Shanco saves piles of time with Multibreaker

Shanco Construction is saving 40-hours-a-month on a project by using an adaptable machine that breaks piles of multiple sizes sourced by Groundforce.

The 2t Piletec Multibreaker can handle a range of piles, including CHD, CFA, secant and contiguous varieties, and is being used to cut contiguous piles of 400mm and 600mm-diameter without changing tools.

Brendan Durkan, Shanco's site manager, said: "If we had gone down the normal route, we would have needed different breakers that would have needed to be changed all the time. With the Multibreaker, you just leave it on and it does the job. It saves us two hours each day."

Shanco is preparing the foundations, laying reinforced concrete beams and creating 6,000m of drainage for a five-block senior living development for Raven Audley Court led by Wates Construction. The project is due for completion in 2010.

Leeds-based Piletec will deliver and fit a range of vibration-free pile breakers for concrete piles from140mm to 1,800mm, and has quadrupled its fleet to meet the anticipated demand.