Here at Digger we have very kindly been sent two video clips which show JCB products from our earthmoving past.
They feature an old dealership from the Yorkshire area called Tates.
The first one is slow to get going but please stick with it, as you will see it is well worth the wait. Classic stuff!
Ashridge Construction Ltd, a leading multi-disciplined civil engineering and construction contractor based in Berkshire, has taken delivery of a new ECR145CL reduced swing excavator from Volvo Construction Equipment.
The new ECR145CL, unveiled for the first time in the U.K. at this year's SED exhibition brings the total number of Volvo excavators in Ashridge's fleet to twenty machines and was chosen for a variety of reasons according to Managing Director Peter Jones. "The specification of the new ECR145 matches our requirements in this size class, but more importantly we have a long standing relationship and enjoy a good affinity with the people at Volvo," he said. "Part of our philosophy is to work closely with both our suppliers and our customers in a partnering relationship. Volvo shares the same ethos as Ashridge Construction in this regard helping us with innovative solutions, which in turn, enables us to provide a premium service in terms of quality and safety to our growing number of public and private sector clients," he continued.
The 14 tonne class ECR145CL overcomes the dynamic challenges of producing excavators that can work in confined areas and sets new standards in the industry for not only lifting capacity but also stability - especially important in loading applications. With a well balanced weight distribution and exceptional swing torque, the ECR 145CL offers superior swing performance over many of its rivals when working on slopes. With a compact superstructure its rear swings only 230mm outside its own track width. This means that the excavator can get extremely close to objects (walls, trees etc.) without risk of collision as the machine swings in its digging cycle.
Here is a very clever stunt being performed with a Caterpillar wheeled loader which they very strangely describe as a "bulldozer"?
All good fun I guess but not really very good practice for the machine involved?
Please don't try this on site or you may find yourself getting the sack!
I took this series of photos on the site I am currently working on back in the summer.
I was assinged the task of extracting this tree stump with my current mount a Case CX130B but quickly discovered that the stump was slightly larger then we expected!
So we decided to bring in the heavy artillery in the form P. J. Kingwells Doosan DX180LC operated by long serving driver Alan Maunder. With the DX180 weighing in at 17,660kg and the six cylinder engine putting out 88kw / 1,950rpm Alan soon had the stump removed and dispatched into a dumper!
Please click on the photos for a larger image.
Last week I was very kindly invited to attend the opening of the new Caterpillar visitors centre at Desford in Leicester.
The opening of this world class facility was also used to launch new models into the product range.
Of particular interest to me was the new 8 ton D-series hydraulic excavator, seen in action below.
The Cat 308D-CR seen here at the unveiling is a compact radius swing boom machine which has been built to get the job done in space restricted areas.
The D-series mini excavators retain the best features of the C-series models but incorporate many improvements that increase productivity and reduce operating costs.
Continue reading "Caterpillar launches new 8 ton D-series excavators" »
L Lynch Plant Hire Ltd is expanding its plant hire activities with major investments in new facilities and heavier Volvo excavators being added to its fleet.
Since opting for Volvo branded excavators for the first time in 2004, L Lynch Plant Hire has added a further twenty five Volvo's to its operating fleet of two hundred, predominantly Volvo badged excavators. At the same time, the Company has recognized the need to be able to offer larger machines for hire to high profile projects and blue chip contractors working on some of the most prestigious construction projects currently being undertaken around the U.K.. Other projects include long term quarrying and landfill contracts in the Midlands and south of England. To this end Lynch included twenty nine tonne EC290C's and thirty six tonne EC360C's in the recent package along with a mix of fourteen and twenty one tonne excavators.
Mark Anthony sent me this rather scary looking photo of a Hitachi excavator performing some demolition work in a very unconventional manner!
I have to say this all looks very dodgy to me and I am sure it wouldn't take much for that machine to slide off the edge.
Here at Digger we would love to hear from anyone who knows which country this photo was taken?
This video clip shows a machine that is rarely seen here in the UK but is very popular in America.
The legendary Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the early 1940s -- a time when World War II created a scarcity of laborers for delicate and necessary grading and finishing work on highway projects.
Warner & Swasey originally acquired Gradall excavators from inventors Ray and Koop Ferwerda in 1945 and set it up as a separate division in 1950. Over the years, the Gradall Division also included other manufacturing concerns: one produced crane carriers and heavy-duty dump trucks; another produced small hydraulic backhoes; a third made carrier mounted and rough terrain hydraulic cranes.
Many different models have been produced over the years and some of the most popular machines are mounted on the back of road going trucks, which are very useful on highway maintenance jobs.
The machine seen here looks like an XL3200 model.
The excavator clicks itself onto the pole
To begin the climb, the excavator clicked its quick release pad into the pole and then lifted itself up far enough to drive and jam its tracks into built in wedges on the pole.
It raises itself into the air
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Then at each stage it jams its tracks into holding blocks, releases its coupling and grabs at the next step..until...
The machine was then stable enough to release its boom plate and grab, onto to the next step up free its tracks and climbing another step until it reached the top.
