpo show in Las Vegas, with their new fuel-agnostic 15-litre engine. This is a power dense design, resulting in a more compact form, allowing easier integration by machinery and vehicle manufacturers.

Using a common base engine, a variety of cylinder heads and fuel systems are available, tailored for using hydrogen, natural gas, diesel and biofuels as a fuel. The hydrogen engines will be rated from 400hp to 530hp and offer a peak torque of 2600Nm, and the renewable biogas version rated from 400hp to 510hp and 2500Nm of torque. The advanced diesel version will feature a broad power range of 450hp to 650hp, with an impressive 3200Nm of peak torque.

EARLY ADOPTERS

The first off-road user of this new Cummins 15-litre engine in its hydrogen-powered form is likely to be Buhler, the North American manufacturer of the Versatile brand of large articulated agricultural tractors.

Komatsu and Cummins have a long history of working together in the large

mining machinery sector of the market. For example, the ultra-low emissions engine in the PC4000-11 mining shovel is a 1877hp 60.2-litre V16 Komatsu-branded component, based on a Daventry-built Cummins QSK60.

At the MinExpo 2021 show Komatsu unveiled an early prototype of a fuelagnostic mining dump truck, designed to accept a variety of powerpacks, from diesel-electric, through batteries to hydrogen fuel cells. The following year, Komatsu and Cummins announced that they were collaborating on the development of zero-emissions haulage equipment. Best known for their internal combustion engines, today Cummins has a broad portfolio of batteries, fuel cell systems and electrolysers – used to generate hydrogen –in its portfolio.

Masayuki Moriyama, president of Komatsu Mining, said, “Cummins has been a long-term partner of Komatsu and has been investing in the key technologies required to support the energy transition in mining. These are critical technologies for helping mining customers reduce carbon emissions and accelerate carbon neutrality. Building on our partnership with Cummins, we are working to accelerate sustainable solutions for our customers.”

HYDROGEN SUPPLY CHAIN

Recognising that storage and transportation of hydrogen is a vital part of this emerging technology, back in 2020 Cummins announced a joint venture with NPROXX, a leader in hydrogen storage and transportation, for the development of hydrogen storage

tanks. The joint venture will provide customers with hydrogen and compressed natural gas storage products for both on-highway and rail applications. Cummins has more than 2000 fuel cell installations across a variety of on- and off-highway applications, as well as more than 500 electrolyser installations.

At the time of the announcement, Tom Linebarger, chairman and CEO of Cummins, said, “In order to move toward a decarbonised future, the world will require multiple power solutions, including advanced diesel, natural gas, electrified power, fuel cells and hybrids. The addition of hydrogen storage to our existing capabilities in hydrogen production and fuel cells enables us to accelerate the viability and adoption of these technologies in commercial markets.”

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Cummins is building on its existing test cell capability at Darlington, where a new £14m fuel agnostic powertrain test facility will include heavy-duty dyno-testing.

Below: At ConExpo, Cummins will introduce a fuel-agnostic 15-litre engine family, which can be powered by hydrogen, natural gas, diesel and biofuels.

LARGEST MACHINES ON EARTH

Keith Haddock looks at the history of giant stripping shovels, focusing on the rivalry between American manufacturers Marion and Bucyrus

Once popular for removing relatively shallow depths of overburden, there is no known example of a mining stripping shovel still in use today. These long-reach, rope-operated face shovels were not designed to load trucks. Rather they cast the material aside, thereby uncovering the next strip to be mined without the costly need for a fleet of dumpers to move the overburden.

Stripping shovels were to become the giants of the earthmoving industry and

included some of the heaviest pieces of equipment ever to move on land. Most notable was the 15,000-ton Marion 6360 with a 180-cubic-yard dipper, more about this later.

As shallow deposits of valuable minerals around the world became exhausted, large-scale surface mines increasingly turned to the greater working range provided by walking draglines. They are designed to remove deeper layers of overburden, casting the material directly into the previously mined-out cut. In their day, however, where the depth

was within range, stripping shovels were the more efficient means of moving overburden. They offered a shorter cycle time than a dragline and could dig through harder material, often eliminating the cost of drilling and blasting. They reached their zenith in the 1950s and 1960s, uncovering the coal deposits of the Illinois Basin.

