Customised Case excavators keep the rivers free-flowing

Mobile plant and equipment is becoming increasingly important in the National Rivers Authority's (NRA) efforts to reduce the annual risk of flooding and improve general river maintenance.

To ensure rivers remain free-flowing, the NRA relies on machines to carry out dredging, river bank maintenance and weed cutting. Some machines are adapted to meet NRA requirements.

Last month the NRA's north west region took delivery of three new Case Poclain hydraulic excavators - all three units, supplied by Carlisle-based Case dealer Dennis Barfield, have been customised to NRA specifications.

The machines, a Case Poclain 888BCK and two mini models, a CK36 and CK62, differ in a number of respects.

To limit the impact of the 18t category 888BCK when working near river banks or on soft ground, the excavator has been fitted with 900mm track pads which produce a ground pressure of 0.902bar. In addition to the 4.1m long boom and 3.1m dipper, a further 2.2m removable dipper extension has been added to provide it with increased reach capability and a working radius of 11.5m.

The 3m wide weed cutting bucket is supplemented by a Helac TT-8.5 power tilt rotary head which is capable of swinging through 140¼. The attachment's geometry is said to enable cutting to take place right up to the excavator's tracks.

At 3.5t operating weight, the Case CK36 with dozer blade has been equipped with a telescopic dipper arm in place of a fixed unit. This change gives it a working radius of 5.5m.

The CK62 mini excavator weighs 5.9t. This new arrival features additional hydraulic pipework to support the operation of a weed cutting bucket.

Details: enter 903 on card