FREE!!! FORESTRY MACHINERY MAGAZINE WITH THIS ISSUE

EARTHMOVERS
PRODUCT LAUNCH

MAY 2022

Eagerly awaited
Case E Series
excavators

EXCLUSIVE!
Pictures and
feedback on
new CX210E

EXTREME MACHINE

NEW 100-TONNE
CAT 992 LOADER

£4.30

PLUS

MARKET REVIEW
7.5 TO 11.5 TONNE
MIDI EXCAVATORS

High-spec Liebherr

Electric skid steer

Demo-spec Kobelco

● O&K RH300 history ● LiuGong & Sunward excavators

NXET
GENERATION.
The New XE Series of Wheel Loaders
and Dozers changes everything.
Change is here. And it’s set to make a big difference to your operations. The new Cat® XE Series
of Wheel Loaders and Dozers can increase fuel efficiency by up to 35%*, raise productivity
by moving more materials per hour and maximise your operators’ performance through a smart,
connected cab – all while substantially cutting CO2 emissions. What will Cat think of NXET?
Discover the NXET Generation of earth moving machines for yourself.
Call 01543 461410, email machines@finning.com or visit finning.com/xe
* Compared with non-XE models.

WELCOME
FREE!!! FORESTRY MACHINERY MAGAZINE WITH THIS ISSUE

May 2022
Issue 217
PHOTO CREDIT: NICK DREW

Editor Graham Black
Editor@EarthmoversMagazine.co.uk

News Editor Kyle Molyneux
Sub Editor Paul Carter
Advertisement Sales
Tom Pickford +44 (0) 20 8639 4416
Jacob Hayes +44 (0) 20 8639 4416
Sales & Marketing Manager Richard Cosgrove
Administrator Martin Attis
Publishing Director Paul Cosgrove

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www.twitter.com/
EarthmoversMag

The next issue of
EARTHMOVERS magazine
is available on 6 May

EARTHMOVERS
PRODUCT LAUNCH

MAY 2022

Eagerly awaited
Case E Series
excavators

EXCLUSIVE!
Pictures and
feedback on
new CX210E

EXTREME MACHINE

NEW 100-TONNE
CAT 992 LOADER

£4.30

PLUS

MARKET REVIEW
7.5 TO 11.5 TONNE
MIDI EXCAVATORS

High-spec Liebherr

Electric skid steer

Demo-spec Kobelco

OO&K RH300 history OLiuGong & Sunward excavators

Full-price fuel
any thought that the day would never come, but the UK
construction industry no longer has access to rebated red diesel
to power its off-road machinery. With fuel prices skyrocketing
due to war between Russia and Ukraine, there couldn’t be
a worse time to make the change to burning full-price road diesel.
There is little point in dwelling upon the Government’s decision,
what is done is done.
There is every point in looking at alternative ways of working that will
help to offset this significant rise
in project costs. Regular readers
will guess what I’m going to say
next: digital site planning and
GPS machine guidance systems,
coupled with tilt-rotating hitches,
really do offer the opportunity to
improve productivity, and
therefore the bottom line.
When we first published
Earthmovers Magazine 18 years
ago, few would have had any idea
of the specific fuel consumption of
their machines. At best this would be a subjective measure, with the units
being days between refills. Back in those days, a roaring exhaust pipe
belching black smoke was the sign of a proper digger working flat out.
Times change; over the years our reporting has been dominated by
increasingly stringent diesel emissions standards, which have led to
today’s generation of digitally-controlled machines. They would astound
operators reading issue 1 of Earthmovers, in terms of their performance,
their economy and the lack of exhaust and noise emissions.
Getting back on track though, even in these times of continuing supply
shortages, the first step to combat increasing fuel costs is plan to get rid
of any older machinery on the fleet. Auction prices for used equipment
remain high and, as we go to press, interest rates remain low. This is the
time to buy the latest earthmoving equipment, which promises to run on
little more than the occasional sniff of an oily rag.

M

Yours till next month
Graham Black, Editor
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

3

CONTENTS
UPFRONT

FEATURES

7

45 FLEET FOCUS
LJ DEVELOPMENTS

PRODUCT LAUNCH
CASE E-SERIES
The first Case E series tracked
excavators to be put to work in the UK.

13 NEWS
A round-up of the latest news from
the earthmoving and associated
machinery industry.

20 PRODUCT LAUNCH
DOOSAN
Report on the latest additions to
Doosan’s broad range of machinery.

23 FIRST IMPRESSIONS
LIEBHERR A913
Compact wheeled excavator has
joined the fleet of Somerset-based
Gartell.

35 TECHNOLOGY
KOVACO SKID-STEER

Central Demolition’s demo-spec
excavator with an OilQuick coupler.

55 MARKET GUIDE
MIDI-EXCAVATORS
We review the wide range of midiexcavators currently available.

63 FLEET FOCUS
RORY HOLBROOK
East Anglian firm’s
expanding fleet of
Liebherr handling
machinery.

66 EXTREME
MACHINE
CAT 992
Evolution of one of the most successful
mining wheel loaders ever made.

73 OWNER-OPERATOR
JASON METSON
One-man’s Volvo EC140E and Rototilt
clean up on the water front.

Report on one of the first Chinese
compact radius excavators in the UK.

29

4

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

73

49 RUNNING REPORT
KOBELCO SK300-10

Demo specialist Erith Group’s new
battery-powered skid-steer loaders.

41 NEW PRODUCT
LIUGONG 915FCR

May
2022

Devon firm’s batch of new JCB
excavators are equipped with Leica GPS.

29 RUNNING REPORT
SUNWARD SWE215F
How are Gill Skip Hire’s Chinese
excavators doing after almost a year?

ISSUE
NUMBER 217

41

45

55

94

TAIL END
SUB
& SSACRIBE
VE!

TAK
E
– DO OUT AN
N’T
AN
TO £ MISS A NUAL S
UB
8.20 N ISS
INTO UE A SCRIP
SEE THE B ND SAV TION
PAG ARGAI E UP
N!
E9

0

76 CLASSIC COLLECTION
S.E. DAVIS
A walk through this firm’s awe-inspiring
collection of classic plant.

83 ATTACHMENTS
DIGGERLID
An Australian-designed raincoat
for mini-excavators equipped with
a canopy.

84 INDUSTRY
BENCHMARKS
O&K RH300
History of a 500-tonne commercial
failure that left a huge design legacy.

94 PLANTMOBILIA
CAT 6030
The new 1:48-scale Cat 6030
hydraulic shovel from
Classic Construction Models.

96 NEXT MONTH
Here’s a taster of just some of the
exciting features planned for the
next issue.

98 PICTURE POST
Got any interesting or unusual pictures
of earthmoving men or machinery?
WIN £20 for our ‘Pic of the Month’

63

83

84

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

5

NEW G - SERIES WHEEL LOADER
MORE PRODUCTIVITY
MORE RELIABILITY
MORE PROFITABILITY
MORE CONNECTIVITY

CONSTRUCTION & EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT
North & Yorkshire (HQ)
Blacker Hill
Barnsley
S74 0RE
T: 01226 747260
Midlands
Unit 3, Adams Way
Springfield Business Park
Alcester
B49 6PU
T: 01789 713131

South
1 Coldharbour Pinnacles Estate
Lovet Road
Harlow
CM19 5JL
T: 01279 352900
www.warwick-ward.com

THE FULL RANGE OF CASE CE
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
• WHEEL LOADERS
• EXCAVATORS
• BACKHOE LOADERS
• SKID STEER LOADERS
• MINI EXCAVATORS
• DOZERS

PRODUCT LAUNCH // CASE E SERIES

JAPANESE-BUILT,
ITALIAN-POWERED
Nick Drew reports on the first Case E series excavators to be put to work in the UK
fter many months of speculation,
Case has finally revealed its E
series ultra-low emissions,
conventional tailswing tracked
excavators: seven models ranging from the
CX130E to the CX300E.
The outgoing D series models were
introduced back in 2015. Plans were then
developed by parent company CNH to
build their replacements in Italy, at the
former Fiat-Hitachi factory. This ambitious
plan never came to fruition, probably to the
general relief of the Case faithful, who have
come to appreciate Japanese excavator
technology and build quality.
The new E series models are, like their
predecessors, built in Japan by Case’s
long-term partner Sumitomo. The most
significant change between the two
generations is engine supplier: Isuzu power
packs have been replaced by the latest
ultra-low emissions Stage 5 Fiat Powertrain

A

Technologies (FPT) engines.
The CX130E, CX160E and CX180E
models will continue to be fitted with
a four-pot engine. The big news is that
Case has bucked the industry trend,
as the CX210E and CX250E models
now feature a six-cylinder engine.
This 6.7-litre FPT engine is rated
at 121kW at 1800rpm on the
CX210E model, offering a few
more horsepower than the
CX210D, but
providing more
torque. Such
“THE CHANGE FROM
engines are used in
ISUZU TO THE LATEST
many applications,
including the Case
GENERATION OF FPT
range of wheel
ENGINES HAS RESULTED
loaders.
This latest
IN DOUBLING OF THE
generation of FTP
SERVICE INTERVALS”
engines all feature

Right and inset:
Case’s latest
incarnation of
its 21-tonner
bucks the
industry trend.
The previous
four-pot engine
has been
replaced with
an ultra-low
emissions
six-cylinder
powerpack.

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

7

“THE POWER FROM
THIS SIX-CYLINDER
ENGINE IS
AWESOME. IN MY
OPINION, THEY
HAVE REALLY
PULLED IT OUT OF
THE BAG WITH
THIS ONE”

Above: The revised seating position in the
redesigned cab seems to have further
improved operator visibility, particularly
low down to the right.

the HI-eSCR2 after-treatment pack,
which eliminates the need for the oftenproblematic EGR (exhaust gas
recirculation) sub-system on the engine.
This high-tech pack combines an AdBlue
catalyst with what Case describes as
a particulate matter management system.
They are reluctant to label this bit of
technology a conventional DPF (diesel
particulate filter), as it is completely
maintenance free over the expected life
of the excavator.
Talking of maintenance, the change
from Isuzu to the latest generation of FTP
engines has resulted in doubling of the
service intervals. Engine oil, together
with its filters and the fuel filters, are now
changed at cost- and time-effective 1000hour intervals. In addition to diesel,
these engines can be run on more
environmentally-friendly hydrogenated
vegetable oils (HVO) fuel.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first production E series machines to
arrive in the UK, a pair of CX210E models,
were supplied through local dealer M&M
Plant Sales to Steve Hoskin Construction
8

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

(SHC), a long-standing Case customer in
the south-west of England.
With the same Case power tan and grey
colour scheme and decals, at first glance
the new CX210E looks remarkably similar
to the old CX210D model. The pair of
brand new CX210E excavators have been
shunning the limelight since their arrival in
January, ahead of the official launch of the
Case E series early in March. Being similar
in appearance to their predecessors when
viewed from a distance, together with being
shrouded in secrecy, it was natural that the
rumour mill among the south-west operator
community was rife.
Get up close to a CX210E and two things
are immediately apparent. The first is that
the upper-structure bodywork has changed.
The side panels are now of a curved
contour design, which continues round to
the counterweight. Considering that there
is now a six cylinder engine in the back,
together with its Stage 5 after-treatment
pack, it looks like a reasonably compact
rear end for a conventional 21-tonner
Right and far right: The new 10in screen dominates the
view forwards, and a small number of other controls
are clustered round the throttle dial.

PRODUCT LAUNCH // CASE E SERIES
WALK-ROUND

Up close, the
new upperstructure
bodywork
styling is
evident, as are
the new tracks.
A Kawasaki
pump is at the
heart of the
Japanese
hydraulic
system

On the nearside behind the cab, twin panel
doors open up to reveal the cooling and
air-conditioning packs. The radiator can
now be swung out of the way to aid cleaning.
This area is also home to the air cleaner,
batteries and coolant expansion bottle, in
addition to providing some storage space,
such as a box of grease tubes.
Behind the offside panel is a legendary
Kawasaki hydraulic pump, which definitely
appears to be becoming the benchmark in
modern excavators. Also in this space are
the oil and fuel filters, which are all easily
accessible from ground level.
The first compartment at the offside front,
which also forms the steps up to the engine
bay, is home to an electric refuelling pump.
Above that, a panel opens outwards to reveal
the 84-litre AdBlue tank, which looks
relatively easy to top up as required.

This impression is bolstered by the
second major external change:
a redesigned and beefier undercarriage.
It centres on a new recoil spring assembly
for maintaining track tension, which is
hidden within the track frames. It is shorter
in length and has been moved forward,
away from the front top roller. This enabled
the designers to create a larger hole in the
track frames below the roller, to allow
more muck to drop straight down,
without the likelihood of it
accumulating on the track tensioner.
In addition, the eight bottom rollers
have been repositioned in order to
produce less vibration when tracking.
This aspect of operator wellbeing is
becoming increasingly important,
particularly on housing sites, where it
is becoming more common for tracked
machines to have a set of pallet forks
available to act as a forklift or telehandler
to serve the brick-laying gang.
As someone who has previously had a lot
of experience doing just that job, I can
fully appreciate what a difference this
change will make to operator comfort
and ultimately productivity.

IN THE CAB
I have found a Case excavator cab to be
a nice place to spend my days, but it’s fair
to say that it was time for a major upgrade,
which has been delivered in the new
E series.
The new operator’s position provides
more legroom over the D series, and now
comes as standard with an air-suspension
seat. A key change in this area is that the
joystick consoles are now integrated in
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

9

“I’M AMAZED BY HOW STABLE THIS
MACHINE IS. IT DOESN’T MATTER
HOW YOU THROW IT AROUND, IT
JUST REMAINS WELL BALANCED”

the seat, as opposed to being fixed to
the cab’s interior. This new arrangement
means that the joysticks remain in the
same place in relation to the operator’s
hands as the seat automatically moves up
and down.
Dominating the redesigned cab interior
is an all-new 10in monitor/control screen.
Apart from its size and superb clarity,
it dominates the forward view due to
a number of reasons. Firstly there are very
few other controls dotted around the
operating position, and there is nothing
else to distract the eye, apart from the
impressive low-down view through the
offside window to the track.
Unusually these days, this impressive
10in monitor is not a touch-screen. All its
functions are accessible through seven
selection/navigation buttons at the
bottom the screen, five of which can be
customised. Below this row are specific
function buttons, controlling camera
selection, air-con temperature and fan
speed, together with a switch for the
heated seat.
The screen’s standard layout is in three
sections: the top strip of icons display
operational information of machine hours,
oil and water temperatures, fuel level and
the current working mode. Forming the
largest part of the monitor are the camera
views, which can be configured in a wide
variety of ways, particularly if the standard
two-camera system is upgraded to
270-degree bird’s-eye view. Below the
camera views is the screen’s information
area with the aforementioned rows of
10

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

physical buttons below that.
Elsewhere in the cab controls are quite
minimal. To the operator’s right half-adozen switches control track speed and
attachment selection, lift alarm, working
lights, wiper and screen wash button.
These buttons are located round the
throttle dial, which also acts as a working
mode selector.
Anyone who has operated Case CX
excavators will be familiar with their
throttle dial concept. On previous models
there were basically three work mode

Top and above: Proud operator of the first Case E series
to be put to work in the UK is Mark Weeks, who has
been with Steve Hoskin Construction for 10 years.

settings, and engine speed was depended
on the mode selected. On the E series the
operator can set the throttle
independently to work mode, which now
covers four working scenarios. The super
power (SP) and Power (P) modes are
self-explanatory. The lifting (L) mode also
includes a power boost function and an
overload warning system.
A new Eco (E) mode is the preferred

PRODUCT LAUNCH // CASE E SERIES
OPERATOR
FEEDBACK

Initial impressions of the Case
CX210E are that the six-cylinder
engine is awesome, matched to the
best of Japanese hydraulic technology
and a much-improved cab.

setting for maximum fuel economy. Case
says that there is a 5% difference in fuel
burn between Power and Eco modes, both
with the throttle at its maximum setting.
Machine owners are provided with the
option of digitally locking the work mode
to Eco if required.
At floor level, the tracking pedals and
footrests have been redesigned for
improved comfort. There is more legroom
as the seat is now slightly set back compared
to previous models. The new rubber mat is
now in two sections, the section
immediately in front of the seat slides out
easily for the daily brush-out.

CONCLUSION
I initially saw one of the new CX210E
excavators – without a bucket in the

CX210E serial number 02 is in the proud hands
of Case aficionado Mark Weeks (28). He has
been operating machines as long as he can
remember, but started full-time with Steve
Hoskin Construction at the age of 18. He started
out on a Takeuchi midi-excavator, before moving
on to an eight-tonne Case. Since then, it’s been
a succession of Case excavators: a CX130B was
followed by a CX130C, then he got the drive of
a CX210C, which was replaced by a CX210D.
Now in a brand new CX210E he said, “The
difference is between the D series and this E is
night and day. It’s smooth and fast and the
power from this six-cylinder engine is
awesome. In my opinion, they have really pulled
it out of the bag with this one.
“I’m amazed by how stable this machine is,
it doesn’t matter how you throw it around it just
remains well balanced. We are working on this
steep site on the side of a hill, I’ve had this
machine on some right angles, but nothing
fazes it. The cab is spacious and comfortable,
not forgetting the superb visibility, which is
further enhanced by the additional cameras.
It’s an absolute pleasure to drive.
“I’m delighted to have this machine, which
has the serial number ending in 02 on the plate.
I’m told it was the second one out of the factory.
My workmate Ben Frowde has 01, but mine
was the first to be delivered to site. As a big
Case fan, I’m super proud of that.”

dealer’s yard – before being delivered to
its new owner, Steve Hoskin Construction.
I confess that I couldn’t resist getting
a quick taster of this latest generation of
Sumitomo Japanese excavator technology.
I was not disappointed by the way it
responded and felt, with all the
smoothness and precision that we have
come to expect.
More recently, I had the opportunity to
visit its twin sister on muck-away duties and
chat with its operator. As a bystander, it
looked impressive in terms of its speed and
power. It was truly wonderful to hear the
dulcet tones of a six-pot engine in a modern
21-tonner, being put through its paces by
a skilled operator.
Case promised big changes over the --D
series and, as far as the mass-market CX210E
model is concerned, they have certainly not
disappointed. As far as availability is
concerned, it is understood that a batch of
21-tonners are currently on route to the UK,
to be followed by CX250E and CX300E
models. By the end of the year, the full E
series range should be available, including
factory-built long-reach versions.
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

11

THE EXPERT EXCAVATION

WHAT MAKES A REAL EXPERT?
Is it intelligence, skill or just the way they make even the toughest job
look easy?
The LiuGong excavation team has the answer.
Breaking, lifting, digging or loading, the LiuGong machines have
the job site credibility to get the job done right. The team covers every
application and delivers the intelligent control, digging force, comfort
and fuel economy you need. With 50,000 machines already in action,
and over 1/2 billion productive hours worked, LiuGong has the expertise
you can trust.