FROM RAIL TO TRACKS

The need for a long-reach, rope-operated shovel was recognised as early as 1899, when American manufacturer Vulcan produced a steam-powered version, initially working on rails. Providing a boom swing of just 200 degrees, such small machines went on to pioneer the concept, but proved of limited value in stripping applications. A decade later, much larger fully-

“THEFIRSTCRAWLERMOUNTEDSTRIPPINGSHOVEL WASTHE81-TON,2.5-YARD BUCYRUS80-B,THEFIRST EXAMPLEDELIVEREDIN1922”

Above: The first stripping shovels were converted rail machines with extra-long booms; note the coal delivery chute feeding this early Vulcan model

revolving, steam-powered stripping shovels were developed, requiring two sets of parallel rail tracks to support their weight. The first commercially available example was the 1911 Marion 250 model, carrying a 3.5-cubic-yard dipper on a 65ft-long boom. It was followed almost immediately by the Bucyrus 150-B, featuring a 2.5-yard dipper on a 60ft boom.

In the early part of the 20th century

manufacturers in Europe, Russia and the USA began to produce steam-powered stripping shovels. However, only a few ventured into designing and building increasingly large machines. Marion and Bucyrus came to dominate the huge American market, and their stripping shovels were also used throughout the world.

Such shovels first came off rail tracks and travelled on their own crawler undercarriage in the early 1920s. A 40% cost increase over the rail-mounted version resulted in a slow uptake of tracked stripping shovels at first. Then early adopters of the concept proved that the additional capital cost was soon offset by the machine’s superior mobility, and ground

crews could be reduced from eight to one. Orders for rail-mounted stripping shovels quickly diminished.

STEAM SHOVELS

The first crawler-mounted stripping shovel was the 81-ton, 2.5-yard Bucyrus 80-B model, the first example of which was delivered in 1922. This heralded a new class of machine, but offered a small capacity in comparison to early 1920s rail-mounted machines.

The 80-B did, however, mark the introduction of the Bucyrus four-crawler track system, which would become a feature of their stripping shovels for the rest of the decade. Two of the four-crawler assemblies were attached to a pivoting beam to

Below: In competition with the Marion 350 in the 8yd class was the Bucyrus 320-B, of which 37 were built from 1924 to 1930.

Above: Undercarriages on early eight-track machines featured a pivoting beam to equalise stresses when passing over uneven ground; note the giant hand-operated stabilising jack.

In 1912, Bucyrus launched its first revolving stripping shovel, the 150-B steamer with a 2.5-yard dipper on a 60ft boom.

The 1922 Bucyrus 80-B model was the first stripping shovel to be fitted with crawler tracks; it was equipped with – for the time – a small 2.5-yard bucket.

Left: Marion’s first stripping shovel was put to work in 1911 near Danville, Illinois. The rail-mounted model 250 weighed 150 tons and carried a 3.5-yard dipper on a 65ft boom.

Above: In 1923 Marion broke the world record with the 8yd model 350 stripping shovel that weighed 560 tons. This one, the last to operate, is shown at work in 1978 and now preserved in Alberta.

equalise stresses when passing over uneven ground. To stabilise the machine while digging, a screw jack at each end of the beam locked it tightly to the lower frame. On earlier machines, these screw jacks were hand operated, and the driver and his oiler had to remember to slacken them before moving the shovel.

In 1923, the Marion model 350 broke the world record for stripping shovels. It weighed a massive 560 tons and wielded an 8yd dipper on a 90ft boom. Initially rail-mounted, this huge machine was offered with crawler tracks from 1925.

Drive to the crawlers was transmitted from the main hoist motor, located in the revolving frame, through the centre pintle, then out to each of the four crawler assemblies through a series shafts, gears and clutches. They were operated by the groundman, who would receive hand signals from the operator high above. The Marion 350 series machines were a great success, and 47 units were sold before

production ended in 1929. Bucyrus responded with its largest stripping shovel to date, the 320-B model that first appeared in 1924 as an eight-yard, railmounted machine weighing 490 tons. The first machines were steam powered and moved on twin rail tracks; later machines were upgraded to electric power and gained crawler undercarriages. They featured the first use of eight crawler tracks, arranged in pairs at each corner of the machine.

