A site to be seen

The Showground is where the the madness meets the muck - with plenty of action.

The Fiat Kobelco display covered a range of kit from excavators in the demo plot, including the new E165 and E215LC, to static displays of backhoe loaders, telehandlers and the only modern dozer in the show (the D180).

According to spokesman Gianfranco Zucca, the multi-brand philosophy of parent company CNH is working well. "We believe it will help us keep old Fiat Hitachi customers as well as winning new ones. There are also customers who want Fiat Kobelco machines, and those who want Kobelco," he added.

Kobelco's own stand saw the launch of the latest addition to its Dynamic Acera range of excavators - the 17t SK170LC. "The biggest demand is for machines in the 13t and 20t range but there is sufficient interest to warrant an in-between weight," said general manager Jim Harker.

The desire to fill the gap between 13t and 20t machines was also evident on the Euro Daewoo stand with the launch of the 18t rated Solar 175LCV. The company reported a high level of interest in its new excavators, particularly the Solar 75V (8t) machine with which it aims to capture 10% of the 7t to 10t market. Managing director JJ Heung said: "Daewoo is no longer cheaper than other major manufacturers, the difference is narrowing and a lot of this has to do with trade-in allowances. People are impressed with the build quality and our 30 tonner is market leader in the UK," he said.

Robert Brown, managing director of Ammann Equipment, said there had been huge interest in the company's products at the show, especially the SED Award-winning B7Sigma excavator with three-piece articulating boom. Also new was the C50R tracked carrier, a Rammax (the RW1504HFS) with a blade on the front and the W33 compaction plate, which replaces the 1030.

SED saw the first European showing of Bell's motor tractor and scraper, which generated a good deal of interest. The system uses two scraper boxes pulled by a four-wheel drive tractive unit. Each box skims 100mm to 150mm of topsoil with the front box being loaded before the second one starts its cut. This is said to reduce the amount of power required so a dozer is not necessary. The use of an ADT derived tractive unit increases haul speeds to 30-35km/h. The unit with two boxes should be about 60% of the cost of a traditional single engined motor scraper, according to the company.

In what the company described as "a very significant development", the shared Bobcat/IR stand saw a range of kit rebranded under the Bobcat livery. Compressors, tandem compactors up to about 3t, and a range of light compaction kit will be available through the Bobcat dealer network.

Also on the stand was a fully homologated version of IR subsidiary ABG's SD-122DX roller from the Terra Firma series.

Dominating Thwaites' stand was a 9t site dumper complete with an air-conditioned, ROPS/FOPS and sound insulated cab. "Organisations like the Department of the Environment and Thames Water are considering this type of equipment as staff have to work eight hours a day and can't stop for the rain," said sales manager Dave Chuck. Two sizes of cab (attached to the standard chassis) are available for machines from 5t to 9t machines and for 3t to 4.5t units.

Also on the stand were the 1.5t hi-swivel, 2t front tip and 2t power swivel. Sales director Ian Brown said there was additional interest in the smaller end of the range from tool hire companies primarily visiting Hirex@SED. "We had a smashing show," he added.

NK Lifton sprang a surprise with a first appearance of a prototype 9t machine. It exhibited for the fist time a range of dumpers from sub-2t to 9t. Following the launch of a new family of dumpers from 2t to 5t in March, the company is to start production of its 6t machine in July, and the 9t model will follow in September. "The reaction has been very good, from both dealers and customers," said managing director Graham Bradshaw.

The stand also featured a range of Neuson excavators, as well as wheel loaders from Kramer Allrad.

Ausa used SED to launch its new 10-model dumper range. "They are designed with the requirements of the UK and northern European markets in mind," said managing director Martin Bell. There are six high-discharge units (three manual, three hydrostatic) at 850kg, 1t and 1.2t; three hydrostatic swivel models at the same weights; and a 1.2t swivel with manual transmission. Bell said that 25% of the UK dumper market is for machines of 1.2t and below.

Hydrema's updated 912C was revealed at the show. The new model features a stage-II compliant engine, and a new rear axle with diff lock, while the old no spin diff is moved to the front axle. Dumper control has been moved from the gear stick to a single lever, while torque has been improved at lower revs. The machine also comes with a cctv rear-view camera system as standard.

A rigid, four-wheel steer dump truck from Dieci capable of carrying loads up to 8t (10t with greedy boards) was on show on the Alan Milne Tractors stand. Two new telehandlers were also exhibited - the 7t/10m 70.10 Samson, and the 2.8t/7m 30.7H Compact Dedalus.

Manitou's pocket Maniscopic, the latest addition to its telehandler range, attracted a lot of interest. The three-wheel SLT415 was shown fitting onto a small trailer. "This demonstrates how convenient it is to transport and to use on sites with limited space," said promotions manager Paul Bidwell.

The company's access products also drew a lot of attention, in particular the 78XE and 81XE small electric scissors.

Merlo has added to its range of telehandler attachments with what it said is the first powered roof-truss handler. Powered by the machine's hydraulics, it can be tilted from the cab and is designed to prevent trusses from going beyond vertical when the boom is raised. The stand also saw a range of tracked, walk-behind dumpers. Four models are available with a variety of different bodies.