17

TOUGH
MACHINES

1.8-95 TONNES
DESIGNED, TESTED
AND SUPPORTED RIGHT
HERE, IN EUROPE

See us online or talk to us today to find out more.

02392 123 392
info@liugong.co.uk
www.liugong.co.uk

NEWS

NEWS

A round-up of news
stories in the plant
ant
and machinery
construction
industry

NEW IMPACT CRUSHER
etso Outotec is adding a new impact crusher to its
Nordtrack mobile crushing and screening range,
targeting smaller-sized construction, demolition and
waste recycling applications. The new compact
Nordtrack I1011 is a high-performance crusher,
ideally suited to contractors and rental
work. Equipped with a large hanging
screen, it is said to combine high crushing
capacity with fully calibrated end product
accuracy. The Nordtrack I1011 crusher is
suitable for working in different jobsites
from rock crushing to concrete and
demolition waste recycling. It is transported
on a standard trailer, making it cost-effective and quick to move
between sites, reckons its maker.

M

NEW KOBELCO MINI
TURNS ON THE TAPS
he new 1.9-tonne class Kobelco SK19 mini-excavator,
which replaces the SK18-1E model, should deliver
superior performance thanks to its more powerful
engine, advanced hydraulic system and newly
designed working equipment.
The ultra-low emissions Yanmar engine delivers a 38%
increase in power (13.1kW versus 9.5kW), a 10% increase in
bucket digging force (16.7kN versus 15.2kN) and 26% increase
in arm digging force (long arm/short arm at 9.3/11.4kN versus
7.4kN). Based on 2.5m reach/-0.5m from ground level/over the
front, lifting capacity has been increased by 24%. Travel speed,
digging reach and digging depth are also significantly improved.
The new boom and arm feature large cross-section segments
for added strength, and steel guards come as standard to protect
the bucket and arm cylinder rod, which also protects the dozer
blade’s cylinder rod from damage. These are also available with
the UK-favoured long dipper arm, and an additional
counterweight is available for those that want to make full use of
this thoroughly modern mini-excavator.
The overall track width is 980mm when retracted, expanding
to 1320mm in working mode. Its compact tailswing design allows
it to work in surprisingly tight spaces, while its boom swing angle
is said to be 12% wider than its predecessor.

T

POST-PANDEMIC
CLAN GATHERING
he largest gathering of the Scottish construction plant
community for many a year takes place at the Royal
Highland Centre at Ingliston near Edinburgh on
Friday 22 and Saturday 23 April, as the ScotPlant show
makes a welcome return.
One of the stars of the show will be the UK exhibition debut of
the new Liebherr TA230 articulated dump truck. It will be shown
alongside the L566 XPower wheel loader, an R914 compact
crawler excavator and an A918 wheeled excavator. An example
from Liebherr’s new telehandler range will be on display, along
with a used LH22 materials handler.
ScotPlant has a unique place in the British plant trade calendar,
as it is a selling show with a surprising volume of genuinely new
deals done over the two days.

T

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

13

NEWS

WELSH BOBCAT

DEALERS
obcat has appointed the A&M
Group of Bridgend as its dealer
for South, West and Mid-Wales.
A&M is now responsible for sales
and service in this region for the entire
Bobcat range of loaders, mini-excavators,
telehandlers, light compaction and
attachments. A&M has purchased two
plots on the Brackla Industrial Estate in
Bridgend, one of which will form the
location for the firm’s new HQ. The new
facilities in Bridgend will complement
their existing operation base at St Clears
in Carmarthenshire.
Newport-based Border Bobcat, the
previous dealer for the area, is now
specialising in the Bobcat skid-steer,
compact track, compact wheel and small
articulated loaders within the counties of
Powys and Gwent.

B

NEW RED YANMARS
FOR SHORTS GROUP
he Berkshire-based plant hire
firm, Shorts Group, has further
expanded its rental fleet with five
new Yanmar ViO17 zero-tailswing
mini-excavators, purchased through dealer
Farol. This is in addition to a batch of
Yanmar machines purchased last year, which
are currently hard at work across sites in
Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

T

14

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

CASE POWERS UP
ust before the much-anticipated roll-out of Case’s next generation of
Japanese-built E series excavators its parent company, the Italian-based
multi-national CNH Industrial, showcased a prototype of the group’s first
battery-powered mini-excavator.
Shown to a select gathering at Miami Beach, Florida, the future Case CX15EV is
a 1.3-tonne mini-excavator powered by a 16kW electric motor and features retractable
tracks, which reduce machine width to just 790mm. The 21.5kWh lithium-ion battery is
charged either by a 110V/220V supply, or via an external rapid charger, which can have
the battery fully filled within 90 minutes. Depending on the type of work being
undertaken, the CX15EV is intended to work for a full eight-hour shift, and its loadsensing hydraulic system is said to deliver smooth and powerful performance.
The Case CX15EV mini-excavator is due to be seen in Europe as early as next year.
Over-shadowed by what looks like a cracking bit of kit, in the form of the new
six-cylinder Case CX210E tracked excavator, Case’s new E series also heralds the
introduction of a suite of high-tech connectivity systems. This includes a bi-directional
telematics system, which can remotely update the excavator’s software, as well as read
the machine’s performance and health data.
Such real time digital connectivity with the excavator is usually only available as part
of a subscription package with its owner, but machine performance data also has a value
for the modern excavator operator, no matter who owns the machine. With an eye on
the globally expanding plant hire market, E series excavators sport a QR code label in
the cab. It allows any operator to download a basic connectivity app, which provides
easy-to-understand live data on the machine, helping to make good working decisions.

J

TRENCHING FOR A HEALTHIER SOCIETY
astenbroek, the long-established British
designer and manufacturer of trenchers,
has reported an unexpected resurgence of
interest in its specialist sportsfield machine.
For example, last month they received the first order
for one of its 10/12D trenchers in over a decade.
The trencher, which has recently been upgraded
to feature the latest low-emissions engine and
improved operator controls, has been bought by
AgriPower. Based in Buckinghamshire but operating nationally, AgriPower secured
several large contracts at the back end of last year, including work at the Webb Ellis Fields
for Rugby School, several other public schools, local authorities and golf courses.

M

When things
get tight
The A 910 Compact Litronic
wheeled excavator
Maximum comfort even when space is limited.
With its large cabin and a short rear slewing
radius this wheeled excavator enables you to
work efficiently and flexibly day in, day out.
www.liebherr.com

Wheeled excavator

Liebherr-Great Britain Ltd. • Normandy Lane, Stratton Business Park • Biggleswade, SG18 8QB • Phone +44 1767 60 21 00
info.lgb@liebherr.com • www.facebook.com/LiebherrConstruction • www.liebherr.co.uk

NEWS

UK EXPORT BOOM
n the last quarter of 2021,
exports of UK-made
construction equipment
amounted to £977m, an increase
of 21% on Q3 levels. This is a similar level
to Q4 2018, which was the record level since
this trade has been specifically monitored.
As a result, exports for the whole of 2021
were 25% above 2020 levels at £3,442

I

million, which was similar to the high levels
reached in 2019.
In contrast, £413m of imports of
equipment in Q4 showed a 22% fall on Q3
levels, continuing to fall after reaching
peak levels in Q2. However, despite the
declines seen in the last half of the year,
total imports in 2021 were still 67% up on
2020 levels, reaching £2,092 million. This

was above the highest level of imports seen
in 2019.
The UK remained a net exporter of
construction and earthmoving equipment in
2021, with exports 64% higher than imports.
However, this was a much smaller margin
than previous years, for example in 2020
exports were more than double the level of
imports.

ALL-CHANGE

FOR MERLO

WALES
Merlo has announced the appointment of
Tegfan Garage and Phoenix Hire & Sales as
dealers. Merlo UK’s Owen Buttle said, “They
have come about following a reorganisation
of Merlo representation in South Wales.
These appointments see our long-standing
relationship with Mason Bros come to an
end. I would like to acknowledge the efforts
and achievements of Mason Bros during the
time we have worked together.”
Effective immediately, the Merlo
construction range will be represented in
south-west Wales by Tegfan, located at
Pencader, Carmarthenshire. South-east
Wales will be covered by Phoenix based at
Cwmbran in Monmouthshire.

16

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

MANITOU’S US EXPANSION PLAN
anitou plans to invest US$570m in expanding its two North American
manufacturing plants, located at Yankton and Madison in South Dakota.
In addition, they will invest another US$23m to research and development,
which includes accelerating the development of electric compact loaders and
telehandlers over the next four years.

M

A LONG WAY

TOGETHER

EARTHMAX SR 41
No matter how challenging your needs, EARTHMAX SR 41 is your best ally when it comes
to operations that require extraordinary traction. Thanks to its All Steel radial structure and
the special block pattern, EARTHMAX SR 41 provides excellent resistance against punctures
and an extended service life. In addition to long working hours without downtime, the tyre
ensures extraordinary comfort.
EARTHMAX SR 41 is BKT’s response to withstand the toughest operating conditions in
haulage, loading and dozing applications.

IMPORTER FOR THE UK

Tel: +44 0151 728 4171
bkt_enquiries@kirkbytyres.co.uk
www.kirkbytyres.co.uk

NEWS

CUMMINS DARLINGTON INVESTS IN THE FUTURE
ummins is constructing a new powertrain test facility at
Darlington, designed to help accelerate the move towards
a cleaner, next generation of power technologies. Ground
preparation work for the new facility is now underway, with
the first phase of the £14m investment expected to open for operations
by May 2023.
The facility is designed to be fuel-agnostic and will enable Cummins to
develop and test a wider range of power technologies, including the latest
universal engine platforms able to operate on green hydrogen, renewable
natural gas, or sustainable diesel. Installation and testing capability will also
extend to hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric powertrains.
The test facility will have the provision to work not only on powertrains,
but will also allow 44t trucks, construction and agricultural machines and
even a double decker bus to be run on a dynamometer.
The heavy-duty dynamometers and test cells will feature energy
recovery systems to generate electricity. This will be exported to the ring
main of the Cummins site, adding further capability for energy selfgeneration on-site. In addition, water consumption of the cooling towers
will be reduced by harvesting rainwater, using a similar system already in
place at the manufacturing plant.

C

HYUNDAI
HONOURS
TAYLOR &
BRAITHWAITE
The family-owned Taylor & Braithwaite,
based near Appleby in Cumbria, has been
awarded the Hyundai UK & Ireland dealer
of the year accolade, after selling more
machines than any other Hyundai dealer in
Europe. T&B’s Chris Jordan has also been
awarded the title of Hyundai European
salesperson of the year.

50 YEARS OF HITACHI
itachi Construction Machinery
Europe (HCME) is celebrating
its 50th anniversary, since it was
founded with five staff in the
Netherlands in 1972. Today HCME has a
major production facility near Amsterdam
and employees over 500 people.
HCME President, Takaharu Ikeda, said,

H

18

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

“We look forward to celebrating our past
successes with our employees, their
families, and our suppliers and dealers, it is
thanks to their passion and dedication that
we are celebrating this notable milestone.
“We also thank our loyal customers for
placing their trust in our construction
equipment. We recognise the role it plays in

creating the buildings and infrastructure that
are essential to our lives, and our responsibility
to support our customers in their activities.
“Together, we embrace the future and
the challenges it holds, as we aim to
become the first-choice solutions provider
for our customers, helping to build
a better, sustainable future for all.”

celebrating 40 years
of Hillhead

21–23 June 2022
Hillhead Quarry | Buxton
Derbyshire | UK

Find out more at
hillhead.com

Email: hillhead@qmj.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0) 115 945 4367

Join the conversation
@Hillheadshow #hillhead2022

PRODUCT LAUNCH // DOOSAN

Kyle Molyneux reports on the latest
additions to Doosan’s broad range of
machinery

YET MORE
NEW DOOSANS
oosan has introduced the first
examples from its next
generation of mini-excavators,
the 5.4-tonne zero-tailswing
DX50Z-7 and the reduced-radius 5.7-tonne
DX55R-7. Both are powered by a Doosan
D18 Stage 5-compliant engine rated at
36.4kW (48.8hp), providing a maximum
hydraulic auxiliary service flow of 80lit/min.
They feature larger and more comfortable
cabs than their predecessors, with a full glass
door for better visibility. The standard build
includes LED work lamps, an enhanced heating
and air conditioning system, a DAB radio and
an 8in touch-screen, while the operator is
treated to a heated air-suspension seat.
The new design of counterweight is said
to improve balance and stability, and an
additional 200kg bolt-on counterweight is
available as an option. The boom swing angle
and swing radius have been revised. The new
mini-excavators also feature a new dozer
blade and dozer blade control lever, which
offers a float function as standard.
The fuel tank and boom swing cylinder
have been positioned at the base of the cab,
and the main control valve now on the right
side of the machine, all of which should
improve service access. The DX50Z-7 and
DX55R-7 also come fitted with the latest
DoosanConnect telematics system.

D

20

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

MATERIALS HANDLERS
Three new materials handlers have
been launched: wheeled 23- and
25-tonne class machines, together
with a tracked 25-tonner.
The wheeled DX230WMH-5 and
DX250WMH-5 models feature front
and rear stabilisers and come with
a hydraulically-rising cab.
The materials handling working
equipment provides maximum pin
heights of 11.7m and 12.0m, maximum
operating reaches of 10.1m and 10.7m,
and maximum working depths are
4.2m and 4.7m, respectively.
The tracked DX225MH-5 is equipped
with a 2.5m elevating cab, a 6.5m straight
boom and a 4.5m droop nose arm with
two cylinders, and comes with grappleready hydraulics and additional guarding.
It provides a maximum pin height of
11.7m, a maximum reach of 10.6m
and maximum working depth is 5.2m.
All are powered by an ultra-low emissions
six-cylinder Doosan engine rated at
129.4kW (173.5hp) in the wheeled
machines and 124kW (166hp) in the
crawler. Options include gooseneck and
straight arms, solid tyres, together with
a wide range of attachments for materials
sorting and handling applications.

HIGH-REACH
DEMO RIG
Doosan has completed its
range of high-reach
demolition excavators with
the arrival of the
DX380DM-7 model, which
joins the DX235DM-5 and
DX530DM-5 rigs
launched in the last two
years. When equipped
with the demolition
boom, the new
DX380DM-7 has
a maximum pin height
of 23m, and when
equipped with the
digging boom in the
straight
configuration it
can work to a
maximum height
of 10.43m.

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22

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS // LIEBHERR A913

FULL-FAT DUCK
Paul Argent reports on the first Liebherr A913 Compact
wheeled excavator in the UK, an extremely highlyspecified machine that has joined the fleet of Somersetbased Gartell
ear-on-year, wheeled excavators
(aka rubber ducks) are
regaining popularity among
British owner-operators and
contractors, and one of the hotly contested
sectors of the market is for machines under
16 tonnes.
Liebherr recently introduced the A913
Compact into this sector, which sits in its
range between the A912 and A914 models.
It is said to combine features from these
well-respected siblings into a robust,
powerful and slim-line machine, which
is essentially only available in two basic
configurations: a four-wheel-steer chassis
with either a two-piece boom or a knuckle
boom.
The first A913 Compact on UK soil has
been snapped up by Somerset-based
contractors Gartell and Son. Headed
by Andrew Gartell, the business

Y

was established as an agricultural
contractor, expanding over the years to
provide construction and groundworks
services to both agricultural and industrial
clients. They run a mixed fleet of
machinery including a dozen excavators
up to 24 tonnes, plus a Liebherr R922.

“IT’S NOT WORTH DOING
ANYTHING HALFHEARTED; WE KNEW
WHAT WE WANTED AND
WENT FOR IT”
Below and inset: In addition to being just as
proficient a digger as its tracked counterpart, a
wheeled excavator with a set of pallet forks on
its tilt-rotator makes an impressive materials
handler.

PURCHASE DECISION
As workload was increasing and
a greater diversity of projects were
undertaken, Andrew considered
whether a wheeled excavator
should join the fleet,
commenting, “More and more
sites are demanding hard

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

23

WALK-ROUND
The Liebherr is powered by a fuel-efficient
3.6-iitre Deutz engine rated at 129hp. As is
common with Liebherr wheeled excavators,
the engine is mounted longitudinally on the
offside of the upper-structure. Easy access
to the powerpack is achieved by a large
gull-wing engine canopy.
The A913 has been designed as an
excavator capable of getting into the tightest
of spots. Both front and rear axles offer
conventional and crab steering modes, and
both axles are driven through a two-speed
powershift transmission. Super single tyres
have been chosen over the standard duals to
give a little more capability on poorer ground.
Andrew specified both front and rear dozer
blades, together with an LED lighting package
upgrade and another lockable storage box on
the undercarriage.

Left and above: The all-wheel drive and -steer
undercarriage, shod with wide super single tyres,
is proving to be surprisingly manoeuvrable over a range
of ground conditions.

standing from day one, so running a duck
requirements at the time. A slightly smaller
isn’t as risky as it once was. When it comes to
wheeled excavator was purchased from
digging they are just as good as an equivalent another source, which has gone on to be
sized tracked machine and, apart from the
a success on site. So much so that Andrew
poor ground working ability, they are just as
developed ambitious plans for the next
versatile in my opinion.
rubber duck, not only
“We initially looked
would it be a step up
“WE HAVE BEEN USING
at the Liebherr A910
in size, it would be
GPS SYSTEMS FOR A
as our first foray into
configured with a
mobile excavators.
tilt-rotator and a 3D
WHILE NOW AND FIND
We were a Liebherr
machine guidance
THEY INCREASE OUR
customer in the past,
system.
but had strayed away
Learning about the
PRODUCTIVITY
for various reasons.
imminent launch of
SIGNIFICANTLY”
We took the R922 on
the Liebherr A913
demo and were very
Compact model,
impressed with its fuel economy and
Andrew’s mind was made up, “We knew
reliability. This ultimately led to a purchase
what the build quality was like from looking
of what has been a very good machine.”
at the A910, so the improvements promised
Although Andrew was clearly impressed by on the A913 made it a very attractive
the A910, it was not the right match to their
proposition for us.”
24

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

THE RIGHT OPERATOR
Getting the machine sorted was one thing,
finding a suitable operator was the next
challenge. Andrew persuaded Dominic
Smart to return to the firm, after working
elsewhere for a couple years.
Dominic said, “I was hesitant about going
on to a wheeled machine, as I’ve always
been on tracks. If you asked me to go back
on tracks now, I’d refuse, as it’s a breath of
fresh air being on a duck. Yes, you are
expected to do the running around on
a site, but you are busy from morning to
night and that’s what I like. There’s nothing
worse than sitting on a muck pile all day
waiting for tippers, something I’ve done
lots of when I’ve been on tracked machines.
“You do get treated like a wheelbarrow,
but in doing so, you don’t need the expense
of a telehandler on site constantly maybe to
do a couple of lifts a day.”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS // LIEBHERR A913
Left, below and
inset: The A913
was certainly
kept busy on this
site, preparing
an area for a
concrete pour,
then grading a
muddy bank,
with a few
wheelbarrow
jobs in between.