It reaches the top ...what a stunt
We do not know exactly where & when it took place, but the same stunt was part of the German TV-Show "Wetten dass...!" in 1997 (known in the UK as "You bet!" 1988-1997)
So can we expect Doug Potter to be doing this in his Hyundai at SED 2009?
A world premiere.
With its Generation 6 crawler excavators Liebherr achieves new levels of performance, economy, operating convenience and reliability. The new series of machines, to be shown to the public for the first time at the 2009 'Intermat' trade fair, will set new standards for crawler excavators in the 21 to 28 tonne category.
There are three new-generation crawler excavator models: the R 906 with a service weight of 21.7 - 23.3 tonnes, the R 916 Litronic (23.7 - 26.4 tonnes) and the R 926 Litronic (25.7 - 27.1 tonnes, the figures depending in each case on the machine's equipment specification.
Each of the three new models is powered by a Liebherr four-cylinder construction-machinery engine. The output ratings are 105 kW (143 hp) for the R 906 Litronic, 115 kW (157 hp) for the R 916 Litronic and 130 kW (177 hp) for the R 926 Litronic. These Liebherr construction-industry engines comply with internationally valid exhaust emission limits (stage IIIA / tier 3). Engine management with CAN bus system integration keeps engine speeds more constant and thus optimises fuel consumption and makes more efficient use of the available power.
In response to differing market requirements and customers' wishes, each of the three new crawler excavator models is available in either a 'Classic' or an 'Advanced' version. The 'Classic' Generation 6 versions are intended for typical earthmoving tasks; the 'Advanced' versions are equipped with an even higher level of innovative Liebherr technologies and are thus high-performance 'full option' products, suitable for all kinds of tasks. In addition to earthmoving, their very high performance offers customers valuable benefits in mining, embankment construction, industrial applications or on demolition sites.
Here we see a clip of a Caterpillar 365BL high reach demolition spec machine in action for French company Ferrari.
Working on the demolition of a tower block some 35 metres high...Watch it come down!
Here's an interesting video of this years Caterpillar operator challenge.
Includes some good background information on some of the contestants.
The Caterpillar D8 is probably one of the most famous earthmoving machines of all time.
The first D8 rolled off the production line in 1935 and 246 of these machines came off the assembly line that year, the model has remained in Caterpillars crawler tractor range to this day.
The first model the RD8-1H had a horsepower rating of 95DHP and weighed in at around 32,790lbs, in comparison today's latest offering the D8T has 310HP under the bonnet and weighs in at 84,850lbs!
Whilst many new models have been launched over the years there are still many older model D8's hard at work around the world and here in the UK.
Two D8 owners that I know are Nicky Lamb from Cheshire and Roly Billings from Huntingdon. Nicky has owned 7 D8's over the years and his current one is a Glasgow built D8H 68A-5842 series which was assembled around 1974, Nicky says "its probably had a couple of different power trains in it over the years and would not be original apart from the chassis" but as you can see from the photo above this machine has been fully refurbished to a very high standard!
Continue reading "The Caterpillar D8, an earthmoving legend!" »
Declares Scott Smith, the Managing Director of A & m Smith Skip Hire Ltd of Portlethan, Aberdeenshire as he takes delivery of his first Volvo excavator.
And the machine in question which takes charge of waste handling operations at the Duffshill Road site is an eighteen tonne Volvo EC180C crawler excavator equipped with hydraulic quick hitch and rotating selector grab. Chosen after considering strong third party recommendations Scott Smith was also looking for a product that could provide good reliability and be supported well by the manufacturer. "So far I've been pleased with the machine's performance both on waste handling and digging duties. It's proving to be a good all round machine that's on top of the job," he said.
Normally equipped with a rotating selector grab, the EC180C has been put in charge of sorting and segregating material made up predominantly of industrial and domestic waste before feeding it into a bespoke "Cascade" recycling system, handling up to 100,000 tonnes of waste per annum. Powered by a 6 litre Volvo Tier III low emission engine developing 118 net hp, the EC180C delivers high productivity, high digging capacity and excellent fuel economy thanks to the innovative to the "Integrated work mode control " hydraulic system. Equipped with the standard 5.2m boom and 2.6m dipper arm the EC180C has plenty of reach and load over height for the job in hand. The machine also benefits from a hydraulic quick hitch facilitating fast change over to standard digging applications.
The new Volvo EC180C is the first Volvo machine to join A & M Smith Skip Hire Ltd's mixed fleet of equipment. The Company started out back in 1972 on the existing site handling inert material to landfill. The business was further developed by Scott Smith with the addition of a skip hire business and investment in a waste transfer station. With more and more restrictions on tipping and landfill opportunities the Company has recently concentrated its core activities in materials recycling handling a good proportion of waste from the City of Aberdeen. At present the site handles up to 100,000 tonnes of waste and is capable of a sustained recycling rate of 70%.
In response to last weeks article in Contract Journal, Plant boss crushes love rivals car with 13-tonne excavator, I thought this video clip demonstrates that it is never a good idea to go upsetting any excavator operators!
Ouch!
Nick Drew