German manufacturer Gehl used the show to reveal three versions of the same skidsteer model - one with the company's own T-lever control system, one with the Bobcat system and one with the Case system. "We prefer the T-lever system but can meet the needs of customers with existing fleets," said Craig Jensen, regional sales manager.

The emphasis on the Wirtgen Group stand was on compaction, which the company said was increasing year-on-year following the integration of Hamm products into the group. The company said there had been a notable resurgence in the popularity of deadweight rollers - hence the presence on the stand of the 10t to 14t HW90. It anticipates selling 20 machines this year.

Among the new products on display from first-time SED exhibitor CRMS was the Powermix from Allu. An excavator mounted soil-stabilisation device capable of depths down to 2m, the Powermix has been demonstrating its versatility on its first job in the UK - river dredging in Somerset.

Alongside the SED Award winning Dynaset range of hydraulically powered equipment, the stand also featured a new tarmac recycler from Bagela, the new Rubblemaster crusher, as well as machines from Case and Barford among others.

Small was beautiful on the Imer Direct stand with its latest IHIMER Carry 103 showing its prowess on the demo plot. The stand-on tracked dumper has a 450kg payload and can be specified with a large volume skip, a dropside or even a cement mixer body. "We had an extremely good reaction to the Carry," said managing director Bob Hughes.

Another innovation was the automatic landing setting control for goods hoists that allows operators to select at which landing the hoist stops, rather than defaulting to it stopping at every floor and then having to use the override. Available in both 415V and 240V versions, the units will be offered first on the 500 but will be expanded to the 1t and 1.5t versions.

As a visual display the Gradall working on EH Hassell's demo plot caused a lot of interest. "Some people just stopped in amazement," said works director Ian Hassell. On the static plot there was a Gradall fitted with a patch planer in place of the dozer blade. It can be hydraulically traversed across the width of the machine.

"We've had a lot of enquiries and a great deal of interest in our horizontal recycler," said Mark Darwin, B-Trac spokesman. The firm also imports of Vermeer machinery. The HG365TX has only 16 teeth and is "very cost effective it terms of production" according to the company.

The new zero tailswing micro-excavator from Kubota attracted a lot of attention at the show. "A lot of people have been looking at the K008-3 traditional micro and then being drawn to the U10-3 zero-tailswing model," said the company.

Italian mini-excavator manufacturer Libra hosted a stand for the first time and reported a very busy show with several machines being sold from the stand. The Italian-built Kubota-engined machines range from 1.5t to 5t and there are also three skid steers and a tracked dumper. The company is also looking to add to its team of dealers.

The promised surprise in the Takeuchi stand was the TCR50 tracked dumper, which has a 180¼ swivel skip and a 3.5t payload. It has a 68kW Yanmar engine featuring twin hydraulic rams and a skip alignment indicator in the cab.

Hanix reported a good show, with almost too many visitors on Wednesday. The H08B micro-excavator was shown with a foldable Rops/Fops frame (rather than a full canopy) for this first time, and the company was also looking to add new dealers to its existing network.

Even dodging the showers can pay dividends as Topcon marketing manager Kalpna Mistry found out as the rain persuaded more visitors onto its stand. Throughout the show, she noted a big increase in visitors interested in machine control and GPS-related systems, as well as the now more mainstream items like rotating lasers.

According to Trimble the show was "excellent". "Operators no longer appear frightened of the technology as they realise it's not designed to replace them." On the demonstration area the company exhibited its new 3D guidance system for excavators allowing bucket accuracy to 2cm.

A Fuchs MHL350 was on show on the Hydrex stand with a quick-release system to allow dipper arms and tools to be replaced from inside the cab. "Things have been going well since we took over as Fuchs distributors," said spokesman Mike Maddox.

A new 500J breaker capable of being mounted on a 1.5t excavator was on show on the Hammertech stand. The unit runs at only 60 to 70 cycles per minute and uses a power spring to magnify the force of a hydraulically driven weight. "We've had a great deal of enquiries," said director Frank Pitkin.

The new site accommodation units on Garic's stand ranged from a single stand-alone shower unit to combined units offering a toilet and shower, along with office space or a mess room. All created a great deal of interest. "We had a very positive reaction to our new cabins," said director Gary Entwhistle.

Attachment and breaker specialist NPK reported a lot of interest in its range of grabs. Designed for use on smaller excavators, the new grabs have proven particularly popular with demolition contractors, according to operations director Mandy Murray. "Demolition isn't just about knocking things down any more, it's also about reusing the material and these grabs help pick out the best stuff," Murray added.

As well as showing a new range of concrete delivery products from US manufacturer EZ Grout (including the Grout Hog, a gravity feed skip with an integral auger designed as an alternative to pumps and buckets on small and awkward drops), International Tracked Machines exhibited its new crane. Mounted on a Hinowa tracked undercarriage, the Colt Crane from Grove can lift 8t at 1m and has 5.5m outreach.

Three companies combined to offer a seemless anti-theft service at the show. Thiefbeaters, Lincmaster and Actiserve, offering a marking system, physical locking devices and electronic immobilisers respectively, have now teamed up in a bid to reduce plant theft and make kit more difficult to steal. The group also hopes to confirm links with insurers that will ensure significant reductions in premiums if the companies' systems are adopted. n