HIGH SPECIFICATION
Andrew hasn’t skimped on the final
specification of the new Liebherr, which
includes a Leica MC1 machine guidance
system and a Steelwrist X18 tilt-rotator,
together with a range of attachments from
BMC, including pallet forks. He continued,
“It’s not worth doing anything half-hearted,
we knew what we wanted and went for it.
We have been using GPS systems for a while
now and find they increase our productivity
significantly. The Leica system is new to us
and looks like it will be a great system once
we’ve ironed the niggles out.”
Dominic is impressed with the tilt-rotator
both from an installation and application
point of view: “Having the Steelwrist just
gives another dimension to what I can do.
It makes me more self-sufficient, especially
with the Leica system.”
Andrew commented, “There being a lack
of good lads on the ground nowadays,
Left: The new rubber duck has been supplied with
a full range of attachments for its tilt-rotator, together
with a Leica MC1 machine guidance system.

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

25

FIRST IMPRESSIONS // LIEBHERR A913

the money spent on
a tilt-rotator can take
one groundworker
out of the equation.
It’s a costly
investment, but one
that will pay the
investment back in no
time at all, on the right
applications and with the
right operator.”

SITE VISIT
We encountered the Gartell team on a large
groundworks project on the outskirts of
Yeovil, working for Dorchester-based
developers CG Fry on the multi-millionpound development of the farm site.
At the time of our visit, Dominic and the
Liebherr were prepping an area ready for
another pour of concrete, which would
form new car parking. Using the BMC
grading beam, he deftly worked out the
stone to a level ready for the shuttering
to be installed. Coming to the end of the
section, a quick change to the Steelwrist
bucket saw the remainder of the material
quickly placed into position.
After a quick wheelbarrow job moving
a stillage of water for the power washer,
then loading a lighting tower on the back
of a truck, Dominic was back on to the
grading beam to complete a section of
top-soiling round a recently completed
buggy track.

“THE MONEY SPENT ON A
TILT-ROTATOR CAN TAKE
ONE GROUNDWORKER
OUT OF THE EQUATION”
26

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

Despite the
excavator’s
impressive reach of
around 5m below
ground, Dominic
had to take the
wheeled machine off
road and on to a steep,
muddy slope to reach
the bottom of the batter.
While not renowned for
their serious off-road ability,
according to Dominic the Liebherr duck
performed well. Even the drag back up
the slope caused no issues for the
16-tonne machine, as its fat tyres
gripped the muddy surface very well
and propelled the excavator back on
to firm ground.
Dominic continued, “She handles herself
very well on any ground I’ve put her on.
I had to get used to the bounce from the
tyres at first, as it’s different to a tracked
machine, but you quickly adapt.”

CONCLUSION
The wheeled Liebherr has been in the fleet
for a couple of months now and has certainly
impressed both owner and operator, as
Andrew explained, “The back-up and service
we have had from Liebherr with the R922 has
been exemplary and we hope it will be the
same with the A913. They are a very
professional company to deal with and supply
a great product, something we are looking to
increase the fleet with in the near future.”
The modern driveline in the A913 is
proving to be fuel efficient, a key factor in
these days of running machines on full-price
diesel, to say nothing of environmental
benefits. Perhaps more important is that the
deployment of a wheeled excavator of this
size is already showing that it can generate
other cost savings. They include less need to
have a telehandler permanently on site and
reducing the reliance on hard-to-find
groundworkers. All of this will go some way
to offsetting project cost inflation due to the
switch to white diesel.
Above, inset and below: As the
tilt-rotator includes a gripper, together
with the machine’s 3D GPS system, the
operator of this modern rubber duck is
largely self-sufficient on site.

SAFETY MATTERS
The XW series is leading the safety market
with height control, slew control, rated
capacity indicator (RCI) and stability.
With its easy to use operator focused user
interface and “feather touch” proportional
hydraulic
control
creates
a
safe
and
comfortable working environment for the
machine and its operator.

SAFETY SHOULD BE SIMPLE.

PHONE +44 (0)1633 987344
EMAIL SALES@XWATCH.CO.UK
WEBSITE WWW.XWATCH.CO.UK

RUNNING REPORT // SUNWARD SWE215F

“THE MACHINES ARE EVERYTHING
WE EXPECTED THEM TO BE AND ARE
COMPLETELY RELIABLE SO FAR”

MOVING FROM USED
TO NEW KIT
Eoghan Daly reports on how Gill Skip Hire’s three
Chinese-built Sunward excavators are performing,
after being on the fleet for almost a year
erving the Kildare and Dublin
areas, Gill Skip Hire runs a
sizeable fleet of trucks, which
are at the core of its skip hire
business, complemented by grab trucks
serving construction sites. The firm also
undertakes site clearance work. To serve all
aspects of the business its excavator fleet
has been renewed within the last year, and
includes the first 21-tonne Sunward
SWE215F to enter service in Ireland.
Having previously run used excavators
from Hitachi and Komatsu, John Gill
wanted the greater long-term reliability
associated with new machines, but could
not justify the significant investment usually

S

Above: Having previously run used machines,
John Gill’s Chinese-built Sunwards are proving to
be reliable, powerful and smooth to operate.

required to fulfil
such an ambition. He said, “I had
heard about the Sunward machines
and how well they had been working
with customers, so I thought they
deserved a closer look.
“Due to the attractive pricing of the
machines, I believed I couldn’t go wrong
with them. They were also available in stock
at Rushall Plant Services, so I could
immediately see what I was getting. The
no-nonsense approach Kevin Flanagan
brought to doing the deal was also great
to see. Having local service and a dealer
willing to support the machines into the
future made Sunward seem like the best
option from every point of view.”
John dipped his to toe in the water and
bought a 2.5-tonne, reduced swing radius

SWE25UF. The Chinese-built mini
immediately impressed him and his
operators, so much so that he soon
returned to Rushall for a 21-tonne
SWE215F, which entered service in July
2021. It was the first example of this model
to go into service for an Irish user and was
followed a month later by the purchase of
a 3.5-tonne SWE35UF mini (see panel on
last page of feature).
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

29

SWE215F
WALK-ROUND

Below: The 21-tonne class SWE215F has been
undertaking a range of duties, but usually
spends its time on site clearance work.

There are two nearside panel doors, the
rearmost one being lockable, which releases
the smaller forward door. The locking
mechanism, hinges and holding strut all look
durable. The main compartment hosts the
cooling radiators, which can be easily
accessed for cleaning. Sharing this space are
the batteries, which are housed in a forward
position at floor level, concealed by easily
removable protective panels. On the left are
a coolant expansion tank and a modestly
sized windscreen washer reservoir. A battery
isolation switch is located on the right.
The compartment behind the cab
accommodates the air intake filter housing
as well as a sealed unit holding some of the
machine’s electrical elements. The offside
rear compartment hosts the hydraulic pumps,
surrounded by filter elements, for servicing
from ground level.
The first front offside step conceals
a substantial storage space. As well as
accommodating the Ad-Blue tank, this space
also houses the optional refuelling pump.
Figuring out how to open the engine cover
is a bit of a head-scratcher at first as they are
no visible latches. The lockable latch is
actually located on the fixed panel above the
radiators, and the whole engine cover hinged
sideways from the exhaust side. The size of
the panel makes this slightly cumbersome in
use, but on the plus side it results in very good
access to the engine bay.

As all three Sunward excavators have
now clocked up the hours, John
commented, “The machines are everything
we expected them to be and are completely
reliable so far. They have plenty of digging
power and the operators like them, as they
are very smooth and comfortable to
operate. Overall, we couldn’t be happier
with Sunward.”

PROVEN COMPONENTS
At an operating weight of 21.8 tonnes,
the Sunward SWE215F is Gill’s largest
excavator and spends much of its time on
site clearance duties, but is also used on
a variety of demolition and decommissioning
jobs. Somewhat bizarrely, it had just been
used to deconstruct an old jet fighter.
Looking first at the undercarriage, it
provides a good early impression of the
excavator’s build quality. The robustlooking track frames feature two top
carrier rollers and eight bottom rollers,
which benefit from the fitment of three
30

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

track guides. Blue-chip KYB track motors
are used.
Power comes from a six-pot Cummins
QSB engine rated at 129kW, on which John
commented, “Using a six-cylinder engine,
the machine is far more at ease and nothing
is under any kind of strain. It also makes it
more economical in my view and can only
be good for reducing wear over the longer
term. We are very impressed by how
powerful it is to dig and is still light on fuel.”
The theme of proven components
continues in the form of a Kawasaki
hydraulic system, including a pair of
240-litres-per-minute pumps.

IN THE CAB
The first impression of the cab is one of
space and a bright working environment,
thanks to the large glazed area. The low-set
offside window is worthy of particular note,
as it offers a direct line of sight to the
offside track. Unlike some designs, the cab
door features a large lower pane for better

“USING A SIX-CYLINDER
ENGINE, THE MACHINE IS
FAR MORE AT EASE AND
NOTHING IS UNDER ANY
KIND OF STRAIN”
visibility to the immediate nearside of the
machine.
Settling into the operator’s seat, there is
nothing to suggest any form of inadequacy
in the cab, as everything you need is within
easy reach, while the fit and finish are to
a high standard. However, styling does
reflect more of a practical approach to
industrial design than the Sunward’s more
expensive competitors. For example, there
is integrated air conditioning and a radio,
but they come in the form of familiar fascias
Right: John Gill has bought three Sunward excavators
from Irish dealer Rushall Plant Services.

RUNNING REPORT // SUNWARD SWE215F

built into the left armrest and, in all
fairness, are close to hand.
Those expecting an iPad-like touch-screen
monitor at this price will also be
disappointed, but the relatively small
push-button control box provides everything
required to operate the machine and
monitor its health. The standard display
format presents the main machine data,
such as fuel level and coolant temperature
in the middle, surrounded by warning icons,
together with a series of icons along the top
of the screen. The lower section depicts
a range of menu icons, which correspond
to function keys on the keypad below.

Above: The cab is spacious and bright, providing good
visibility, and comes with climate control and a radio

Scheduled maintenance data is available
through this control screen, as well as a
direct route to alter working and travel
speed. Error code retrieval is also possible
through the system, as well as a range of
data on its performance – all in an easy-touse and navigate format.
There are relatively few other controls
in the cab; the right-hand console contains
a bank of switches for the lights, wipers and
quick-hitch, together with control of the
DPF regeneration system. Forward of this
is the ignition and throttle dials.
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

31

RUNNING REPORT // SUNWARD SWE215F
“THEY ARE CHEAPER
MACHINES TO BUY AND ARE
UP TO THE JOB, SO THAT’S
GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME”

Above and below right: The Sunward SWE215F is
powered by a six-cylinder Cummins engine driving
a Kawasaki hydraulic system.

SUNWARD
SWE35UF MINI
Like many other Irish users, Gill Skip Hire has
developed a high level of appreciation for the
working capabilities of Sunward’s SWE35UF
3.5-tonne mini, which is regarded as
a particularly versatile machine.
This example has been fitted with
a hydraulic thumb, which John believes no
mini-excavator should be without. The added
versatility it brings has eased many operating
tasks, and it is unobtrusive when not in use.
Fitted with a Strickland quick-hitch, this mini
was supplied with a full set of buckets. Its
offset boom looks like a reassuringly durable
structure.
John Gill said, “Like the bigger machines,
we are very happy with the SWE35UF.
It’s a very deceptive machine, since it is so
compact and never fails to surprise us with
the kind of digging power and stability it has.
It’s also well finished and gives a decent spec
in relation to the price and, most of all, it was
available when we wanted it.”

32

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

The technology stars of the cab’s
interior are the ergonomically profiled
joysticks, which are matched to an industry
benchmark Kawasaki hydraulic system.
They include integrated buttons for
proportional control of additional
services, and the big Sunward came with
the bonus of breaker and rotation lines
in its standard build.

CONCLUSION
John said, “I may be more involved on the
truck side of the business than operating
the plant, but have been getting very
favourable feedback from our full-time
operator who uses the SWE215F. He rates
it as a very nice machine, with a good
all-round view round the machine and the
working area. It also gives him a very high
level of comfort and has
well laid-out controls,
and joysticks that are
smooth and precise
to use.
“If Sunward wasn’t
a success for me I would
not have returned and
made repeat purchases.
So far everything about
them has been excellent
and, while some may
question resale value,
I have no hang-ups about
them from that point of
view. They are cheaper
machines to buy on day
one and are up to the
job so that’s good
enough for me.”

DIG
SORT
MOVE
PROCESS
We offer a unique single source solution
for the Construction, Recycling,
Demolition and Quarrying Industries
Looking for a new machine? From our range of both
new and used equipment we will have what you are after,
with finance packages to suit your budget. Our customers
also benefit from the reassurance provided by a team of
nearly 50 field service engineers covering the length and
breadth of Great Britain, that have the skills and tools to
keep your equipment earning.
So, whether you are looking for; excavators, loading
shovels, dumpers, material handlers, crushers, screeners,
shredders, compaction equipment, telehandlers, tilt
rotators or hydraulic attachments Molson Equipment
work with a wide range of world leading manufacturers
to offer our customers quality machines.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
molsongroup.co.uk/equipment
Molson Group Ltd, Smoke Lane, Avonmouth, Bristol BS11 0YA

01179 820 123
info@molsongroup.co.uk

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34

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

Dermot O’Connor +44 7741 906 132
Jim Malia +44 7738 457 496

TECHNOLOGY // KOVACO SKID-STEER

BATTERY-POWERED
PRACTICALITY
Peter Haddock reports on
demolition specialist Erith
Group’s new batterypowered skid-steer loaders
growing range of batterypowered compact machinery
is available, which is now
beginning to be used across
all industry sectors. Over and above the
environmental and running cost benefits
of replacing diesel-powered kit with electric
machines, zero-emissions machinery is of
particular relevance to the demolition
sector. In top-down demolition work, where
machines such as skid-steer loaders or small
mini-excavators work inside the structure,
there is often a considerable cost involved
in venting their exhaust emissions to the
outside world.
Demolition work tends to be tough on
both machines and operators, which, in the
UK has resulted in a number of purchasing

A

trends. For example, this sector of the
market seems to value the robustness of
Chinese-made excavators more than
the general construction industry
does, and has a far greater
appreciation of the benefits of
remote-controlled machines.
Dealer Kovaco UK, run by
Cameron Peters, seems to have
broken into this sector of the market
with recent sales of its Czech Republicbuilt, battery-powered skid-steer loaders
to both the Erith Group and Aitch
Demolition/BooBoo Plant Hire. The Elise
900 model comes in two versions: one with
a 270Ah battery pack offering 5.5 hours of
operation and 40hp; the other 52.3hp
version features a 400Ah battery providing
8.5 operating hours (see panel overleaf for
more details).
Inset above and below: The Erith Group evaluated the
Kovaco’s ability to perform the applications required
of it and, critically, the working hours available from
a single charge of its battery pack.

“WE WORKED WITH THE
KOVACO TEAM TO TEST
110V AS A CHARGING
OPTION, AND OVERNIGHT
EVEN THE LARGER
BATTERY COULD
BE FILLED”
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

35

REMOTE CONTROL
We encountered the Kovaco models at Erith’s
recycling facility near Dartford. With an
operating distance of up to 50m, the
professional joystick remote control unit was
certainly impressive. It offers the latest in
technology, providing a safe, reliable and
precise control of the machine from a distance.
However, the Elise 900 has another trick up
its sleeve, as by removing the Blackview smart
phone from its cradle in the cab, it can be used
as a remote-control unit, with an operating
range of 15m. If you want to use your own
smart phone a Kovaco app is available that
controls machine features, which include four
drive speed options. You can also adjust the
response of the hydraulics on the loader arms
and bucket function through the simple
dashboard, which also highlights the
machine’s battery status bar and hours meter.
Along the bottom of the screen are touch
buttons for the road and work lights,
windscreen wipers and other functions like
the self-levelling bucket function and flashing
beacon. Remote control by smart phone is not
intended for production applications. Rather it
is for the odd occasion that the operator
needs to be out of the cab, usually for safety
reasons, but also to improve the visibility to
the job in hand, or simply when going through
farm gates.

PURCHASE DECISION
To discover more about the reasons behind
this decision and how battery-powered
machinery will work on site, we spoke with
Shaun Bean, plant director of the Erith
Group, who said, “Before we make any fleet
purchase decision, we spend a lot of time
evaluating the machine and any
technologies that it comes with. The
Kovaco electric models were no different.
“The first step was to get in the seat myself
and operate the demo machine to see if it
could perform the mainly loading tasks we
would need it for. I also put it through a typical
full shift using our training ground to simulate
real-world tasks. Of course, with electric
models, you want to know that the quoted
operating hours are also achievable. We
measured this ourselves with the larger model
and it performed just as the team had told us.
“Because we will be using these machines
to replace an existing diesel fleet in

applications like top-down tower block
demolition, I also wanted to know how we
could charge them in situ. The challenge
here was all about getting power to the
machine. As with any demolition project,
the original 240V supply is stripped out and
isolated at source before demolition starts.
Of course, we then add lighting to the
structure on a 110V circuit. With this in
mind, we worked with the Kovaco team to
test 110V as a charging option, and overnight
even the larger battery could be filled.
“This meant we could lift the skid-steer
into the building with no need to take it out
until it had finished working. Typically,
this machine is used to clean up the rubble
floor by floor, tipping it into the lift shaft,
as this is the safest way to operate.
Below: The Elise 900 is available with a full joystick
remote control unit. For occasional use across short
distances, the smart phone in-cab monitor can also be
used as a remote-control unit.

“JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN AFFORD TO POLLUTE
DOESN’T MEAN TO SAY YOU SHOULD”

36

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

TECHNOLOGY // KOVACO SKID-STEER
The Erith Group’s Shaun Bean has
identified a range of cost savings
associated with running the Kovacos,
including eliminating fuel handling and
no need to extract the subsequent
emissions.

“Being fully electric also has advantages
for us in this application as you remove the
need for additional air extraction units to
handle the diesel emissions. You also
remove the need for manual handling of
fuel up to the floor and any associated
spillage clean-up when filling the tank.
In addition, with the electric model, there
is only one filter in the
machine and far

fewer parts to both maintain and repair.
Our fitter’s only job is to top up the
lead-acid battery with distilled water now
and again, which is a simple task.
“As part of the package, we have also
opted for additional machine protection
with a plate at the rear of the machine
protecting the battery, roof guarding and
ram guards. This makes it more of a
demolition spec-machine, which is
important to us and another
reason for buying the
model, which is
essentially based
around a kit
of parts.
“This
is an

KOVACO
BASIC SPECS
The Elise 900 has an operating weight of
3300kg and a maximum boom height of
3.4m. It is fitted with a quick coupler that
enables the use of over 40 attachments,
including forks, dozer blades, grapples and
augers. The model comes in two versions:
one with a 270Ah battery pack, the other
with a far more substantial 400Ah on board.
On the larger capacity model, the battery
pack powers three electric motors, delivering
a total power output of 27kW.
Starting with a clean piece of paper,
the Kovaco team developed an innovative
approach to machine management.
The package includes GPS tracking and
a telematics system, with software updates
downloadable via the supplied Blackview
Android smart phone. This smart phone is
also used as the skid-steer’s in-cab screen
and doubles up as a remote-control unit for
the machine, further details of which are in
the accompanying panel.

