HM412 Haulmaster fills site dumper market gap

Halliard's Graham Hall said at the time of the management buyout that he would grow the business by taking on new franchises.

So the company has added articulated dumptrucks and 12t payload adts which very neatly fill the gap between the big 7t site dumpers and the conventional 20t artic dumptrucks.

This development takes HM Plant into a completely new market sector. It may be small, but shows definite growth potential with, at present, only one dominant Scandinavian supplier.

For many contractors and builders faced with low volume muckshifting works ancillary to the main project, the big site dumpers may be too small and the conventional adt too big. Also, in very soft ground conditions, the little adt with its big low flotation tyres will cause less site damage than almost any other hauling unit. One plant hirer commented that, as long as you can load the units, they will haul it.

Since JCB has dropped out of the market, the HM412 Haulmaster, until Bauma, is the only small adt to be built in the UK. MT Engineering of Braintree built the first machines for Gordon Brown, the then owner of the Moxy range of adts. Now, the new HM412 is much smoother and more up to date than its forebears.

Power comes from an Iveco six-cylinder 7.5 litre naturally aspirated diesel derated to give 93kW at a lazy 2,200rpm. A ZF powershift six speeder gives a handy 48kmph top speed and with oil over nitrogen suspension struts on both axles, that speed could be a reality on good haul roads. Another point to note is that drive to the front axle can be disconnected which could make a considerable saving on tyre wear when running on good ground. Both axles have torque proportioning diffs and oil-immersed multi-disc, dual-circuit, air-over hydraulic brakes.

Standard tyres are 20.5x25 tubeless, but HM Plant says there is ample room to fit flotation, or other sizes to match the application. The rear chassis and body slope steeply from the rear axle towards the steering joint to ensure maximum lateral stability. The 9.0m3 body is fabricated from wear-resistant plate with high tensile reinforcing ribs. Twin multi-stage tipping cylinders take 12 seconds to raise the body to 70¼.

The all-steel centrally- located, rubber-mounted ROPS and FOPS cab has been redesigned by HM to give the operator the best possible environment and all-round visibility. Steering angles are 40¼ either side of centre and the articulated joint is combined with a turning ring to take care of inter-chassis oscillation.

HM Plant has also decided to expand into the hydraulic breaker market with a 10 model line-up of Italian MK Italdem units with weights ranging from 19kg up to 3,600kg. Fortunately, all Bridgwater needed was to add the H from HM Plant to stamp its corporate identity on the products.

Apart from the hand-held MK20, the remaining nine models are designed specifically for boom mounting. The company claims that impact energy for breaker weight, the units provide up to 25% more force than conventional breakers.

Another plus is that every model throughout the range is available in silenced form with a claimed 75% reduction in noise levels. Mountings are conventional cradles which are made to suit excavator and breaker dimensions.

The smallest model, the MK20 can also be supplied with its own mobile petrol or electrically driven hydraulic power pack and 8m of hose.

Details: enter 851 on card