The 500t class Bucyrus 320-B and Marion 350 stripping shovels were probably the largest steam-powered machines ever to move on land. These 8cu.yd capacity machines were pinnacles of 1920s earthmoving technology. They also appeared to have reached the practical limit for steam-powered tracked stripping shovels, particularly as customers were demanding significantly higher capacity machines.

GIANT SHOVELS

In 1935 Bucyrus-Erie introduced the 30-yard 950-B model, at 1250 tons, it was the world’s largest stripping shovel. The 950-B pioneered many features that would be seen on subsequent Bucyrus machines. They included a two-part pinned boom with single tubular dipper, which eliminated torsion stresses. The rope crowd machinery

was mounted on the revolving frame, minimising swing inertia. Independent motors in each of the four crawler assemblies eliminated the need for a complicated gear and shaft drive from the upper works. There was even an automatic hydraulic levelling system that dispensed with the need for screw-type jacks.

The 950-B also featured a balanced hoist system, in which a moving counterweight at the machine’s rear balanced the weight of the arm and bucket as it moved up and down. This system was pioneered on the 18-yard 750-B shovel launched a few years earlier in 1930.

Stripping shovels gradually increased in size during the 1940s, principally driven by demand from American surface coal sites. The following two decades saw the development of the largest single-bucket earthmoving machines ever made. A breakthrough came in 1955, when

Right: A dragline and dozer help to remove the severed gantry from one of Peabody’s 3850-B shovels. After draining all fluids, the entire machine was buried at the mine where it worked in Kentucky.

Above: In 1935 Bucyrus-Erie launched the 950-B, a 30-yard machine that incorporated many advanced features that became standard on future shovels. This one worked in Alberta until 1986.

Below right: The Bucyrus-Erie 200-B weighed 372 tons with a 3.5-yard dipper. One of them is preserved at the Reynolds Alberta Museum at Wetaskiwin in Canada.

Hanna Coal, now Consol Energy, ordered a stripping shovel of record proportions for its coal mining operations in eastern Ohio. Christened the ‘Mountaineer’, the Marionbuilt 2750-ton monster wielded a dipper rated at 65 cubic yards, on a boom 150ft long. The single feature that most fascinated visitors was the three-passenger lift installed in the machines 6ft-diameter centre pin.

The machine also featured Marion’s patent knee-action crowd system, which first appeared on the 35-yard 5561 model shovel of 1940. The knee action takes the weight and bending stress off the boom, due to the dipper stick being mounted on a moveable and independent stiff leg. The crowd mechanism is located on the gantry. For Bucyrus-Erie, the first 1650-B model delivered in 1956 marked the start of the super-stripper era, when coal operators could efficiently move into higher stripping ratios and deeper overburden. The 1650-B was designed on similar lines to the smaller 1050-B model, including a counterbalanced hoist and independent motordriven crawler assemblies. The first example of the 1650-B carried a 55-yard dipper on a 145ft boom and was purchased by Peabody Coal for its River Queen Mine

in Kentucky.

The largest Bucyrus-Erie stripping shovels were two 3850-B models for Peabody Coal. This 1964 example carried a 140-yard dipper, its 9350 tons spread over eight giant crawler assemblies.

“STRIPPINGSHOVELSOFFEREDASHORTER CYCLETIMETHANADRAGLINEANDCOULD DIGTHROUGHHARDERMATERIAL”

Below: From 1956 to 1964 Bucyrus-Erie built five 1650-B shovels with dipper capacities ranging from 55 to 70 cubic yards depending on boom length.

Right

Making international news around the world in 1960, Peabody Coal ordered a 115-yard stripping shovel from Bucyrus Erie, which would weigh some 9000 tons. Before this first example of the 3850-B model went to work in 1962, Peabody ordered a second example with a slightly shorter boom carrying an even larger 140-yard capacity dipper. Weighing 9350 tons, the new world record holder began stripping in 1964.

Largest of all stripping shovels, and billed as the world’s largest mobile land machine of any type, was the Marion 6360 shovel. Erected at the Captain Mine of the Southwestern Illinois Coal Corporation, the machine worked from 1965 to 1991 when it was destroyed by fire. Weighing some 15,000 tons, the 6360 moved some 810 million cubic yards of overburden during its lifetime. The eight-crawler

undercarriage, with 15ft-high crawlers, was the same design Marion used to build the two giant transporters, still used today, for moving rockets to their launch pads at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

END OF THE GIANTS

Although giant stripping shovels served their owners handsomely, uncovering huge amounts of coal to meet the hungry appetites of the coal-fired generating stations, they worked their way into obsolescence.