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

37

TECHNOLOGY // KOVACO SKID-STEER
interesting concept for a demolition
machine when it comes to the cost of
repairs, as you can simply unbolt
components and replace them. Again, with
the demo model, I unbolted some of the
machine to see what level of strength was
added to the inner structure. This was
important to me, as demolition machines
of this size can suffer from a concertina
effect if they collide with another object.
If this happens, the frame or connection
plates can also be damaged, thus adding
to repair costs. It was a nice surprise to
see how robust the machine was when
I unbolted the section, as this means we will
potentially be able to save on repair costs.”

removes the need to put an operator into
the machine, making it safer to perform
some tasks.
“Add this to the elimination of fuel
handling from bowser to machine, air
extraction, the reduction of maintenance,
and you have a new, cleaner, greener and
cost-effective way of working. Doing the
sums, it certainly adds up. It is also better
for both the working environment and the
wider environment, while allowing us to
operate safely with zero emissions at the
point of use.”

WORKING METHODS
Shaun continued, “All of these elements
come into the equation when going
electric, but it’s how an electric machine
can change how you do a job that is
equally important, as you can remove
cost by removing tasks. For example,
we have opted for the remote-control
solution on our models, whereby a robust
handheld unit is capable of operating the
machine up to 50 metres away. This

“HOW AN ELECTRIC
MACHINE CAN
CHANGE HOW YOU
DO A JOB IS
EQUALLY
IMPORTANT, AS
YOU CAN REMOVE
COST BY REMOVING
TASKS”

38

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

Above and below: Aitch Demolition and BooBoo Plant
Hire’s Harold Allen wants to be at the forefront of
adopting new electric equipment, making sure they
understand how to make it practically work on site.

OTHER
CUSTOMERS
Aitch Demolition and sister company BooBoo
Plant Hire now have both versions of the
Kovaco Elise 900, the more powerful model in
demolition spec including solid tyres. The firm
has also added two 400kg capacity Kovaco
Mini Z pedestrian loaders to its fleet, complete
with remote control units.
Managing director Harold Allen said, “The
way we look at things is that just because you
can afford to pollute doesn’t mean to say you
should. We’re trying to be at the forefront of
adopting new electric equipment, by getting
in there first and making sure we understand
how to make it work. I believe if we all try and
do our bit, then we can hopefully reduce
global warming.
“From both a safety and commercial point
of view, I like the zero emissions at the point
of use and the fact the machines can be fully
remote controlled. Practically, this means for
some jobs we can take the driver out of the cab
and remove the need for a banksman. This
saves money while operating the machine
safely, which is a win-win situation.
“The other commercial benefit is when
a machine is idling and ticking over, with
a skid-steer that is typically 40% of the time.
This means every hour we are paying a
service charge and also devaluing the
machine. Of course, we are also consuming
more fuel and as we move from red to white
diesel it becomes more costly. The electric
machine only uses ‘fuel’ when operational,
and we can also work indoors.
“From our perspective, when we are not
using the machines for our own jobs, we will
also be offering them to our Boo Boo Plant Hire
customers, so they can try out the machines
as well and see how they work.”

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NEW PRODUCT // LIUGONG 915FCR

A STAR IS
BORN

Paul Argent reports on
one of the first LiuGong
915F compact radius
excavators in the UK,
powered by HVO fuel and
put to work by Cawarden
on a site at Stoke
on Trent

ver the past 12 months Cawarden, one of
the UK’s leading demolition contractors,
has diversified into groundworks and
civil engineering, adding suitably
qualified and experienced staff to this new
operating division. One of the principal
reasons behind this decision is that main
contractors and developers are
increasingly looking to move away
from all but the final construction
of a project, sub-contracting the rest
of the work out.
One of the first such projects
undertaken by
Cawarden
was on the
site of the
former
pottery

O

Above: The 915F CR is the first
example of a new range of
full-size LiuGong compact radius
excavators, which has already
demonstrated impressive lifting
performance.

“IT’S A POWERFUL,
COMPACT
MACHINE WITH
A GREAT
STANDARD
SPECIFICATION
AND HIGH-END
OPERATOR
COMFORT”
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

41

BURSLEM SITE
BACKGROUND
In addition to the pottery industry, Stoke on
Trent was well known for coal production, the
area being home to a number of deep mines
over the past century. This was a known issue
on the site of the former Royal Doulton pottery
works at Burslem. Cawarden initially
excavated an old shaft head, before subcontractors came in to cap the two shafts
located on the site. The ground surrounding
the shafts was drilled to a depth of 40m and
injected with an expanding grout system to
stabilise the numerous seams leading from
each shaft.
While these were the deepest structures
the company had to deal with on site, they
were a known issue. What surprised everyone
was the large number of remaining structures
from many decades of pottery manufacture
that had been left below the surface. Covered
over by the initial demolition contractor, this
earlier work on the sloping site had left almost
every footing and structure covered in a layer
of crushed material.
This was removed to a storage area, where
it was stockpiled for processing. The
underlying ground revealed a number of
existing walls, footings and drains. The first
task was to ensure the drains were protected
or diverted as necessary.
The first structures found below ground
were then removed with the assistance of
Cawarden’s fleet of excavators, equipped with
a variety of breakers and concrete processing
attachments. The material was again
stockpiled ready to crush. Once all of the
obstructions had been removed, the material
crushed and screened, it was replaced in
layers and compacted to a given design.

works of Royal Doulton at Burslem, Stoke
on Trent. The structures on the large parcel
of land had been previously brought down to
ground level by another contractor. The site
was then left bare for a number of years,
before developers purchased the land to put
up much-needed housing.
The Burslem site required a massive
amount of remediation work and
underground demolition to be completed
before the construction teams moved on to
site. Cawarden was employed to excavate the
entire site to a depth of 3m, to remove the
underground structures, and then reinstate
the ground in compacted layers.
The unknown part of the equation was
exactly what lay in the ground at that depth.
The Cawarden team overcame a number of
challenges to complete the job, further details
42

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

“IF THE EARLY
INDICATIONS ARE
ANYTHING TO GO
BY, WE WILL BE
LOOKING AT
LIUGONG FOR
ANY FUTURE
PURCHASES”

of which are in the accompanying panel.
Prior to the handover of reinstated sections
of the site, Cawarden was asked to build a
number of reinforced concrete retaining
walls, ranging from 1m to 5m in height, to
give the developers large, plateau areas on
which to build the houses.

NEW EXCAVATOR
Fast-forward 12 months and, to facilitate
a change in the design of this large
development, a Cawarden team is back on
site to undertake the construction of another
section of retaining wall. The tight
programme of works has to be completed
alongside partially constructed properties
and a newly built boundary wall.
To undertake the excavation and lifting
operations, Cawarden brought to site one
of the first LiuGong 915F CR models to
arrive in the UK, which has recently joined
the Cawarden fleet along with a 2.6t
LiuGong mini.
Oliver Crooks, Cawarden’s commercial
director, said, “We have taken the LiuGong
machines into the fleet as they represent
good value for money in a well-made and
reliable package. We have dealt with dealer
Steven Wilson in the past and have a great
working relationship with him. The package
he put together for us, together with the
high specification of the machine, made
it a relatively easy choice for us.”
This Chinese-built 915F CR excavator was
designed in the UK by Gary Major. It is the

first of LiuGong’s full-sized F series excavators
to benefit from a compact rear end, and
a plant hire spec 913F CR model is due for
launch in the near future.
Like many compact radius machines of this
size, the rear of the cab has been squeezed
slightly to allow all the components to fit
in the shortened rear of the
upper-structure. While
smaller than the standard
F series cab, there is just
a slight reduction in
the storage space to
the rear of the seat.
The cab interior has
also been upgraded,
resulting in simpler,
cleaner lines. To the
right of the heated
seat, a small panel
contains just four rocker
switches controlling the
lights, and a handful of
image-coded push buttons for other
often-used functions.
The big change for the operator is the new,
I-Pad-style touch-screen. This simple-to-use
interface allows the operator to easily change
hydraulic flows and pressures to match the
attachment being used. It also displays the
bird’s-eye view from the integrated 360-degree
multi-camera system. Electro-hydraulic
Right: Wide-opening panels round the upperstructure reveal ground-level access points for all
the principal service items.

NEW PRODUCT // LIUGONG 915FCR
Left and right: Powered
by an ultra-low
emissions Cummins
engine, the 915F CR has
got off to an extremely
impressive start with
Cawarden.

controls are said to provide an instant response
from the engine, resulting in a smoother
operating experience and lower fuel burn.
The LiuGong 915F CR is powered by a
Cummins F3.8 engine pushing out 90kW.
As part of a commitment to drive down their
carbon footprint, Cawarden has opted to run
its new excavator on HVO fuel, not diesel.
As the machine is expected to multi-task –
from civils to demolition operations –
Cawarden has specified a full top and front
FOPS cab guard, supplied by LiuGong along
with additional hammer and rotation lines for
hydraulic attachments. While many of the
larger demolition specific machines in the
fleet carry OilQuick couplers, this machine
has been fitted with the latest generation
GTX coupler from Miller.

has massively impressed us with its ability
to undertake the work we have put it on.
It’s a powerful, compact machine with
a great standard specification and high-end
operator comfort.”
Having prepared the ground, the next task
was to unload a delivery of reinforcing mesh.
With the chains attached, the straight lift
in-line with the tracks was accomplished with
ease. By now confident in the machine’s
ability and balance, and with the arm
extended fully to allow the mesh to clear the
ground, the excavator was slewed round.
With the load cross-carriage, the tracks stayed
firmly planted to the ground.
Mitch continued, “It has been a revelation
with its lifting ability. Not only has it handled
the reinforcing bars, but the smaller pre-cast
concrete walls we have been using haven’t
bothered the machine in the slightest.
We have been very impressed with it.”
Oliver Crooks concluded by saying, “If the
early indications are anything to go by, we
will be looking at LiuGong for any future
purchases for the company.”
Below: The most significant change in the cab
is the use of a large touch-screen control
monitor, which also displays images from the
standard multi-camera system.

OPERATOR FEEDBACK
At the time of our site visit the team were busy
installing reinforcing steel for the next pour
of concrete. The LiuGong was tasked with
cleaning up around the area ready for the
pump and mixers. Many excavators are rated
on their ability to grade and by the looks of
the finish achieved by operator Mitch, the
915F CR passes the test.
He said, “When we first got the LiuGong
we weren’t sure about it, as we have been
a Komatsu user for a number of years. But it

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

43

FLEET FOCUS // LJ DEVELOPMENTS
“THE RISE IN
PRODUCTION SINCE WE
ADOPTED THE GPS
AROUND CHRISTMAS
TIME HAS BEEN MASSIVE”
The adoption of machine
control technology has
allowed the firm to better
deploy increasingly
scarce ground workers.

GPS
COSTS
& COST
SAVINGS
Nick Drew speaks with a recent adopter of 3D GPS machine guidance systems and gets
feedback on their new JCB 245XR excavator
t’s often said that if you can make
a success of a business started
during an economic downturn,
then you are on to a winner in
the long term. That is exactly what North
Devon-based Leon Adams did in 2010.
Going against the wisdom of the time, the
former plant mechanic and linesman started
out on his own with a Hitachi 17U mini,
excavating domestic driveways and the like.
Today, Leon heads L.J. Developments,
an ever-expanding family-run business
that has over 60 employees. The firm
undertakes groundworks and civil
engineering work, installs utilities,
performs surfacing contracts and supplies

I

aggregates, in addition to skip and sweeper
hire, together with running a haulage fleet.

MACHINE GUIDANCE
With an ever-expanding workload ahead of
them, Leon has recently invested in a batch
of new JCB excavators, more about these
later, all of which were then equipped to
work with a Leica MC1 machine control
system.
Earthmovers Magazine reader Leon has
been contemplating the subject of machine
guidance systems for a couple of years,
but couldn’t get over the cost of the kit.
He said, “There’s no ifs or buts about it,
it is a lot of money. To fully understand the

financial side of it all was the hardest part.
“We went up en mass to the Leica
training facility in Shropshire for a day,
myself, our engineer and quantity surveyor,
and two of our operators. We spent some
time in the classroom and out on the
machine to learn all about the system,
which was a really insightful experience.
It quickly became clear to me that it is
without a doubt, the way forward.
“It’s definitely a bigger picture scenario,
the cost savings are already evident to us.
Our engineer isn’t having to drive to the
sites, he can work remotely from the office
uploading the data via Leica’s ConX data
transfer system. It’s mind-blowing stuff;
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

45

three men working on them previously,
but now it only requires two.
“It’s a case of using our labour in a much
more effective way. The rise in production
since we adopted GPS around Christmas
time has been massive.”
there’s no need for the traditional old
timber profiles and as such fewer personnel
on the ground, so savings in that
department too and, of course, it is a lot
safer.
“Thinking back to when we were
trimming stone on the road, we effectively
had four men doing the job: obviously the
machine operator, two guys holding the
string-line and one dipping. Now we only
need to rely on the machine operator and
the in-cab monitor. It’s the same with
digging foundations. We would have had

“ON THE 245XR IT’S AN
ACTUAL FULL-SIZED CAB,
SOMETHING THAT IS
OFTEN COMPROMISED ON
OTHER COMPACT RADIUS
MODELS”
Above, below, inset right and
far right: Leon Adams intends
to keep the 25-tonne compact
radius JCB on site longer than
the norm, with no need to
replace it with a smaller
machine as house building
progresses.

46

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

NEW EXCAVATORS
Leon has recently purchased three JCB
excavators, a 25-tonne class reduced radius
245XR model, a 14-tonne 140X and an 8.5t
86C-2 midi. He continued, “I have run JCB
3CX Contractor wheeled diggers for quite
some time now; we use them on our
highways work. We also run a couple of JCB
skid-steers, which we use for tarmac planing
work. They have been really good machines
and the back-up we get from Holt’s Exeter
depot is second to none.
“In addition, all our road sweepers are
fitted with JCB engines, so if we ever need
any support with those, we know we can
count on the boys at Holt to help us out
there too. We do have our own in-house
fitters, sometimes these days you do need
the technical back-up of a laptop to sort
problems.
“We have historically been running
Hitachi excavators and we still
run a lot of them, but on
this occasion they could
not supply in the
timescale we
needed. We
therefore
decided to

FLEET FOCUS // LJ DEVELOPMENTS
take a look at the JCB models. Our territory
manager for Holt JCB, Paul Butcher, came
out and offered us the first 245XR to go out
on demonstration in the south west.
Following a successful demo, with our
operator absolutely loving the machine,
I put in the order for one there and then.
“We feel they have really got it right with
the X-series range. The visibility is great,
the cab is a great place to be and, in my
opinion, has really been designed with
the operator in mind. In addition, on
the 245XR it’s an actual full-sized cab,
something that is often compromised
on other manufacturers’ compact radius
models.
“It’s no slouch either, a really fast
machine with super smooth hydraulics,
thanks I’m sure to the fitment of Kawasaki
pumps and hydraulics, which are just top
quality. We are certainly finding that it ticks
all the boxes in terms of what we need on
an excavator.
“The fact that it’s also so compact for its
size will be another bonus going forward,
as the houses go up on the site and things
start to get tight for moving around.
Meaning this large machine can stay on
site longer, whereas normally it might be
replaced by a smaller machine, which can
only be a good thing.
“Aside from the two X-series models that
we are running, we also added the
8.5-tonne 86C-2 midi, which we are finding
to be a great piece of kit too, nice and quick
with plenty of power, a great all-round tool.”

The JCB 86C-2
midi is turning
out to be a great
bit of kit. It’s
reported to be
nice and quick
with plenty of
power, a great
all-round tool.

CONCLUSION
We caught up with Leon and some of his
team on one of the sites they are working
on at Westward Ho!, North Devon, where
they are undertaking the groundwork and
infrastructure for a prestigious 140-home
development. With a sprinkling of
affordable homes for local people, all the
way up to a £1.2m villa with sea views, there
is a varied mix of plot sizes.
There was also a varied mix of work for
the JCB 245XR to undertake. Making full
use of the machine control system, after
a run of drainage was installed, its operator
was grading the surrounding ground.
Precisely in accordance to the digital site
plan, and without the need for batter
boards or grade checkers.
The drainage crew then needed another
large diameter plastic pipe lifted into
position. The 245XR was tracked between
part-built houses to perform this awkward
lift. The 25-tonne compact radius
excavator looked at home in this
environment, providing a high level of
performance with a surprisingly small
overall footprint.

All the operators we spoke to on the day,
including Phil Peddle on the 245XR, have
clearly embraced machine control, as Leon
said, “It helps having operators who are
interested in the whole concept, there’s no
way you would take it away from Phil now,
he’d fight you for it.”
Regarding his new mount Phil, not a man
of many words, said, “Yeah, it’s a really good
machine, comfy and spacious cab, nice and
smooth and plenty of power when needed.
It ticks all the boxes for me.”
Leon concluded, “I must say the back-up
and support from Leica have been really
good. Mike James was absolutely brilliant
with helping to set it all up. JCB Finance
was also brilliant in putting together an
integrated package for us.
“Now having had them fitted and seeing
the benefits, there is no way we’d go back to
the old way.”
Clearly, Leon has every intention to
continue to expand the L.J. Developments
business. With the recent acquisition of
a quarry and aggregate recycling facility,
I’m sure we will be visiting him again in
the not-too-distant future.
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

47

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EARTHMOVERS

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RUNNING REPORT // KOBELCO SK300-10

MULTI-FUNCTION
DEMOLITION
David Wylie visits Airdrie
to see a demo-spec
Kobelco excavator
equipped with an OilQuick
coupler, which has
recently entered service
with Central Demolition

onnybridge-based Central
Demolition has made a series of
significant investments over the
last few years. They include
excavators, attachments and HGV trucks,
together with the development of a
state-of-the art materials recycling facility.
Our last visit covered the firm’s new
TAB-boom Hitachi ZX350-7 excavator,
fitted with an OilQuick coupler. A more
recent purchase is a pair of Kobelco
demolition-spec excavators, an SK300-10
and an SK350-10.

B

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Murray Brodie, Central Demo’s plant and
maintenance manager, said, “We operate
a diverse fleet of demolition spec machines

from the leading manufacturers, as we
like to provide our customers with modern,
high-specification equipment. When we
were looking for a number of new
machines, we had a good conversation with
sales manager Blair Allan of the Molson
Group. They put a very competitive
package together for two Kobelco
demolition spec excavators.
“This recent investment in 32t and 35t
Kobelco machines is our first experience
with this manufacturer. So far, we are not
disappointed with their performance,
and we’ve had great feedback from the
operators over the first few hundred hours.
“We’re also impressed with Kobelco’s
design approach for a demolition spec
excavator, such as the standard fitment

Left and below: Central Demolition’s pair of full
demo-spec Kobelco excavators have been supplied by
Molson with a 6000-hour service/repair package.

