The HX’s raised clearance has opened up new specialist opportunities for Keightley.
FOR ALL SEASONS
Eoghan Daly reports on the early experiences of brothers Thomas and Michael Keightley, of Keightley Plant & Civil, with a high walker Hyundai conversion complete with Geith tilt hitch and improved hydraulics IMAGES EOGHAN DALY
H
aving established its plant and civil engineering business with secondhand machines in the form of a Fiat Hitachi FH130.3 and more recently a Hyundai Robex 140LC-7, when the time came for Keightley Plant & Civil to add a second machine to its fleet just over a year ago, the County Laois-based company took the opportunity to specify an excavator suited to a much broader range of jobs. “Forestry may not be our main type of work, but it has become an important part of what we do throughout the year. It’s hard on standard machines, which is why we decided
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AUTUMN 2021 FORESTRY MACHINERY
on a high clearance excavator,” Thomas Keightley explained. “Used excavators have always seemed to provide the best value for money, but getting a high walker excavator used is very difficult, so having one converted was the only option.”
ON THE UP Following positive experiences with a used, 2007 Hyundai Robex 140LC-7, which now has over 14,000 hours of reliable service under its belt, the company felt confident in taking on another Hyundai in the form of an HX140LC sourced from the UK through
Irish Hyundai importer and dealer, Whelan Plant Sales Ltd. Upon its arrival in Ireland, the machine went straight into the workshop of County Offaly-based Mooney Engineering Ltd in Shannonbridge, where its undercarriage clearance was increased without ruining stability, and other features were added to future-proof the machine’s abilities. To achieve greater clearance, the central portion of the undercarriage’s X-frame was detached from the track frames and a newly-fabricated mounting formation slotted in between, with all stress points reinforced.