The main reason for their demise was that during the 1980s the USA saw a rapid rise in coal output from the western states, particularly Wyoming. This low-sulphur coal was found in thick seams under shallow overburden and was cheaper to mine. This more environmentally-friendly western coal captured markets traditionally supplied by

“STRIPPING SHOVELSWERETO BECOMEGIANTS OFTHEINDUSTRY, SOMEOFTHE HEAVIEST EQUIPMENTEVER TOMOVEON LAND”

and below: Largest of all stripping shovels was the Marion 6360 ‘Captain’ with a 180-cubic-yard dipper. At 15,000 tons, it was probably the heaviest single mobile machine ever to move on land.

SMALLER SHOVELS

This history charts the long-term rivalry between the American manufacturers Marion and Bucyrus to produce the world’s largest stripping shovel, from pre-WWI steampowered machines mounted on rails to a 15,000-ton tracked monster.

However, on the other side of the family tree of stripping shovels are universal excavators, pre-hydraulic era rope-operated machines that could be reconfigured to perform different tasks. Designed with interchangeable front end working equipment, they could be converted to operate as a face shovel, backhoe, dragline, skimmer, grab, crane or pile driver.

An adaption of the shovel was the stripping shovel, where an extra-long boom and dipper arm replaced the standard front end. Their extended proportions gave them sufficient reach to dig from a high face, swing round and dump the material well clear of the working area. Many small two-crawler rope shovels could be fitted with longer-than-standard booms, allowing them to perform stripping duties in shallow overburden. They were most popular in America during the 1940s and 1950s, working in the shallow overburden coal regions of Ohio, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania.

Several manufacturers who did not normally supply excavators to the surface mining industry offered long boom options on their standard machines. They included Osgood, Lorain, Koehring, Link-Belt and Northwest. Typically, a 2.5-cubic-yard face shovel could carry a two-yard bucket on the longer working equipment.

The second part of this historical overview of stripping shovels will focus on those machines that worked in the UK. Including the Ransomes & Rapier shovels employed to uncover ironstone in the English Midlands in the 1930s and 1940s.

Right: The last of the giant stripping shovels to operate was the BucyrusErie 1950-B ‘Silver Spade’. Having started in 1965, it finally stopped working in 2006.

Left: This is one of the two 395-B shovels purchased by Drummond Coal in 1988 to strip overburden ahead of a dragline. The 34-yard machines were the last stripping shovels sold.

Below: The BucyrusErie 88-B with high-lift boom and 4yd dipper was typical of two-crawler stripping shovels produced by several excavator manufacturers.

mines in the mid-west, especially from the Illinois Basin, which was the domain of the giant stripping shovels.

The development of more efficient hydraulic excavators and larger haul trucks, coupled with government restrictions on coal use, led to the eventual demise of large stripping shovels. The last models built in America were two AC electric-drive, two-crawler Bucyrus-Erie 395-B machines, delivered to Drummond Coal in 1988. Each weighing just over 1000 tons, they carried 34-yard dippers on 95ft booms.

Above: Showing its superior range, in 1960 Bucyrus-Erie introduced the 270-B model. Weighing 525 tons, it wielded an eight-yard dipper on a 100ft boom.

CLASSIC MUCK-SHIFTING

As the summer show season will be rapidly upon us, David Wylie looks back at the highlights of the Morris Leslie 2022 classic working weekend

Perthshire-based Morris Leslie Group has a diverse range of business interests, from UK-wide plant hire, through machinery and vehicle auctions to a varied residential and commercial property portfolio. This includes the site of former RAF Errol, the long-abandoned WW2-era airfield, which was purchased in 1988 and provides the ideal base for large-scale auctions. In 1997, the Morris Leslie Group purchased the fully-operational Perth Airport, formally RAF Scone, and both sites now feature a mix of business and residential areas.

Below and far right: Rope-operated scraper boxes were a common sight on post-WW2 UK sites, before the development of hydraulic-operated machines.

EVENT BACKGROUND

As an avid collector of classic plant and tractors, Morris Leslie is keen to share his passion with others by organising a regular working event in Scotland. It’s is also an opportunity to raise a bit of money for one of his favoured charities, a Perth Airportbased air ambulance service. His inaugural classic plant working event was held in 2018, and an even larger gathering took place the following year. The planned events in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the pandemic, and the 2022 working weekend took place in glorious summer sunshine at Errol Airfield.