“THE NEW OILQUICK
HITCH HAS REALLY
TRANSFORMED THE
WAY WE WORK”
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

49

KOBELCO
SK300-10
DRIVETRAIN
At the heart of the 32.5-tonne SK300-10 is
a six-cylinder 7.68 litre Hino engine, which
meets Stage 4 of the emissions regulations,
is rated at 268hp (200kW) and provides
maximum torque of 1017Nm at just 1600rpm.
It drives twin variable displacement axial
piston pumps, each of which delivers a
hydraulic flow of 245lit/min. It provides a
maximum bucket digging force of 188kN,
or 208kN with power boost mode selected.
With a standard 3.1m dipper stick, the
SK300-10 provides a maximum digging reach
of 10.87m and a maximum digging depth of
7.04m with its 1.2c.m standard bucket.

50

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

of side and belly plate protection, bucket
ram guard and cab guarding. Molson has
also fitted a unique set of heavy-duty rebar
guards on the track frames. They will help
to stop any material getting trapped in the
track pads, which could otherwise damage
the underside of the body when tracking.
So far, these track guards have proved
to be very effective.
“The two new Kobelcos have
a high specification, they also come
loaded with good safety features
such as the all-round camera
system. Both operators say they
are really powerful, as they very

rarely come out of the eco or standard
mode. That is good to hear, as it will be
a big cost saving on fuel over the life of the
machine.
Murray explained that, having run Hino
tipper trucks in the past, he has high hopes
of the reliability of the Hino engines in the
new Kobelco excavators, as he continued,
“With over 400 hours on each of the two
machines, there have been absolutely no
issues or teething troubles with both
machines. We’re confident the Molson

RUNNING REPORT // KOBELCO SK300-10
Group will provide good service support to
help ensure the Kobelco machines provide
high availability throughout their life with us.”
The deal for the pair of Kobelco
excavators included a 6000-hour extended
warranty and service/repair package from
the Molson Group. The excavators came
with a set of heavy-duty buckets from local
manufacturer Euro-Fab.

MATERIALS PROCESSING
At the time of our visit, the SK300 was
extremely busy processing a huge volume
of steel racking, which was previously used
to store whiskey barrels at this former
bonded warehouse in Airdrie near Glasgow.
The entire site is being cleared to make way
for a new supermarket.
Once the steel racking was sorted and
stockpiled, the SK300 used a selector grab
to load the huge compartment of Central
Demo’s 55-tonne Lefort 600 shear/baler (see
panel on last page of feature). The big Lefort
mobile processor transformed the racking
into approximately 1m lengths, which were
loaded by the SK300 into a steady stream of
Central Demo’s Ro-Ro skips.
As the metal racking had been preprocessed into small lengths, around 15
tonnes of the material could be loaded into
each skip. It’s a more cost-effective way of
transporting such a high volume off site,
compared to inefficiently filling the skips
Left, inset and below: The OilQuick coupling system
allows hydraulically-powered attachments to be
changed quickly from the safety of the cab.

“WE’RE IMPRESSED
WITH KOBELCO’S
DESIGN APPROACH
FOR A DEMOLITION
SPEC EXCAVATOR,
SUCH AS SIDE AND
BELLY PLATE
PROTECTION”

Above and right: Operator William Graham reports that
the SK300-10 is a very smooth and powerful excavator
with a well-specified cab.

with long irregular parts of racking.
Murray explained that when the
structures have been demolished to ground
level, the excavators on site will be multitasking all day. This includes breaking out
concrete floors and foundations with a
hydraulic hammer, using a selector grab for
stockpiling and loading, and using their
new buckets for excavation work. As the job
progresses, more on-site processing will be
taking place, such as using shears to reduce
the scrap metal to suitable sizes for
recycling, including on-site baling.
The two new Kobelco excavators have not
had mountings for a mechanical pulveriser
welded to their dippers, as Central
Demolition is rapidly moving towards
equipping its fleet with hydraulic-powered
pulverisers. This not only saves welding
brackets to the sticks, but also a significant
amount of time having to knock attachment
pins in and out on site.
In any case, Central Demo is increasing its
use of OilQuick coupling systems, which
automatically connect and disconnect the
hydraulic supply to powered attachments, as
Murray explained, “We are also very pleased
with the OilQuick systems fitted on the two
Kobelco machines, as we wanted all of our
demolition excavators to be more efficient
and productive on site. Each of the machines
will have its own attachments, which can
quickly and easily be coupled in less than 30
seconds, so that the operators have always
the best tool selected to do the job in hand.
“The OilQuick system has proved itself
to significantly reduce downtime, as it can
sometimes take up to an hour to change
attachments by knocking out pins and
disconnecting and reconnecting hydraulic
hoses to attachments. OilQuick also
significantly improves health and safety
and eliminates the risk of oil spillage
when changing attachments.”
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

51

RUNNING REPORT // KOBELCO SK300-10
The Kobelco
SK300-10 excavator
offers precise
control for picking
and sorting material
with a grab.

OPERATOR FEEDBACK
At the controls of the SK300-10 was William
Graham, who said, “This is a very smooth
and extremely powerful excavator.
Although it’s got three power
settings to choose from, I’ve
never had it set any higher
than standard mode. That
includes digging out
concrete bases and
foundations,
demolishing buildings
and processing
material. I’ve simply
never needed to put it
into high-power mode.
“The new OilQuick
hitch has really transformed
the way we work. We now have
an extremely good excavator that
can multi-task using all the different
hydraulic attachments, which connect
to the OilQuick system effortlessly and
without leaving the cab.
“On this particular job site, I’ve used the
pulverisers to take out concrete pillars, then
quickly switched to heavy-duty buckets for
digging and stockpiling material. The most
versatile attachment is the heavy-duty selector
grab, which we can use for knocking through
walls, and for sorting through materials.
Coupled with the smooth proportional
controls on the Kobelco excavator, you could
almost pick out matchsticks from the rubble
with the rotating selector grab.
52

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

“YOU COULD ALMOST PICK
OUT MATCHSTICKS FROM
THE RUBBLE WITH THE
ROTATING SELECTOR
GRAB”

“The AdBlue and fuel consumption is
phenomenally good, compared to my
similar sized previous machine that
I needed to fill every two and a half
days, whereas this new Kobelco
SK300 is easily lasting up
to four days before
refuelling.
“The other thing
I like about the
SK300 is its size.
It’s not too big to
be working in some
confined areas, yet
Left and below: The
Lefort 600 shear/baler
features a 600t guillotine
to cut metal to 1m
lengths, or to compress
metal into bales.

GIANT BALER
Central Demolition’s 55-tonne Lefort 600
mobile shear/baler is powered by a Cat C9
engine rated at 300hp, driving a Rexroth
variable pump to operate four 120-tonne
hydraulic rams, which compact the material
into bales or lengths.
On this job, the metal racking was loaded
into the 6m-long x 2.4m-wide compartment.
A pair of top doors then close to compact the
material. It is further reduced with a force of
120 tonnes, by a massive ram in the rear of the
compartment, which can produce a shear force
of 600 tonnes to cut the steel into lengths.
The Lefort 600 mobile shear/baler can be
operated from its own cab. The favoured
method is by remote control from an excavator,
as its operating cycle can be fully automated
and activated by one press of a button.
Central Demo bought his machine new in
2005, since when it has processed a huge
volume of material for a variety of customers.
Once finished on this jobsite, the Lefort 600
received a full recondition and repaint in their
workshops.

packs a powerful punch and performance
of a much bigger machine and is very
stable. Overall, I can’t fault it.”
In conclusion, Central Demolition’s site
manager, Ian Strang, said, “The new
Kobelco SK300-10 and OilQuick system are
proving to be a very good addition to the
fleet. Having had a drive of it myself, I can
fully understand why our operator really
likes it. It’s a smooth and powerful machine
for a range of demolition tasks and
processing material. The OilQuick system
is a game-changer in terms of increased
productivity, multi-tasking and safety.”

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MARKET GUIDE // MIDI-EXCAVATORS

PLUGGING THE
CAPABILITY GAP

Peter Anderson reviews the wide range of midiexcavators currently available

MIDI-EXCAVATORS
Make

Model

Net power

Caterpillar

307.5

40.9kW

Yanmar

B7 Sigma-6

41.4kW

Takeuchi

TB370

42.4kW

Kobelco

SK75SR-7

53.7kW

EZ80

42.0kW

Wacker Neuson
Komatsu

PC80MR-5

46.2kW

Kubota

KX080-4a2

46.5kW

Hyundai

R80CR-9A

49.0kW

Takeuchi

TB280FR

51.6kW

308CR

51.8kW

ViO80-1

53.5kW

Caterpillar
Yanmar
Yanmar

ViO82

42.4kW

Hitachi

ZX85US-6

42.4kW

Hitachi

ZX85USB-6

42.4kW

Bobcat

E85

44.3kW

Doosan

DX85R

44.3kW

JCB

85Z-2

45.4kW

Hyundai

HX85A

49.9kW

Case
Kobelco
JCB

CX85D SR

50.7kW

SK85MSR-7

53.7kW

86C-2

45.4kW

ECR88D

41.4kW

Komatsu

PC88MR-11

50.7kW

LiuGong

909E CR

44.0kW

CX90D MSR

50.7kW

Volvo

Case
Takeuchi

TB290-2

51.6kW

Caterpillar

309CR

51.8kW

JCB

90Z-2

52.4kW

Wacker Neuson

ET90

56.4kW

Caterpillar

310

51.8kW

JCB

100C-2

52.4kW

Yanmar

SV100-2

53.7kW

Mecalac

10MCR

55.4kW
W

Yanmar

SV120

W
85.0kW

ith 34 midi-excavators from 7.5
to 11.5 tonnes available from 16
manufacturers, there is plenty
of choice for those needing to
plug the capability gap between the largest
minis and 13-tonners. Examples are jobs
where more performance is required than
a five- or six-tonne mini can provide, but
which lack the access or space to use
a bigger machine.
At the top end of the midi market –
machines over 8.5 tonnes – such
excavators offer a surprisingly large

W

working envelope. More often than not
they are equipped with a full array of
auxiliary hydraulic services and
increasingly sport a tilt-rotator. They offer
a far more compact, versatile, productive
and easier-to-transport alternative to
deploying a 13-tonner.
To make the most advantage of the
compact and powerful nature of midiexcavators, they are offered in a variety of
upper-structure configurations, including
conventional, reduced and zero tailswing
designs, with and without slewing booms.

THE WILD CARD
According to Mecalac, its 10MCR crawler-skid excavator combines the speed of a loader with
the functionality of an excavator. Operators can harness the mobility of a compact loader with
a top speed of 9kph, carry buckets up to 0.75cu.m and the agility of a 360 excavator with
a unique working envelope from its working equipment. With a total swing diameter of 3.76m,
tailswing radius of 1.38m and weighing just 9.4t, it is primarily designed for urban worksites
where space is restricted.

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

55

BOBCAT’S
LARGEST
The largest compact excavator in the
Bobcat range, the minimal tailswing
E85 model, weighs 8.6t and provides
a maximum digging depth of 4.62m
and a maximum dump height of 4.99m.
Standard equipment includes primary
and secondary auxiliary hydraulic lines,
together with a thumb control
integrated in the joysticks for precise
control of the boom swing function and
the proportional auxiliary hydraulics.
Options include a third auxiliary line,
steel tracks, a long arm and an
articulated boom.

DUO OF
CASE MIDIS
Case offers the CX85D SR and CX90D
MSR models. The CX85D SR is
a short-radius 8.5t model, which can
work in only 2.92m of space and is also
available configured with an offset
boom. The standard offset boom on the
medium radius CX90D MSR provides
80 degrees of slew to the left and 45
degrees to the right. There is a wide
variety of choice of working equipment.
A mono-boom, swing-boom and
offset-boom are available, with up to
four auxiliary hydraulic lines, together
with three track options.

A CLOWDER
OF CATS
Caterpillar offers four base midi
models – 307.5, 308CR, 309CR and
310 – spanning operating weights
from 8.1 to 10.2 tonnes. The latest
addition to the range is the 308CR,
a compact radius model with a fixed
boom. Weighing just over eight tonnes,
the new Stage 5 drive train features an
enhanced hydraulic system together
with auto-idle and auto-engine
shutdown. The 308CR also comes
with Cat’s unique joystick travel and
steering system, together with the
latest 10in LCD monitor.

56

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

MARKET GUIDE // MIDI-EXCAVATORS
DOOSAN’S
8.6-TONNER
Powered by a modern Yanmar engine,
the Doosan DX85R provides a bucket
digging force of 6.3 tonnes, a traction
force of 6.6 tonnes, a maximum travel
speed of 4.7kph and a maximum
digging depth of 4.83m. The auxiliary
hydraulic services are controlled from
the proportional joysticks, as is the
boom offset function, together with,
if required, control over attachment
tilting function. In the surprisingly
roomy cab there is a 14.5cm LCD
monitor, plus auto-tracking downshift
and dozer float/levelling functions.

TWO SHORT
HITACHIS
Hitachi offers the ZX85US-6 and
ZX85USB-6 models, the latter having an
operating weight of between 8.4t and
9.0t and offering a digging depth of
4.51m. The latest version of the
ZX85US-6 features slightly more power
over its predecessor, together with
a reinforced mainframe and
undercarriage. Compact and with a short
tailswing radius, low-impact rubber
tracks and offering 10.3m of reach, the
ZX85US-6 weighs-in at between 8.1t
to 8.9t depending on spec and provides
a maximum dig depth of 4.61m.

NEW GEN
HYUNDAI
Although still offering the R80CR-9A
model, Hyundai’s latest midi is the
all-new HX85A, powered by a Yanmar
engine rated at a shade under 50kW.
This latest generation of Hyundai
excavator technology features an
advanced load sensing hydraulic
system, allowing for simultaneous and
precise machine movements. A new
design of two-piece boom extends the
midi’s working envelope, including
working close to its own tracks,
enhanced vertical digging capabilities
and good load over heights.

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

57

UK-BUILT JCB
DASH 2 RANGE
JCB offers models with operating
weights between eight and 10 tonnes
in its latest Dash 2 range: the 86C-2,
85Z-2, 90Z-2 and 100C-2. All are
powered by the latest Kohler engines,
which now feature engine auto-stop
and a one-touch idle. The Dash 2
upgrade also includes proportional
joysticks incorporating boom swing
control, freeing up the floor space
usually taken by a two-way pedal.
Forward visibility has also been
improved and the counterweight
redesigned for better service access.

TWO SHORT
KOBELCO MIDIS
Kobelco offers the SK75SR-7 and
SK85MSR-7 models. Depending on
configuration, the SK75SR-7 weighs
between 7.8t and 8.95t. Equipped
with 3.82m boom and 2.13m arm, it is
capable of a maximum digging depth
4.58m and a dump height of 5.67m,
while its tailswing radius is 1.38m.
The SK85MSR SR weighs between
8.4t and 9.6t and is configured with
a shorter 3.5m boom and 2.13m arm,
which provide a maximum dig depth
of 4.44m and a maximum dump
clearance of 5.18m.

KOMATSU’S
8/9 TONNERS
Komatsu’s midi-excavator range
comprises the PC80MR-5 and the more
recent PC88MR-11. The latter weighs
between 8.5t and 9.13t and can be
configured with either a mono or a
two-piece boom, and its maximum dig
depth is 4.68m. Promising improved
operator comfort and serviceability
over its predecessor, up to 10
attachment settings can be stored in
its system and two-way powered
attachments can now be operated in
eco mode. The eight-tonne PC80MR-5
provides a maximum depth of 4.34m.

58

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

MARKET GUIDE // MIDI-EXCAVATORS
KUBOTA’S BIG
COMPACT
The latest version of Kubota’s largest
compact excavator, the KX080-4a2,
weighs in at 8.35t and is powered by
the latest generation of their in-house
engine technology, which features a
new Eco e-Plus working mode. It drives
a high-tech load-sensing hydraulic
system, which promises smoother
operation, regardless of load size. The
two-piece boom version of the standard
model has been redesigned to improve
the machine’s working envelope. This
midi also features Kubota’s benchmark
machine security system.

LIUGONG’S
LATEST MIDI
The LiuGong nine-tonne class 909ECR
midi features a short tailswing radius
of just 1.41m. When the excavator
works alongside obstacles, the swing
post and cylinder stay within the
tracks when in an offset position,
further avoiding the risk of damage.
It is powered by a modern Yanmar
engine, driving an equally impressive
hydraulic system. This provides a load
sensing and flow sharing capability,
resulting in precise performance with
greater controllability and a blade
float function.

THREE TB
TAKEUCHIS
Takeuchi offers three midis: the
reduced-tailswing TB290-2, the zero-tail
swing TB280FR and the new TB370.
The 8.4t TB290-2 and the 8.5t TB280FR
offer maximum dig depths of 4.58m and
4.54m, together with load over heights
of 5.26m and 4.8m respectively. The
TB370 weighs in at 7.9t with a
two-piece boom and is powered by
a Kubota engine delivering 48.4kN of
digging force. The unique TB370 comes
well equipped with the latest jog-dial
controls and colour touch-screen,
together with hitch pipework.

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

59

MARKET GUIDE // MIDI-EXCAVATORS
VOLVO’S
MIDI
The Volvo ECR88D weighs between
8.6t and 9.5t depending on
configuration and features a closed
centre, load sensing hydraulic system
for fast cycle times and smooth control.
Configured with a 3.85m boom and
2.1m dipper, it provides a dig depth
of 4.48m, a dump height of 6.38m and
a lift capacity of 960kg at full reach
across the carriage. The rubbermounted cab reduces whole-body
vibration, while the operator gets air
conditioning as standard, together with
easy-grip, high-response joysticks.

PERKINS
POWER
Wacker Neuson offers the
conventional ET90 and the zerotailswing EZ80 midis, powered by
Perkins engines rated at 56.4kW and
42kW respectively. Operating weights
extend from 8.71t to 9.98t for the
ET90 and 7.92t to 9.21t for the EZ80,
while digging depths range from
4.68m and 4.17m. Dump heights are
between 3.99m and 5.06m for the
ET90 and EZ80 respectively. Both
feature a load sensing hydraulic
system and up to five auxiliary
hydraulic circuits.

YANMAR
TRIO
Yanmar offers the 8.2t B7 Sigma-6
model with a three-piece boom: the
SV100-2 at 9.62t and the flagship
SV120 model weighing an impressive
11.5 tonnes. Also offered is a pair of
zero-tailswing models – the 8.06t
ViO80-1 and the 8.2t ViO82. The
design of the SV100 allows the front
of the cab structure to remain entirely
within the width of the crawlers when
slewing. The large SV120 model
features four independent hydraulic
circuits together with a larger cab that
provides a 100mm wider entrance.

60

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

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MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

61

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FLEET FOCUS // RORY HOLBROOK

FROM TRUCK
TO TRAIN
Paul Argent reports on the fleet of Liebherr machinery
operated by an East Anglian supplier of haulage,
aggregates and other services
stablished over 30 years ago with
a single tipper truck, Rory
Holbrook still takes an active
role in the East Anglian
company that he has built from scratch.
The constantly expanding road haulage
fleet has been joined over the
decades by a selection of
earthmoving equipment,
used mainly to handle
aggregates, but also for
muck-away and
earthmoving jobs.
Originally
supplying
tipper
trucks

E

Above: Holbrook’s
railhead at Brandon
currently handles
over 7000 tonnes of
aggregates a week,
unloaded by a pair
of Liebherr LH40
material handlers.

to support runway construction and
rebuilding works for the military, their
approved supplier status opened up other
opportunities not only with the numerous
RAF sites in the region, but also on bases
around the country.

AGGREGATE RAILHEAD
Initially dealing in virgin aggregates, the
firm has since diversified into recycling
inert materials and currently
operates from three locations in
Norfolk, including their own
dedicated railhead at
Brandon. The
railhead
currently
handles
in excess
of 7000

tonnes of material a week from four train
deliveries.
Holbrook’s operations manager Pav
Myrcik said, “We used to send trucks to
quarries, which is a long journey for us.
This was becoming uneconomical and kept
too many trucks away from local deliveries.
When the opportunity arose to take on the
railhead at Brandon, we looked at the cost
per tonne to bring in material in bulk from
Derbyshire. It made not only financial sense
for us to do it, but it also made a reduction
in our carbon footprint.”
The railhead is home to three Liebherr
machines: a pair of LH40 material handlers
and an L566 XPower wheeled loader.
The material handlers came from
Liebherr’s used stock and have proved
to be invaluable for the increasing volumes
of stone handled at Brandon.

“THE RAILHEAD AT
BRANDON MADE NOT
ONLY FINANCIAL SENSE,
BUT IT ALSO MADE A
REDUCTION IN OUR
CARBON FOOTPRINT”

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

63

FLEET FOCUS // RORY HOLBROOK
Below and inset: A 20-tonne class Liebherr
PR726 LGP dozer works at the tipping point
forming a bund. Some of the material is
delivered by a brand new Liebherr TA230 ADT.

Pav continued,
“We supply a
large amount of
limestone to the
sugar beet
factories around
Norfolk and
Suffolk. It’s
a horrible, large
stone to handle and
takes patience to unload it
from the rail trucks, but we
have a good team of lads operating
the machines. Despite the size of the
material, at 75mm to 150mm, they can
clear a train in about four and a bit hours.”
While the LH 40s unload the trains,
the L566 wheel loader takes care of
the majority of truck loading duties.
Configured with high-reach arms,
the loading shovel is seen as an ideal
accompaniment to the LH40s.

RECYCLING & TIPPING
The company’s recycling centre sits next
to RAF Lakenheath, currently home to
the USAF 48th Fighter Wing, on part of
the huge Elveden Estate. Running a fleet
of eight-wheel tippers and grab wagons
allows the Holbrook team to reduce their
empty running times, bringing in inert
material for recycling or tipping, then
64

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

leaving with clean
recycled or
virgin
aggregates
on board.
Holbrook is
currently
constructing
a large bund around
this site, with the help
of a Liebherr PR726
dozer that replaced a similar
size machine late last year. This
19.5-tonne low ground pressure dozer sits
on 812mm-wide pads and is fitted with an
inside mounted C-frame with a 3.87 cube
PAT blade. To the rear of the tractor sits
a three-shank ripper frame, minus the
ripper shanks.
Pav continued, “We have to compact the
material on a regular basis, so the tractor
runs with a towed vibrating sheepsfoot
roller. The ripper body allows us to hitch
the roller up easily and also keeps the
machine well balanced. We have also
added a Leica MC1 machine guidance
system, allowing us to accurately log the
levels and keep to the design of the bund
without the need to send a surveyor out on
to site or put in pegs and batter boards.”
Operator Liam McAlister said, “I’ve
operated Komatsu and Caterpillar dozers

of this size and I have to say this is by far
the best dozer I’ve operated. It’s very
powerful, yet easy to control and the cab
is just a great place to spend a shift in.”
Depending on the type of material
being tipped, Liam currently works in
three specific areas across the site, pushing
out the material to a level as indicated by
the Leica screen in his cab. While much of
the inert material is delivered directly to
Liam by road-going trucks, material sorted
by the recycling centre makes its way to the
bund courtesy of a pair of articulated
dump trucks. One of them is a brand new
Liebherr TA230, configured with wide
tyres, which easily copes with some of the
softer spots on the tip site.
Pav concluded, “It’s still early days for
the Liebherr truck, but so far it’s really
impressing us.”

“WE ADDED A MACHINE
GUIDANCE SYSTEM,
ALLOWING US TO
ACCURATELY LOG THE
LEVELS AND KEEP TO THE
DESIGN OF THE BUND”

Due to the recent success with sales, Liugong Machinery
are looking to fill the following vacancies:

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To service and repair LiuGong range of equipment.
Competitive pay plus company vehicle. Permanent
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for the manufacturer’s. Product training will be provided. Be computer literate, a good
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WORKSHOP FITTERS
Based at our Uxbridge Branch, working across the range
of Liugong products. Permanent full time positions.
Liugong Direct UK are looking for experienced workshop fitters, based in Uxbridge,
working across the range of Liugong products. Product training will be provided.
Package includes competitive salary, pension scheme, 25 day’s holiday.

Contact 0203 897 0970
Email info@liugong.co.uk www.liugong.co.uk

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MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

65

“THE CAT 992 WAS LAUNCHED
IN 1968 AND WAS THE
LARGEST CONVENTIONAL
WHEEL LOADER OF ITS TIME”

BACK TO
THE FUTURE
David Wylie looks at the evolution of one of the most successful
mining wheel loaders ever made – the mighty Cat 992
ith an incredible production run
spanning 54 years, the Cat 992
dynasty of wheel loaders has,
over the decades, become
a benchmark of industrial design.
In particular the iconic 86-tonne 992C
model, launched in 1977, was still in
production some 15 years later. Among
other innovations, the 992C featured
a new Z-bar design of lifting arms, which
was superseded decades later by monoboom lift arms from the G series onwards.
Caterpillar’s latest 992 wheel loader goes
back to its C series roots and the
introduction of a Z-bar linkage fit for the
new millennium. It resulted in a complete
redesign of the new 992 model, which now
weighs 105 tonnes. More about this later.
Development of the original 992 started in
the mid-1960s, when the first prototype was
powered by an eight-cylinder 500hp Cat
D346 engine. After extensive field trials in
1966, a more powerful 550hp twin-turbo V12
Cat D348 engine was chosen for production
versions. The Cat 992 was launched in 1968
and was the largest conventional wheel
loader of its time, offering double the
productivity of a Cat 988.

W

66

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

In 1973 the design was upgraded to the
992B model, which offered a bucket capacity
of 10 cubic yards. The mainframe and loader
tower were redesigned, the new box sections
were better able to withstand both bending
and twisting forces while more evenly
distributing the stress. For the first time
a roll-over protection frame was fitted round
the cab as standard.

With 70 degrees of articulation, the 992B
was manoeuvrable while maintaining its
stability. It was capable of a top forward
speed of 23.9mph and up to 25mph in
reverse, leading to a significant
improvement in loading cycle times.

THE ICONIC 992C
Caterpillar then created what many consider
to be one of the finest wheel loaders ever
designed, the legendary 992C model.
Introduced in 1977 with a standard bucket
capacity of 12.5 cubic yards, the 86-tonner
was a significantly larger machine than its B
series predecessor. Powered by a V12 Cat
3412 engine rated at 690hp, the 992C could
load a 50t capacity truck in just three passes.
There was even a high-lift arm option,
Above and below: An iconic 992C provided over
20 years of service at Tarmac’s Dunbar quarry;
also shown is an early 992C loading an original
Cat 777 hauler.

EXTREME MACHINE // CAT 992
WHY A WHEEL
LOADER?

Above and right:
The original Cat
992 loading
bottom dump haul
trucks in 1968,
a far cry from
today’s 992
wheel loader
that weighs
105 tonnes.

allowing the wheel
loader to be matched
with up to 120t trucks.
The late-1970s 992C
also featured Caterpillar’s
all-new electronic monitoring
system. It allowed the operator to keep track
of critical systems, all from the comfort and
safety of a sound-isolated cab that was
protected by a separate ROPS frame. There
was even the option of an air-conditioning
system.
The new lift arms featured a brandnew design of Z-bar linkage, which
went on to prove itself over the next
two decades on Cat’s largest wheel
loaders. So well-designed was the
992C that it survived virtually
unchanged, other than a larger

13.5-cubic-yard bucket,
for a production run that
lasted into the early 1990s.
Being one of the best-selling
large wheel loaders of all time
has assured the 992C a rightful place
in heavy equipment history.
In 1992 the upgraded 89-tonne 992D
model was launched. Power was unchanged
at 690hp, but it was now equipped with
a 14-yard (10.7cu.m) bucket. The major
external difference from its

Although not a common working practice in
these islands, an alternative to using a
backhoe or face shovel to load rigid dump
trucks is a large wheel loader. For example,
a 100-tonne class machine that will four-pass
load a Cat 777, or take six cycles to fill a Cat
785 hauler.
When the wheeled machine’s far superior
mobility over a tracked excavator is taken into
consideration, the two working methods are
on par with one another. However, an
additional advantage of using a wheel loader
is that it does away with the need to deploy
another large machine to maintain the loading
area, which can represent a significant
long-term saving.
Caterpillar’s John Marek said, “Besides
being selective about how a wheel loader can
manage a face, moving from one location to
another, work multiple faces, or getting out of
the way for blasting, it also cleans up the floor
after itself. This eliminates the need for a dozer
to clean up any spilled rocks and to help
maintain the floor.”

predecessor was safer access steps mounted
over the rear tyres, eliminating the need to
climb a vertical side-mounted ladder to
reach the cab.
Once in the cab, the operator was faced
with a truly futuristic working environment,
as the 992D was the first large wheel loader
that did not have a steering wheel. Cat’s
new joystick steering and push-button
transmission control systems were well
ahead of their time, as was the in-cab
payload management display.

MONO-BOOM ERA
In 1996 Caterpillar launched the all-new
992G model, designed to handle buckets
Le centre and below: Cat 992B models at work, shod with
Left,
b
beadles,
steel-shod tyres to allow the loaders to work on
ground
usually reserved for tracked machines.
g

MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

67

“CATERPILLAR CREATED ONE OF THE FINEST
WHEEL LOADERS EVER DESIGNED,
THE LEGENDARY 992C MODEL”
The Glensanda super quarry started with a
992C and moved on to the 992D and 992G
machines. It was followed by 992Ks, which
replaced the 992Gs in 2013.

with capacities from 15 to 16 yards (11.5
to 12.3cu.m). This 94.8-tonne wheel loader
was powered by Cat’s new 3508B V12 engine,
rated at a whopping 800hp and providing
30% more torque than a 992D.
What was astounding about the 992G was
that the traditional lifting arms, a design that
had provided excellent service over 20 years,
had been replaced by an all-new monoboom. However, this cast box-section design
was said to produce three times the torsional
loading stiffness of parallel lift arms. The
box-section cast boom was designed to
spread stresses over its full length and
perimeter. It allowed stress transfer through
parent material to prevent twisting and stress
paths that can lead to cracking. More than
90% of the 992G’s structure was robotically
welded to provide highly consistent welds
with increased strength.
With a machine length of 15.5m, the
design had grown a lot from the 13m-long
992C model, as had its cab and controls.
The front box-shaped cylinder tower was
completely redesigned for improved
resistance to twisting. The new front end also
resulted in a redesign of the box-section rear
frame, with strengthening members added
both internally and externally.
68

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

The G series 992 also featured
a revolutionary electro-hydraulic control
system, which had separate hydraulic circuits
for the lift and tilt functions, together with
other circuits serving the engine fan,
steering and braking sub-systems. The large,
modern cab boasted an interior noise level
of just 75dB(A).
The 992G was said to be an aggressive first
gear loader, ideally suited to face and bank
excavation work. With increased dump
clearance, in some conditions it could load
a 100t haul trucks in four passes. The
high-lift version was intended to be a six-pass
match for a 150t capacity rigid dump truck.
In 2012, the 992K was launched, powered
by an environmentally-friendly Cat C32 V12
engine rated at 814hp, set within the loader’s
reinforced rear frame. Operators benefited
from a completely new, well-equipped larger
cab, complete with a trainer seat, plus wider
access stairs and service platforms.
Weighing 99.8 tonnes, the K series
provided the same rated payload of 21.7
tonnes as the 992G, but featured a new
mono-boom structure. It replaced the
Right: The 992G featured revolutionary mono-boom
working equipment, shown here loading a
136-tonne capacity Cat 785.

EXTREME MACHINE // CAT 992

Above and left: The 992D featured rear access steps.
Once in the cab the operator benefited from joystick
steering and an early payload measurement system.

one-piece cast boom with a three-piece
assembly comprising a fabricated centre
section with a casting welded on each end.
The boom ends and lift cylinder featured
high-tech, permanently sealed, oil-filled
sleeve bearing cartridge pins.
The 992K also featured Cat’s positive flow
control hydraulic system, providing the
operator with better feel and control of the
bucket, together with more hydraulic power
and lower running temperatures for
improved reliability. This new clean-burning
engine and modern hydraulic driveline
package improved fuel consumption by up
to 5% over a 992G, as well as knocking some
time off the front end’s typical cycle time.

ALL NEW CAT 992
Shown to the public for the first time at the
MinExpo show at the end of 2021, the
ultra-low emissions Cat 992 features a new
design of Z-bar linkage, as opposed to the
previous two generations of mono-booms,
which spanned 25 years of production.
One of the principal reasons for this
change in working equipment was the desire
to significantly increase the capacity of the
992 with a 19cu.yd bucket. With the modern
computing power in the hands of the design
team, the conclusion was that a modern
Z-bar linkage would be inherently more
efficient. Providing it was matched to the
machine’s hydraulic characteristics and
typical work cycles, to provide the desired
levels of rim pull and breakout forces.
This includes a fresh approach to bucket
design, as Caterpillar’s John Marek,
a former design engineer on large wheel
loaders, explained: “Improvements have
been made to the setback and strike plane
angles, while a longer bucket floor and
a stronger and larger bottom section
increase the bucket fill factor by 10%.
MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

69

“THE NEW 2021 Z-BAR
CAT 992 PROMISES TO
PROVIDE A NEW
BENCHMARK WITH
LOWER COSTS PER
TONNE LOADED”

CAT 992
DRIVETRAIN

The taller side plate with level top
surface helps to improve visibility beyond
the bucket edge to the material pile.
“The buckets themselves now feature
a dual-radius shell plate design. This allows
for the centre of gravity of the bucket and
payload to be pulled back, providing stability
and a material retention benefit.”
A radical change in front-end equipment
requires a complete redesign of both the
front and rear frames of a
wheel loader. It is said that
the only main components
shared between the new 992
and the outgoing 992K are
the tyres and the engine
block, even the wheel rims
are different, as both axles
have been redesigned.
At 105.8t the new 992 has
gained six tonnes in weight
70

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

Above and below: In addition to a generous increase in
legroom, the cab on the new 992 features a larger front
windscreen for better visibility, together with a
separate monitor for the camera systems.

over the 992K, and standard bucket sizes
have also increased from 16 to 19 yards.
New design places the centre mass of the
machine further back than a 992K, which in
turn improves the tipping-to-weight ratio of
the machine.

The new 922 is powered by a Stage 5
emissions-compliant Cat C32B engine,
driving a heavy-duty transmission, axles
and final drives.
The ultra-low emissions C32B version
of the engine has been comprehensively
upgraded over the original C32 version,
from cylinder heads and crankshaft, to the
bearings and oil pump. This allows C32B
engines to power a variety of Cat’s mining
machinery, including the 777G haul truck.
Although, in the new 992 wheel loader, such
levels of grunt are not required, so the engine
is turned down a bit, resulting in extended
durability of all the components.

EXTREME MACHINE // CAT 992
Left and below: The latest 105-tonne Cat 992
features a Z-Bar linkage, carried on all new front
and rear frames.

PROOF OF CONCEPT

CONCLUSION

Caterpillar claims that the new 992 offers up
to 32% greater productivity and up to 48%
greater payload-to-fuel efficiency than
a 992K. These bold claims are backed up
by a production study run in a limestone
quarry. The face was a typical blast, well
fragmented but still somewhat interlocked,
so the machine had to be a good digger,
especially at the blast toe.
The aim was to fill 91-tonne capacity Cat 777
haul trucks in the most efficient manner. The
benchmark was set on site by a 992K equipped
with a 16-cubic-yard bucket, the largest the
machine could handle in this application,
which loaded each 777 in five passes.
The 19cu.yd capacity 992 took only four
V-pattern passes to load the hauler, with cycle
times between 32 and 38 seconds, quicker
than the smaller capacity 992K was achieving.
The same operator commented that it was
faster to fill the larger bucket and much
easier to get a full load. The
standard front end of the new
992 provides a payload
capacity of 23.1 tonnes for
quarry face applications
and 27.2t for handling
loose material; the high-lift
model is rated at 20.4t and
24.5t respectively.
Working the equation
the other way round,
John commented, “It’s
important to consider
that, for a site that is
already four-passing a 777 truck with a
992K and is hitting the target payload, a 992
should be brought in with the same size bucket.
In this case, the productivity gains will be from
the faster dig time, enabled by the 20%
increase in breakout force and 10% increase in
rim pull, plus the digging characteristics of the
optimised Z-bar linkage, which doesn’t
necessarily show up in the spec comparison.”

The new 105-tonne Cat 992 wheel loader
builds upon over a half-century of heritage,
which includes the legendary Z-bar 992C
model, the best-selling large mining loader
of all time.
The 992C showed just what was possible
in the pre-desktop computer design era of
the mid-1970s, when electronic calculators
had just replaced slide rules. The mid-1990s
cast mono-boom on the 992G represented
the first-generation of modern computeraided design.
The launch of the 992K model in 2012
reflected the huge growth in computing
design power over the preceding two
decades. Not only with a new design of
mono-boom, but also the introduction
a modern, fuel efficient and environmentallyfriendly V12 Cat C32 engine.
The introduction of the latest 992
model marks a number of
milestones. Equipped
with the ultra-low
emissions B series
of Cat’s 32-litre
V12 power pack,
it is probably the
last incarnation
of a 992 that is

FUTURISTIC CAB
Compared with the 992K, the redesigned
cab of the new 992 features significantly
more operator legroom, both front to back
and side to side. With a 25% increase in
glass area, the front windscreen is also
much taller, providing better visibility for the
operator, particularly upwards. The cab’s
internal noise level has dropped by 5dB(A)
to 70dB(A), which is roughly the equivalent
of a luxury car travelling at a sedate 50mph.
The external sound level is 116dB(A) and
can be reduced to 113dB(A) with an
optional suppression kit.
The controls feature electro-hydraulic,
speed-sensing joystick steering with force
feedback. The primary monitor is a 10in
touch-screen, supplemented by an 8in LCD
screen displaying the output from the
standard rear view camera, or from the
optional 270-degree multi-camera system.
There is also the option of a new payload
overload prevention sub-system, which
aids the use of large capacity buckets to
achieve the target number of loading
passes over a range of material densities.
Site management can configure this new
system to automatically stop or slow the lift
function when the overload value is
exceeded.

wholly powered by a diesel engine.
The new 2021 Z-bar Cat 992 promises to
provide a new benchmark in productivity
and efficiency, together with lower costs
per tonne loaded. It’s a truly cutting-edge
design that has an expected working life
measured in decades. It will therefore be
a few years before the industry can offer
an opinion on whether the all-new 992
should join the iconic 992C as one of the
best large wheel loaders that Caterpillar
has ever produced, but we wouldn’t bet
against it.