A block of land adjacent to the vehicle auction site was earmarked for residential housing development. It was also next to a grain processing shed, which is operational for five weeks a year during harvest time. The requirement for a noise suppression bund to screen it from the new houses provided an ideal opportunity for old-school dozers and scraper boxes to show what they could do.

“ANIDEALOPPORTUNITYFOROLD-SCHOOL DOZERSANDSCRAPERBOXESTOSHOW WHATTHEYCOULDDO”

TRACKED LOADER

Working near the cut area was a Komatsu tracked loader with a classic 4-in-1 bucket. At the controls was Nigel Rattray, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying operating this classic machine. Despite its age and the way it looked, Nigel was surprised how well this little loader performed and he felt that it still provided a good day’s work.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

One of the highlights of the 2019 event was an immaculate Cat 637C motor scraper from D. Kerr & Sons. It was out earning its keep on a jobsite during the 2022 event, with Cumbernauld-based David Kerr at the controls of Morris Leslie’s Mexican-built, ex-Swedish army Cat D4C dozer. The latter was complete with a D4E Hyster cable winch

and a hydraulically-controlled scraper box made by Shropshire-based Vickers Onions. David quickly got to grips with all the extra levers, and despite its age he thought it was a nice, productive and fast machine.

Making a regular appearance at these events is Morris Leslie’s American-built Cat D6D. At the controls was Jim Bryce, whose current mount is a modern Cat D6T. He said, “The D6D was a very good dozer for its time. I operated a few for Kerrs, pulling Cat 70 towed scraper boxes for soil stripping on new builds around Fife. This particular Cat D6D brings back good memories, but compared to today’s latest Cat dozers,

Above, right and below: David Kerr at the controls of Morris Leslie’s ex-Swedish army Cat D4C, pulling a UK-made Vickers Onions hydraulicallycontrolled scraper box.

STOP PRESS

As we go to press, we understand that the 2023 Morris Leslie vintage working weekend in 2023 will take place on July 22/23rd at Errol Airfield.

ear protection is definitely required on these classic machines.”

Aviemore-based Marcus MacBean, as previously featured in Earthmovers, has a large collection of classic Caterpillar equipment. His mount for the weekend was a very tidy looking Cat 977 tracked loader. His son Lochlan was on their Cat D4-7U dozer with a period-correct Hyster winch, capable of pulling a French-built towed

grader, under licence from Cat.

In the cut area Philip Brown was at the controls of another Cat D4D dozer, saying, “In the past I’ve spent a lot of hours earning my living on these old dozers. Compared to the modern kit, they are a bit of a handful with all the different levers to operate,

but it’s nice to come out and have a play on them again at a great event like this.”

TRACKED TRACTORS

Making a welcome visit to the 2022 event was Tom French, owner of the Cumnockbased road haulage, plant hire and earthworks business. Tom brought a varied selection of his Caterpillar tracked agricultural tractors to the event, where he spent time at the controls of his D6 pulling a six-furrow plough.

On static display were two showroom condition 1947 D7 and D5 Cat tracked tractors. Both had spent their working lives in agricultural applications in the Cambridge area,

Below: Marcus MacBean on his very tidy looking Cat 977 tracked loader. His son Lochlan was on their Cat D4-7U dozer pulling a French-built towed grader, under licence from Cat.

Above and below: Tom French was at the controls of his Cat D6 pulling a six-furrow plough. His static machines included an immaculately restored 1947-built D7 model.

“THEYAREABITOFA HANDFULTOOPERATE,BUT IT’SNICETOCOMEOUTAND HAVEAPLAYONTHEMAGAIN”

before being fully restored to factory fresh condition under Tom’s ownership. When bought at auction, his D4D model was kitted out as a mobile welding plant, presumably for a pipeline application. With all that extra kit removed, it was happily pulling a set of Simba discs to cultivate an adjacent field.

Tom said, “I’ve always liked Cat machines, as we started the business in 1967 with a Cat 933 Traxcavator. As our business has grown over the years, it’s allowed me to indulge in my passion for collecting and owning classic tracked Cat tractors. Today’s ground conditions are ideal for showing the tractors off, as it is dry. Travelling across hard clay saves a whole lot of time by not having to clean out the tracks too much, before putting them back into storage.”