Above inset and right: Comparative tests were
undertaken against a previous generation 992K, in
which the new 992 was equipped with a 19-cubic-yard
limestone bucket.

MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

71

• REPAIRING ROADS
• CYCLE PATHS
• RAILWAYS

• PARKING AREAS
• INDUSTRY FIELDS
• FOREST ROADS, etc

• Weight 3600kg
• Working thickness
0- 300mm
• Working width 2,74- 4,36m
• Tilt automation
• For over 10 tons loaders,
tractors, and dozers
• Transport dimensions
3300* 2300* 1300 mm

72

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

Tel: +358 400 521631
Email: pasi.mantynen@reptail.ǻ

www.reptail.Ā

OWNER-OPERATOR // JASON METSON

EXCAVATING WATER FILTERS
Paul Argent meets the owner-operator of
a Volvo EC140E excavator equipped with
a Rototilt tilt-rotator at work within the
filter beds of a water treatment plant
ater companies typically purify treated water
through a series of filter beds, each of which has
a service life of between five and six years. At this
point, all the material in the bed has to be carefully
cleaned out and new layers of filtering agent precisely laid in
its place.
One company that specialises in the removal and
reinstatement of filter beds is Broxted Plant Hire (BPH),
which is run by Jason Metson. He started the business
a decade ago, initially to offer his services as an
experienced operator. A former employer undertook
filter bed maintenance and used Jason on such a project,
then found him more work on building sites and
recycling contracts.

W
Above and right: Work within
water treatment filter beds
revolves around the careful
excavation and subsequent
replacement of individual
layers of material.

“THE AMOUNT OF
CONTROL I HAVE OVER
THE ATTACHMENT IS
UNREAL. THE RESPONSE
FROM THE HYDRAULICS
IS EXCELLENT”

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

73

“THERE’S VERY LITTLE
NEED FOR ME TO GET OUT
OF THE CAB AND USE
A SHOVEL TO CLEAN THE
LAST BITS ANYMORE”

Above and below:
The wide-tracked
Volvo EC140E
excavator and the
Wacker Neuson
cabbed DV60 LPG
site dumpers hardly
make an impression
on the surface.

Four years ago Jason was recommended
to a new contractor undertaking filter bed
maintenance, and the subsequent run of
specialist work enabled him to buy his first
machine. Eventually he was asked to give
the client a price to undertake the work
directly, which resulted in him taking over
the contracts for the filter bed works for
the Essex and Suffolk Water Board.

WORKING ON SAND
We met Jason at one of the largest sites in
Essex that he regularly works on. Each of
the filter beds is approximately 80m long
x 40m wide and is about 3m deep, equating
to around 9000cu.m. Water from the
treatment works percolates through the
various layers of sand and carbon within
the bed before being pumped into
a holding tank.
The separate layers of material, some
of which are extremely expensive, have
to be removed individually then sent for
74

EARTHMOVERS MAY 2022

recycling. A key factor in removing and
replacing the filter agents is to avoid
cross-contamination of the materials,
particularly when it comes to forming the
new filter bed in precise layers.
Jason’s go-to machine is his tilt-rotatorequipped Volvo EC140 excavator. He
purchased his first one in 2019, replacing it
with an E series version early in 2021. The
EC140E sits on a set of 700mm-wide pads,
providing the excavator with a light enough

footprint to work within the filter beds.
Jason said, “I really rate both the product
and the service I get from Volvo dealer
SMT. I’m essentially a one-man-band, but
they look after me very well. There have
been niggles with this machine, but in all
fairness when I’ve brought them up, SMT’s
response has been excellent.”
“I would have liked a set of wider pads on
the machine. The issue the sites have is the
access ramps and their limited width. We
are about on the maximum we can get with
this machine. If we looked at a slightly
smaller alternative, we would lose so much
production over the 140.”
The same access issues into the beds also
impact the choice of dumpers. Ideally, Jason
would like to be matched to larger machines
for better production, but is limited to Wacker
Neuson cabbed DV60 site dumpers on wide,
low ground pressure tyres. Loaded with six
tonnes of material at a time, they simply float
across the soft material of the filter bed.

OWNER-OPERATOR // JASON METSON

Above, below and inset:
Owner-operator Jason
Metson says that he
couldn’t do this job without
the tilt-rotator; it reduces
the amount of tracking and
allows him to reach into the
corners of the filter bed.

Jason’s widetracked excavator
hardly makes an
impression on the
surface, all of which
helps to keep the
material as segregated
as possible.

WORKING METHOD
At the time of our visit Jason was
removing a layer of carbon filtering agent,
deftly scraping the material together using
the Rototilt tilt-rotator and a Swedish-style
bucket, then quickly loading each dumper.
He explained, “I couldn’t do the job
without the Rototilt. It reduces the
amount of tracking about I need to do.
It also lets me get right into the corners
of the tank and up to the walls to remove
every bit of material. There’s very little
need for me to get out of the cab and use
a shovel to clean the last bits anymore.

When it comes to
placing the new
material, I can simply
spin the bucket
round and drop the
right amount against
the walls just where
I need it.”
The EC140E is powered by
what Jason reports is a fuel-efficient
121hp Volvo engine driving a pair of 124
lit/min axial flow pumps. He says the result
is the smoothest excavator in its class,
adding, “The amount of control I have
over the attachment is unreal. The response
from the hydraulics is excellent, making
grading so easy.”
When it comes to rebuilding each bed,
Jason lays down each layer to within a
couple of millimetres of the plan, helped
by an iDig 2D machine guidance system,
on which Jason commented, “It’s a great bit
of kit and ideal for what we need. I would

like to go for a fully automatic system
through the Volvo hydraulics, but the cost
is prohibitive, especially as we just require it
for simple levels.”

THE FUTURE
With a good flow of general work coming in,
Jason is keen to acquire another machine
when the time is right – most likely another
Volvo. He is also expanding the range of
services offered, thanks to a recent investment
in a Leica MC1 machine control system.
He concluded, “I wanted to get a system
that would allow me to offer a little more
to my customers. With the MC1, clients
can now send me drawings. I can then do
the model for them within the system and
provide a full service: installing footings,
grading car parks etc, without the constant
requirement for them to have an
expensive engineer out on site. I feel it’s
about giving the client a complete,
cost-effective service.”
MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

75

A TRIP DOWN
MEMORY LANE
Nick Drew takes a walk through the awe-inspiring collection of classic plant,
saved for future generations by S.E. Davis & Son
Right: This Aveling
Barford motor grader
is part of the
operational fleet of
Redditch-based S.E.
Davis & Son.

he S.E. Davis & Son collection
of historical construction plant
and equipment is the stuff of
legends, and was a visit that
I had been promising myself for some
time. I was absolutely delighted when the
opportunity recently arose to look at some
of their 700 machines from a bygone era.
They are housed on their Sandhills Farm
HQ site, at Astwood Bank on the outskirts
of Redditch in Worcestershire.
Sydney Ernest Davis purchased the large
farm in 1930, which included an operational
sand quarry and a disused brickworks, to
establish a poultry breeding business. On the
outbreak of war, agricultural production was
a priority, so the quarry and the old brickmaking workings were cut and filled and
turned into farmland. At one point, the
business had around 65,000 head of poultry
on the site.
S. E. Davis’s son Bob was born in 1934
and diversified the post-war business into
agricultural supply and transport. This was

T

76

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

based on buying ricks of straw in
Lincolnshire, employing local contractors
to bale the material, then trucking them
back to Redditch, before distributing them
to Welsh farmers.
By 1960, the family business had started
to further diversify, with the acquisition of
their first earthmoving machines. In 1962
they bought a local demolition company,
in time to service the development of the
new town of Redditch.
This laid the foundations of today’s
£multi-million turnover company, which
provides a range of services including plant
hire, recycling and transport, in addition to
distributing a wide range of aggregates and
landscaping materials. Over the years, it
also led to a unique working relationship
with Komatsu, on which further
background is provided in the
accompanying panel.
A couple of decades ago, surrounded
by modern high-tech Komatsu machinery,
Bob’s thoughts turned to our industrial

heritage, which was rapidly disappearing
under the gasman’s axe. Bob acquired
a 1940s Cat D2, and this little tracked
tractor proved to be the catalyst to kick-start
a collection that today would take days to
view properly.
Below: An example of Hymac’s first hydraulic excavator,
the 480 model, a 270-degree slew machine that was
based on the American Hy-Hoe.

CLASSIC COLLECTION // S.E. DAVIS // TAIL END
Left and right: A Cat
D4D with a rear
three-point linkage,
just around the
corner from the
high-speed Vickers
Vigor VR180 tracked
shovel.

FIRST SHED

Powered by a 220hp Rolls Royce engine,
it was originally supplied to the Royal Navy.
Rob’s Grandson Paul Davis, the firm’s
With an undercarriage resembling that of
current managing director, pointed out
a tank more than a dozer, it was said to be
some of the highlights of the family
incredibly fast across the
collection, initially
among the many
“BOB ACQUIRED A CAT D2, ground. Unfortunately,
it was never much of
housed in one of the
AND THIS LITTLE
a commercial success
giant sheds on site.
among private sector
The first was a Cat
TRACKED TRACTOR
muck-shifters.
D4D; not just any D4
PROVED TO BE THE
Next to catch my eye
tracked tractor, but
was
a JCB 3CIII backhoe
a special application
CATALYST TO KICK-START
loader, a powertrain
model with
A COLLECTION”
transmission model
a three-point linkage
known as a Build 5.
on the back. A rare
I recall us having one of these,
beast indeed.
on a V registration
Absolutely jam-packed with machines,
plate, on Wimpey
the contents of this first shed were
Plant back in the
a breath-taking sight, so much so that it was
early 1980s.
difficult to know where to start. Menacingly
Power came
lurking behind a small Fiat tracked tractor
from the
was the imposing figure of a Vickers Vigor
venerable
VR180 tracked shovel. This example was
Leyland
built in 1961.
Below and right: Lurking behind a Muir Hill X2 loader was a
Powertrain version of the JCB 3CIII, known as a Build 5 and was
powered by a 72hp Leyland engine.

S. E. DAVIS & SONS
BACKGROUND
In 1962 Bob Davis made a move into a
different line of work when a local demolition
contractor got into financial difficulty. With
one eye on the firm’s HGV operating licence,
but with what looked like a promising
commercial future, Bob decided to purchase
the business. The firm’s fleet included a
number of AEC tipper trucks, two low-loaders,
a couple of Drott tracked shovels and a Hymac
excavator, which considerably bolstered S.E.
Davis & Son’s plant hire offering.
Then plans were agreed to
develop the new town of
Redditch, which resulted in
a significant volume of
demolition work. Davis had
a long run of work, much
of which involved taking
down blocks of terrace
housing. This resulted in
a further expansion of their
fleets of both trucks and
diggers.
With so much happening on
the demolition and plant sides of
the firm, in 1964 the decision was
taken to sell off the hay and straw side
of the business and stop rearing chickens.
Over the next few years, the plant fleet grew
considerably, including tracked loading shovels.
With three Cat 951 models on the fleet,
Bob was keen to add another tracked loader.
Komatsu was then entering the UK market
and he took a look at its 951-sized D50S model.
Impressed by what he saw, Davis took delivery
of one of the first examples to be sold in the UK.
This first purchase developed into a wider
relationship with Komatsu, who initially asked
Bob if they could temporarily store a handful of
machines in his yard. This number quickly
escalated to a dozen, then a few dozen. At one
point there were over 250 Komatsu machines
on their premises, awaiting new owners.

MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

77

“THE LAST CAT 657 MOTOR SCRAPER
IN THE UK. THIS EXAMPLE WAS
PREVIOUSLY OWNED AND
OPERATED BY NEIL BECHER”

engine offering 72hp, but the machine
featured the same torque converter/
transmission that would be fitted in the
forthcoming 3CX model.

SCRAPERS
A short walk across the yard from the first
shed, towards the in-house plant operator
training facility, I caught sight of what Paul
said is the last remaining example in the
UK of a giant Cat 657 motor scraper. This
particular example is a 657B model,
previously owned and operated by
earthmoving legend Neil Becher.
Aside from the over-size 657B there is
a liberal sprinkling of other Cat motor
scrapers in the collection, including a DW15
model, a DW21 once owned and fully
restored by C.A. Blackwell, a 637 twin-engine
model, a single-engine 631A, together with
various towed scraper boxes lying around.
In his daytime job, MD Paul’s mount is
a reasonably modern twin-engine Cat 627E
scraper, which he describes as his baby.
Right: There is a wide selection of tracked shovels in
the collection, together with smaller kit such as this
Smalley mini-excavator, and oddities such as this
Cleveland trencher.

78

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

CLASSIC COLLECTION // S.E. DAVIS // TAIL END
Left: This twin-engine 657B is
the last of its kind left in the
UK, previously owned and
operated by earthmoving
legend Neil Becher.

Top and above: The Cat DW21 motor scraper was
owned and fully restored by C.A. Blackwell; the Cat
627E was part of Davis’s current operational fleet.

TRACKED SHOVELS
Tracked shovels once played a big part in
the Davis business and there are numerous
examples to be found in the collection.
They include cabbed variants of the Cat
955L and 977L models on either side of
an un-cabbed Komatsu D65S.
At rest in another shed are two versions
of Caterpillar’s big boy of tracked loaders,
983 and 983B models. These huge shovels
were introduced in 1969 to meet the
demand for a larger track type loader. They
shared many of their components with the
D8 dozer. Power came from a six-cylinder
Cat D343 turbo-charged engine, which
punched out an impressive 275hp and
drove a three-speed powershift
transmission. Around 1600 of these
machines were built during a relatively
short production run.

BULLDOZERS
It’s fair to say that Caterpillar machines
dominate the collection and, talking
of Big Cats, just around the corner
MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

79

Below and right: The collection also contains a wide selection
of rope-operated cranes, draglines and excavators, including
a few Priestmans and this Ruston No.4.

“THESE WONDERFUL MACHINES ARE BEING
PRESERVED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS,
EVENTUALLY IN A MUSEUM”
I caught a glimpse of the iconic bonnet
shape of a D9G. I used to watch these
machines back in my youth on the M27
works and was lucky enough to be given
a go in one on the tip area near
Bursledon brickworks. That memory has
stuck with me forever; the sheer power
and the sound of the engine belching out
a plume of black smoke as it powered up
was something to cherish. Powered by
a 385hp Cat engine, the D9G was the
go-to big dozer of its era, before the
D10 model was launched in 1977.
Just behind the D9G is an example of
Komatsu’s iconic D155A dozer, powered by
a six-cylinder turbo-charged engine rated at
320hp. This machine was undergoing some
repairs at the time, including a shiny new
exhaust stack. Behind it was an early
rope-controlled Cat D9D, although
currently without its blade mounted.
80

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

Above: The Cat 830M was
a heavy-duty wheeled dozer
built for the US Army, using
many of the components from
a D8 tracked dozer.

CLASSIC COLLECTION // S.E. DAVIS // TAIL END
Below: The author’s favourite from
the collection is this Hymac 580C
hydraulic excavator that in its day
was at the forefront of British
earthmoving engineering.

CONCLUSION

The extensive
collection of dozers
includes Cat D9D
and D9G models,
together with a
Komatsu D155A and
an Aveling Barford
calf dozer.

The family collection is not all about giant
kit though, as there are numerous small
items of plant dotted around. One that
caught my eye was the bizarre-looking
Aveling Barford calf dozer. With the
operator perched on the front, just behind
the blade, they always looked to me like
an accident waiting to happen.
Rope-controlled cranes, draglines and
excavators are well represented: classic
brands such as Ruston Bucyrus, Priestman,
NCK Rapier and Smith Rodley, my
particular favourite among this group
being the Ruston no 4.
However, my personal favourite has to
be a solitary Hymac 580C. The iconic
British-built hydraulic excavator is one that
I remember so well from my early days with
Wimpey Construction’s plant division,
where I operated various examples.
This amazing collection of our industrial
heritage is housed at the back of the
extremely busy S. E. Davis & Son yard, which
includes an aggregate crushing, screening
and washing operation, in addition to the
being home to an extensive plant hire fleet.
Although somewhat overwhelmed by the
scale of this historic collection, I left the site
safe in the knowledge that these wonderful
old machines are being preserved for
future generations. If everything goes
to plan, they will eventually be shown
in a dedicated museum, which promises
to be a truly wonderful sight.
MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

81

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MAY 2022

Includes FREE year's subscription to Earthmovers
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ATTACHMENTS // DIGGERLID // TAIL END

Above and right: As well as keeping the weather out, the
DiggerLid traps the warmth from the machine – ideal for
those minis without a heater.

A LID FOR
YOUR DIGGER
Nick Drew reviews an Australian-designed raincoat for
a canopied mini-excavator
ometimes it is the simplest
things in life that can make
all the difference, such as
something to keep the worst
of the winter weather from the operator
of a mini-excavator equipped with
a canopy, not a full cab.
Enter the DiggerLid, an all-weather
raincoat, which is available to fit a wide
range of mini-excavators. Somewhat
bizarrely, it is the brainchild of two young
Australian entrepreneurs, Luke and Joel
Pfitzner, who were running their own
construction and landscaping business
in Melbourne.
Talking about their early experiences
with a canopy version of a Wacker Neuson
EZ17, Luke said, “After many months of
working in the rain, and yes, when it rains
down here, it’s pretty often torrential,
we were pretty fed up with getting wet.
Which is why we came up with the idea

S

for the covers. As for the brand name
DiggerLid, it just seemed a logical choice,
as it is what it is, a lid for your digger.”
After considerable research and
development, with designs covering over
60 minis, the lads sold up their equipment
to fund the new DiggerLid venture. That
was a couple of year ago: they have never
looked back and their range continues to
increase, as do the features, for example
a cradle for mounting a mobile phone
inside the cover.