CHARITY EVENT

Visitors to the 2022 Morris Leslie classic working weekend were given the opportunity to make a contribution to Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, as the SCAA’s Maureen Young explained, “The amount raised for SCAA at this event was £1335.31, which was tremendous. Morris Leslie as a company is very supportive and raises funds through all sorts of events throughout the year. We’re extremely grateful for their support, which helps us to save and improve lives across Scotland.”

Morris Leslie Group-owned Perth Airport is the base of Helimed 76, a helicopter operated by Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA). Together with SCAA Helimed 79 based at Aberdeen, these fully-equipped medical rescue helicopters can reach 90% of Scotland’s population within 25 minutes. Regularly tasked to remote Highland and Island communities, they receive no statutory government funding, relying on charitable donations (further information at www.scaa.org.uk).

Left, right and below: In addition to towed scrapers, classic dozers got stuck into this cut-and-fill job at Errol Airfield.

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

To many in the industry, digitally connected assets, autonomous machines, real-time digital fleet management and artificial intelligence systems are still the stuff of science fiction.

The previous generation held a similar opinion on satellite-controlled dozers and excavators, which would somehow receive a 3D paperless site plan from the clouds.

The widespread uptake of GPS machine control systems has demonstrated what new technology can bring to the party, but this is only the start of the digital industrial revolution in our industry.

A host of emerging technologies will play a key role in delivering a safe and efficient earthworks project of the future, and many will be pioneered on large-scale UK publicfunded projects.

The key message is integration, not only having digitally-connected earthmoving equipment all working to the same plan, but the plant, survey and IT departments of the contractor working closely together to successfully deliver the project.

These challenges and more are being tackled by one of the UK’s largest Tier 1 civils contractors, Balfour Beatty. The business is heavily involved in delivering hundreds of projects a year, including HS2 and major National Highways projects such as the recently won £1.2bn Lower Thames Crossing Roads North of the Thames’ package.

For Balfour Beatty’s asset and solutions divisional director, Sean Scarah, the technological change is accelerating: “It’s not all about diggers anymore. It’s about

a whole connected site, where 3D machine control and, in the future, autonomous plant help to deliver a project and help us on our journey to net zero.

“This is why we have recently created our Asset and Solutions division to manage this transition, including creating our own survey business. In turn, this has led to a much more integrated approach with our IT department and the roll-out of our own cloud-based project management tools.

Today we mobilise over 500 projects and demobilise a similar amount, working with our supply chain to minimise the time we are onsite, while ensuring we have all the infrastructure we need in place. A big part of this process is connecting each project and asset on our sites using 4G/5G mesh broadband solutions. In doing so we can take full advantage of a connected worksite approach.

“This incorporates surveyors and, in the future, autonomous drones, which now capture data that can be uploaded to our cloud base systems for engineers to turn into 3D models, designed specifically for 3D machine-controlled equipment. These in turn can be sent and downloaded straight into the machines on site through two-way office to site communication.

“Add to this the use of AI camera technology, which powers human recognition that we are already using through the likes of Safety Shield, and you not only have a productive site. Interestingly this technology also helps us to map out our sites better. And this is happening on site now as part of our ongoing digital journey.”

REAL LIFE BENEFITS

Sean continued, “This journey has also seen us collaborate with key supply chain members like Flannery and Lynch on key projects, including a two year road job with National Highways.

“Here we used mixed fleet machine utilisation data, JCB’s Livelink solution and our platforms to increase machine utilisation by 20% while also reducing idle time by 13%.

“This had a significant impact on the overall project costs and carbon emissions. It also proved the importance of our joint investment with Flannery into the Operator Skills Hub, as we were able to utilise data to support training and upskilling on 3D machine control in particular. Armed with all this data, we can manage projects more effectively, sharing outcomes with clients through our own digital tools.

“In turn, this knowledge supports the development of our own digital and plant standards, as we see the benefit of investing in better equipment and solutions. It is through this approach and our work with the whole industry, including OEMs, our supply chain, customers and peers, that we can drive best practices, support industry-wide standards and ultimately greater adoption of new technologies.

“This is also why we are continually investigating new solutions on the road to autonomy. For example, the Cat Command Station offers a real opportunity to change future site delivery, particularly with an ongoing skills shortage. Put this technology together with autonomous drones and a whole array of sensors, and you have a very exciting connected future.”

Peter Haddock speaks with Balfour Beatty’s Sean Scarah about the tremendous technological advances that have been made in recent years on large public-funded projects

TOUGH AS ROCK HOSES

Hydroscand, manufacturers of the Kappaflex Rock range of hydraulic hoses, was established in the UK in 2002 and is part of a long-standing, family-owned group of companies based in Sweden. Product manager Nigel Townsend said, “It’s a lot easier to work with and at a lot higher working pressure than the standard hose. It has a super rock cover, which makes the hose abrasion resistant. It has three major approvals in MSHA, DNV and MED, it’s also fully approved for marine applications. Hydroscand’s Kappaflex Rock hoses work in excess of 4000psi, making it a superb, all-round hose.” For more information visit: www.hydroscand.co.uk

FILTER SERVICE KITS

Rico Europe provides a wide range of filter service kits for construction and agricultural machinery, making it easy to perform routine maintenance by having all the correct items available.

Filtration is an essential aspect of maintaining and prolonging the life of any machinery. Proper filtration can provide a wide range of benefits, including improved performance, extended equipment life and reduced maintenance costs. One of the key benefits of improved filtration is improved performance. By removing contaminants such as dust, dirt and other particles, the machinery can operate more efficiently and effectively. More information at www.ricoeurope.com

BPH SELECTOR GRABS

BPH Prodem selector grabs are designed for waste handling and selective demolition applications. As standard they feature reversible, bolt-on wear blades, 360 degrees of rotation, together with end damping cylinders to prevent hose wear. Their perforated shell skins are made from abrasion resistant Hardox steel.

BPH claims that the correct installation of the attachment will pay dividends in long-term productivity and fuel economy, a service they offer on a nationwide basis. More information at www.bphattachments.com

WHEEL LOADER WEIGHING

JS Plant Services offers the easy-to-use One Power wheel loader scale, which offers three weighing modes. The storage mode enables monitoring of the amounts of moved materials, while separating different material types. The memo mode can be used when loading materials for different customers, or on to different trucks during the same shift. Meanwhile the basic mode comes in handy when there is no need to separate material information or data.

Other scales are available for forklifts, dump trucks and material handlers. All have the options for printers and wireless connectivity to send and receive orders.

More information at www.jsplantservices.co.uk

MOBILE PLANT ENGINEER WANTED

You’ll be based at Glensanda Quarry, at 6,000 acres this is the largest granite quarry in Europe. Accessible from our Ferry at Benderloch you’ll operate a 7on 7o shift pattern either stopping onsite in free en-suite accommodation or travelling daily depending on your preference.

Across the site you’ll work to the highest safety standards whilst covering both planed and reactive maintenance in a newly renovated workshop maintaining heavy mobile equipment such as Caterpillar 992 Wheel Loaders & 777G Dump Trucks.

What you will bring;

• NVQ Level 3 in an engineering discipline

• Experience maintaining Heavy Mobile Equipment, or a keen interest to do so.

For more information please visit our careers page – www.careers.aggregate.com

PLANT AND MACHINERY INSURANCE

Due to continued success with sales and expanding areas, Liugong Machinery UK Ltd have the following vacancies:

REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS

We are currently looking for experienced sales managers for the following regions:

~ Midland, Wales & the North of England

The ideal candidates should have at least 5 years’ experience in a similar position, preferably within the construction equipment industry.

MOBILE PLANT ENGINEERS

We are also looking for experienced mobile plant engineers to carry out servicing & repairs on the full range of Liugong construction equipment. A minimum of 5 years’ experience is required in a similar position. Candidates should be computer literate, good communicators and be willing to work overtime when required. Product training will be provided.

If you are interested in the above positions and/or require more information, please contact Kizzie Cordwell by e-mail, info@liugong.co.uk

NEXT GENERATION MINING BACKHOE

Steven Downes reviews the latest 1:50-scale Liebherr mining backhoe released from NZG, a monster that has plenty of fine detailing

Many years ago, Conrad produced a Liebherr R996, initially as a face shovel then after a few years, as a backhoe. At the time, this scale model had impressive detail, namely the ability to remove the upper engine bay covers to allow the twin engines to be lifted out. As good as the model was, several Liebherr mining excavators have been released since, including the flagship R9800 model, which have increased the realism and level of detail significantly.

The new 1:50-scale NZG replica of the R9600 has gone one step further, using a number of materials to achieve a very impressive and realistic model.

The upper deck has a myriad of components, from the fire compression system canisters and air filters to the four exhaust stacks and cooling fans. The clever use of perforated mesh panels over the hydraulic coolers does look effective. Meanwhile an array of flexible hydraulic lines along with a service platform complete with safety railings are located on the back of the boom. Fixed and flexible hydraulic lines are fitted to all the cylinders, which greatly increases the realism.

At the rear of the superstructure, a large single-piece stairway is fitted, which lowers to the ground. An emergency folding ladder is mounted to a platform below the cab, which is neatly engineered to unfold down to the ground. All the safety railings are made of metal.

The large cab has a modelled interior and exterior sun blinds covering the side windows. The undercarriage track frames are fitted with rollers and tensioned idlers that keep the tracks taut, while still allowing them to roll quite freely. Overall, the highlydetailed scale model has a significant weight to it.

So far, the R9600 has only been released as a backhoe. It will be interesting to see if a face shovel version is released by NZG in the future.

Stiff in operation, with small grub screws fitted, the boom can be locked in any working position. The arm has a good range of movement and again is stiff in operation, holding any chosen pose. The bucket captures all the details of the wear package and is painted a cream/white colour to stand out, which really enhances the looks of the bucket.

NEXT MONTH

EARTHMOVERS IN

RUNNING REPORT TB295W RUBBER DUCK

Back in 2014, Tom Grant Plant was an early adopter of Takeuchi’s 10-tonne class

TB295W wheeled excavator. We catch up with the latest versions of this model now in his fleet.

RECYCLING

JCB JS20MH

We report from Renfrew near Glasgow on the expanded operation of WRC Recycling, which includes additional handling equipment in the form of a JCB JS20MH machine.

MARKET GUIDE PEDESTRIAN DUMPERS

Hauling muck on a small scale is useful for house builders and for those working in sites with extremely restricted access.

ATTACHMENTS PILE CUTTING

With an extensive local piling sector, the Finnish company Motocut produces a range of excavator-based attachments to cut both concrete and steel piles.

FLEET FOCUS CHANNEL PLANT HIRE

This Bristol-based hire firm’s fleet is largely dominated by a range of JCB machinery, but also includes backhoe loaders.

SHOW REPORT CONEXPO 2023

The early news from this year’s massive show held in Las Vegas is likely to be dominated by zeroemissions machinery.

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

NEXTISSUE outMAY1APRIL

PICTURE POST

Spotted an interesting earthmover? Send us the details and you could win £20!

Earthmovers turn up in every corner of the world. It doesn’t matter whether they are stuck, submerged, or just plain interesting - we want to see them all. As an extra incentive (other than the obvious thrill of seeing your pictures in print), we’re offering £20 for each month’s star picture.

Tell us as much as you can about the machine in the picture, and don’t forget to enclose your name and address, and an SAE if you would like us to return your picture(s).

E-mail high-resolution images to editor@ EarthmoversMagazine.co.uk or send your prints to:Picture Post, EARTHMOVERS, Sundial Magazines Limited, Sundial House, 17 Wickham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 5JS.

WORKING AT HEIGHT

MONTH

Particularly in the middle of nowhere, servicing massive machines requires flexible and innovative thinking.

A close runner-up in this month’s competition to find the softest spot on site.

A view from the cab of a near miss for this truck driver.

This excavator found that the softest spot was, worryingly, next to a new structure.

The most important thing is that the operator escaped alive and well.

The professional among the tree shears

for safe harvesting of trees and brush.

7 - 30 tmax. 24 in

• various mounting options

Attachable to all popular carrier vehicles.

4 different sizes

• Cutting mechanism with replaceable, high-strength blade

Easily resharpened, strong and resistant to dirt.

• synchronously closing, powerful grippers with a large opening stroke

High cutting capacity for fast and safe harvesting.

• Multigrip-controller

For a safe grip, the gripper closes first, then the cutting system closes.

• optional: Accumulator with quick coupler, Autospeed, Tiltator or Power-Tiltator

For efficient and flexible operation.