FIRST FIT
I tried a DiggerLid on Dave Vickers’, of
Vickers Plant Services, Takeuchi TB217R.
The cover itself is made from tough and
durable 650gsm PVC-coated material and
comes in a large bag for packing away and
storage. Once out and unfolded it can be
draped over the canopy on your own, but
my advice would be to get someone else to

give you a hand, especially if it’s
windy, like we faced at the time,
due to the approach of Storm
Eunice. A series of Velcro straps are
used to secure it to the canopy frame.
At the rear are five buckle straps to take up
any slack, providing a snug and secure fit.
The Velcro-attached panels on the sides
and at the rear are rolled up to reveal clear
plastic windows. The front panel also rolls
up in the same way, but with no plastic in
place, maximum visibility to the front is
maintained, while providing airflow to
prevent misting up.
I put the Takeuchi to work throwing
some hardcore up on a heap. On such
a breezy day, I was delighted to be tucked
up inside the DiggerLid. I also noticed
that the heat generated from the engine
and the hydraulics was contained within
the DiggerLid, which on a machine with
no dedicated heater was very welcome
indeed.
My initial concerns over visibility were
cancelled out, as I can report that overall,
it was pretty good. The only thing we
found was restricted visibility to the tracks,
but that is something you would adjust to
quite quickly. The benefits of staying dry
and warm far outweigh that small issue.
With the market so often driven by cost,
canopy excavators still seem to be very
popular, at least with those doing the
purchasing. However, maybe not so with
those who have to sit on them for hours
at a time, no matter what the weather.
MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

83

Below and right: The 1979 launch of the O&K RH300:
note the three hoist rams and, for the first time, the
bucket cylinders were attached to the boom not
the stick. Photo credit Carsten Bengs.

PUSHING
THE BOUNDARIES
David Wylie delves into
the development of the
500-tonne O&K RH300,
a commercial failure
whose design legacy is
still evident in some of
the surface mining
industry’s most iconic
machines
84

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

y the mid- to late-1970s,
European manufacturers were
at the forefront of designing
full-size hydraulic excavators.
The industry produced around 20,000
machines in 1978, compared to just 5000
in the mighty US of A.
European customers were demanding
increasingly larger hydraulic excavators,
a more efficient working method than legacy
rope-operated machinery. At the forefront
of this global trend was the British company
Northern Strip Mining (NSM) and German
manufacturer Orenstein & Koppel (O&K).
NSM had purchased of a pair of O&K RH25

B

models in the early 1970s and went on to
pioneer the use of large hydraulic excavators
in the UK, including commissioning the
world’s first 124t O&K RH60. Configured as an
8.5-cubic-yard face shovel, the twin-engine
760hp monster was destined for their Acrefair
site in North Wales. This machine was so
successful that by 1975 NSM had half a dozen
RH60 hydraulic shovels on its fleet.
The RH60 remained in production until
1976, when it was superseded by the O&K
RH75, typically swinging a 10-cubic-yard
(7.6cu.m) bucket. Again, NSM bought
a batch of them and eventually owned
five examples of this 150t heavyweight.

INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS // O&K RH300 // TAIL END
DESIGN
CHALLENGES

A GIANT LEAP
However, by the mid-1970s there was
a growing need to replace even larger
electric rope shovels with a new generation
of hydraulic mining machinery. The
overburden ratio of the UK’s surface coal
mines was increasing – in the region of 20
to 1 in some areas. This
called for a different
working approach,
particularly when
set against the
National Coal
Board’s
ambitious
opencast
target of 13
million tonnes
a year, to be
extracted at the
lowest possible cost
per tonne.
By 1976, NSM was already in
contact with O&K about the need for
something larger than a 150t RH75 to help
combat these higher stripping ratios. Their
aspirations going into these discussions are

Left and above: NSM started to change to
hydraulic machines in the early 1970s with
two RH25s. By 1975 they had five much
larger mining class RH60 models.
Photo credit Dirk Bömer.

subject to speculation, but the
result was far larger than most
thought possible at time – the
500-tonne class RH300.
O&K had been pondering the future
of its own range of rope shovels and came
to the conclusion that not only would 200t
to 300t capacity haul trucks become a more
common sight in surface mines of the 1980s
and beyond, but that hydraulic excavators
would become the loading tools of choice.

Above and right: The 1979 O&K RH300 promised
high levels of operator comfort and control, including
state-of-the-art electronic joysticks.

The RH300 was designed to host
buckets from 23cu.m upwards, to load
200t capacity haul trucks in five or six
passes. For lighter density materials such
as coal, a 30-cube bucket was available,
hence the model name. The NSM example
was later upgraded to a 26cu.m bucket.
The Bauma example featured an
upgraded undercarriage resulting in an
operating weight of 485 tonnes. It was
powered by a pair of prototype V12
Cummins KTA2300C power packs. Each
of the twin-turbo engines, hand built at
Cummins’ Daventry factory, delivered
1200hp at 1900rpm.
An interesting design feature was that,
if one engine had to be shut down for any
reason, the RH300 could still operate,
producing an impressive breakout force
of 2200kN, but at half its normal working
speed.
The RH300 may have leap-frogged any
hydraulic excavator at the time, but it gave
hydraulic engineers and suppliers a huge
technical challenge. This resulted in using
500cc axial piston type pumps, the largest
available at the time. Eight of these monster
main pumps were connected to the pair of
1200hp engines.
Design engineer Claus-Peter von Postel
recalls, “By designing and building such
a large excavator as the RH300, we found
out a tremendous amount about what was
possible in making a reliable large hydraulic
mining class shovel. This knowledge,
both good and bad, influenced the design
of the RH120-C and RH200 models, which
helped to make them hugely successful
from day one.”
Part of this learning process was that the
pump gearboxes initially featured a new
design of helical cut gears, to provide
a larger total contact ratio and reduce both
vibration and noise. However, the carrier
bearings soon buckled under the strain.
After 2000 hours, those in the NSM machine
were replaced by an older design of spur
gears with straight teeth.
Other weak points on the RH300 were the
hydraulic hoses. The hydraulic system used
an additional primary pressure relief valve
near the pumps to deal with peak pressure
spikes above 300bar, to return the oil back
to the tank. The screw coupling of the
original four-ply hoses failed. Stronger
six-ply hoses with a cap-bolted O-ring
sealed flange coupling were substituted
and are still the industry standard.

MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

85

RH300
MAINTENANCE
NSM’s RH300 was commissioned in 1979 at
the Church Gresley open cast coal site near
Swadlincote in South Derbyshire. In January
1981 it was transported 25 miles north to the
Godkin coal mine.
Ian Sheasby, one of O&K’s UK service
technicians at the time, recalls helping to fit two
new track frames to the RH300, as part of the
build-up at Godkin. This also included fitting a
complete set of uprated, sealed-for-life bottom
and top rollers and redesigned track pads. With
this huge job finished, the giant excavator ran
for only six months before its slew ring failed.
Ian said, “The RH300 was a beast of a
machine. We quickly found out that the main
hydraulic pumps got extremely hot when
digging hard at Godkin. This was resolved
when we fitted a much bigger and more
efficient cooling pack housing and fan blades.
Despite its teething troubles, it was a cracking
bit of kit and most impressive when it was
working well. There was nothing else that
could touch its loading performance, including
the big Demag H241 we had on site.”
In 1985 Peter Freeman joined O&K as a fitter
based at Godkin. During his time looking after
the RH300 he helped to replace one of the big
Cummins engines. These prototype KTA 2300C
engines were looked after by Cummins and
were periodically replaced for a full factory
strip-down and analysis of the components.
Peter also recalls having to replace another
slew ring, after the RH300 was caught by
a slurry pond busting out of the highwall in
1986, engulfing its undercarriage. The O&K
crew used a frame to jack up the upperstructure, then used an O&K RH9 excavator
to power the undercarriage out of the way in
order to reach the swing ring.
Peter said, “By the time I joined O&K, the
RH300 was firing on all cylinders and had good
availability, as the bulletproof engines were
looked after by Cummins and all the hydraulic
components had become reliable. I thought it
was a really good mining shovel, as it had quick
cycle times and could fill the 170-ton Haulpak
trucks in three passes. I was proud to have
worked on it.”
Peter also explained that it was easy to
maintain, as you could walk round the engine
compartments. The main valve control block
was at on the back of the boom and the RH300
was equipped with two independent cooling
systems, resulting in high cooling capacity. This
allowed the service intervals for the 5500 litres
of hydraulic oil to be pushed out to 3000 hours,
changed using the innovative dropdown
fast-fill couplings.

86

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

Below: The RH300 excavator and a G350
grader, together with Wabco Haulpak170C
trucks, sold by O&K as a package to NSM.
Photo credit Mick Crane.

O&K’s Wilfried Richter states that much
of the credit for this foresight goes to O&K
board member Professor Dr-Ing. Helmut
Heusler, who also designed a bucket
linkage that, when the stick cylinders were
extended, caused the bucket teeth to life,
for better material penetration.
Claus-Peter von Postel, at the time
a 29-year-old O&K design engineer, said,
“The technical accomplishments of the
RH300 should not be underestimated,
as it was a big step into the future and
incorporated some innovative features.
For example, the bucket crowd cylinders
were linked to the boom for the first time,
to produce a mechanical advantage for the
whole front-end equipment during digging.
This thinking would eventually be
developed further into the now famous
O&K TriPower system.”
Detailed design work on the RH300
started in 1976 and was revealed to the
industry in October 1978 at the
International Mining Show in Las Vegas,
in the form of a 1/5th-scale replica. Its
23-cubic-metre bucket promised a decent
Right: A locally-based O&K service team maintained the
RH300 with direct support from the German factory and
from Cummins. Photo credit Robert Williams.

pass match to 200t capacity dump trucks.
O&K then shocked the audience by
confirming that not only was the largest
hydraulic excavator in the world, by far,
currently in production, but it was due for
delivery to an unnamed UK customer the
following year.

MODERN MINING
A year later, a large swathe of the global
mining machinery industry gathered at
O&K’s Dortmund factory in Germany for

INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS // O&K RH300 // TAIL END
Below and inset: The second RH300 to
be built was assembled at the 1980
Bauma show, but was never sold.
Photo credit Tom Maervoet.

the grand unveiling. At the time,
the Editor of World Mining
magazine commented, “I am staggered
by the size of the RH300. Having seen the
model in Las Vegas, it is almost
unbelievable that we should be looking at
the real machine. In view of its size, I am
particularly impressed with the rapid
assembly time on site, in only eight to
10 days.”
As the 1970s were drawing to a close, the
RH300’s customer – NSM – chose this event

to make a
statement about
its vision of the
future of surface mining.
Not only was the giant excavator painted in
their distinctive mustard/yellow livery, but
so too was their specially built 35-tonne
O&K G350 grader. All were matched to
three new 170t capacity diesel/electric
drive Wabco Haulpak dump trucks.
Udo Reinecke, chief of O&K’s R&D team
claimed, “The RH300 puts us between

three and five years ahead of any company
starting design work now.” This statement
was made at the end of 1979; the initial
example of the RH300’s first serious
competitor, the slightly higher capacity
Demag H485, was commissioned in
September 1986.
Udo Reinecke further commented,
“For O&K it leap-frogs the existing RH75
shovel over other likely in-fill models.
In the same way that the RH75 itself did when
it was launched in 1972, as the smaller

O&K’s Watford service manager,
John Twiname, recalls the RH300
was assembled in less than 10
days, it featured the industry’s
first drop-down service point.

MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

87

Below: The third model produced was the
electric-powered RH300E, built in 1987 for
Codelco’s Chuquicamats copper mine in
Chile. Photo credit Carsten Bengs.

1979
ELECTRONICS
Heinz Otto, O&K Germany service manager
recalls that a technical innovation on the
RH300 was electronic joystick controls,
to ensure fast response times from such
a massive hydraulic system. They turned
out to be one of main challenges to keep the
machine running smoothly. They featured
a potentiometer – a resistor and sliding or
rotating contact that delivers a changing
voltage – that needed regular calibrating
by the local support team.
Clive Garratt, O&K’s electrician covering
the Godkin site, said that the state-of-theart electronic joysticks required the
operators to have a light touch. The levers
first operated a switch to open the hydraulic
valve. The computer system then received
input from the potentiometers to control the
hydraulic valve to alter the flow to the
working equipment.
Clive also recalls the RH300 main 1000W
floodlights being powered by a small Hatz
air-cooled diesel generator, located on the
upper section of the counterweight. He would
be called out to repair various elements of
this electrical supply system, which also
powered the onboard service crane.

88

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

Below: A rare photo of the
RH300 working on day one
at Swadlincote, before being
moved to Godkin. Photo
credit Carsten Bengs.

Below and Left: NSM’s RH300 sported a 6m
wide, 26cu.m bucket to load Wabco 170C
haul trucks. Photo credit Dirk Bömer.

INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS // O&K RH300 // TAIL END
HYDRAULIC
HIGHLIGHTS

Above and below: Once fully bedded in, NSM’s RH300
delivered outstanding performance, loading 170t
capacity haul trucks in three or four passes.

RH40 machine was introduced later.”
The second RH300 was built for the 1980
Bauma show. Then came the global
recession of the early 1980s and the market
for new loading tools for fleets of 200t haul
trucks dried up. The Bauma RH300 model
remained unsold.
Unfortunately, over the next few years of
neglect, water got into the mainframe box
section, which froze and subsequently
expanded during a harsh winter, causing
a long crack in a key 30mm steel plate
section. The machine was used for spare
parts to support the only other two RH300
models built.

LASTING LEGACY
NSM’s monster miner provided invaluable
experience to the O&K design team, who
went on to produce arguably two of the
most iconic – and commercially profitable
– mining excavators ever produced: the
legendary TriPower RH120-C in 1983,
followed by the new 500-tonne class
RH200 in 1989.
The second operational example of the
RH300, commissioned two years before the

launch of the RH200, was an electric-driven
model for Codelco’s Chuquicamats mine in
Chile, the largest copper mine in the world.
The RH300E featured a pair of squirrel
cage electric motors, each produced
1206hp at 1500rpm.
More importantly, each produced
a massive 5797Nm of torque. With an
operational weight of 514 tonnes and
a standard bucket capacity of 26 cubic
metres, the RH300E was the largest
hydraulic excavator in the world.
Unfortunately, it had a relatively short
working life, as a high bench collapsed on
it. The operator was thankfully not seriously
injured due to the ROPS cab structure
doing its job.
It offered similar performance to a large
electric-powered rope shovel, with all the
advantages of a hydraulic machine.
Although relatively short lived, the design
and running data from this machine
provided an invaluable resource when it
came time to build the 1000-tonne class,
twin electric-drive RH400 model.
Although overshadowed by its deign
legacy, but with a production run of only

One advantage of the TriPower face shovel
linkage is faster cycle times, as the system uses
smaller diameter cylinders, which translates
into less oil to move. The RH300 was designed
with seven identical front-end cylinders. While
this was good in terms of keeping a stock of
spares, it did slightly compromise the reach of
the stick, but still gave it a good reach of 16m.
The S-shaped stick was new – for better
bucket curl - and would also be seen on every
O&K TriPower model thereafter, including
today’s Cat 6000 series of TriPower mining
shovels designed and built at the former O&K
facility at Dortmund, Germany.
Claus-Peter von Postel said, “The first two
diesel-powered RH300s started out with
two pump gearboxes, each with four 500cu.
cm capacity main pumps and an open swing
circuit with brake valve. We incorporated
a closed loop swing circuit design, using
two swing pumps at 250cu.cm into the last
RH300 to be built, the RH300E.
“By comparison, the later RH200 featured two
pump gearboxes, with just four bigger 1000cu.
cm main pumps and four 250cu.cm swing
pumps within a closed loop circuit design.”
In addition, the RH300 is believed to be the
first machine to feature a drop-down central
service point, allowing all the fluids and
refuelling to take place from ground level.

three examples, the performance
delivered by the UK’s RH300 should not
be discounted. In 1981 Eric Grayson,
NSM’s chairman and the initiator of the
firm’s machinery buying policy
commented, “The units and the site layout
are well matched and the three passes
from the RH300 put around 150t on each
Wabco truck.
“No-one will believe the availability or
the production figures we achieved, once
the units were bedded in and commenced
serious work.”
David Parr O&K UK Service director
believed the RH300 racked up about 30,000
hours before it was parked up at Godkin in
1991, after it had become uneconomical to
repair and expensive unique parts had to
be made. Sadly, it was eventually sold for
scrap and succumbed to the gas-axe.
Robert Williams O&K service engineer
said, “The RH300 could dig like nothing
else we had seen before, the 26 cube bucket
was almost as wide as the track frames and
it could easily load the 170 tonne capacity
Haulpak trucks in just two and a half quick
and smooth passes.”
MAY 2022 EARTHMOVERS

89

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with gps
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with GPS
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• 50t Jaw Crusher

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Mobile: 07730 009965

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Website: www.completeplantinspection.co.uk

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Website: www.bemasweepers.co.uk

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS 93

WORTHY SUCCESSOR
Steven Downes reviews the new 1:48-scale Cat 6030 hydraulic
shovel from Classic Construction Models

etail is paramount for realism and
that is something CCM has
achieved, as all flexible hydraulic
lines are modelled, terminating in silver
finished valves, while the hydraulic line
distribution on the back of the main boom
really does stand out.
A detailed cabin interior has been modelled
and includes the operator station with the
controls and side monitor, with half-height
sun-screens fitted to the side windows.

D

hen O&K launched the iconic RH120
mining excavator back in 1983, no one
could have predicted what a success
story it was to become, its current incarnation
being the Cat 6030. In the past, 1:50-scale
models of the RH120 have been produced by
Conrad. While they were great for their time,
today’s technology allows for a host of fine
detailing, which really brings the replicas to life.
This is the case with the new 1:48-scale Cat
6030 face shovel from CCM.

W

94

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

PLANTMOBILIA // CAT 6030 // TAIL END

he upper engine area features four exhaust stacks and
an array of fire suppressant canisters and metal safety
railings fitted throughout. The side-mounted ladder can
be folded down for access, while all walkways and steps have
a textured surface. An emergency exit ladder has even been
modelled alongside the cab.
Cut-outs in the sides of the body allow for glimpses of the engine
bay interior where there appears to be a partly modelled engine
block. At the rear, the cooling grilles are open, allowing the
interior fan blades and hydraulic motor lines to be seen.

T

urface detailing of the castings are another
area where realism can be captured, and the
shovel has all the wear plating and tooth
detail that catches the eye. For movement, the arm and
bucket rely on friction to operate, which is just about
right to allow full movement while also allowing the
arm and shovel to remain in position. Small grub
screws are fitted for the main boom lift cylinders,
allowing the boom to be locked in position – a nice
touch that works well.

S

erhaps the only
disappointment with the
CCM 6030 is that the bucket’s
clamshell cannot be posed in the open
position, as when dumping a load.
This issue aside, the end result is rather
stunning and a great piece to add to the
collection for any Caterpillar fans.
CCM has announced it is producing
a 1:48-scale replica of the 1000-tonne
Cat 6060, which should be worth
waiting for if this 6030 is anything
to go by.

P

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

95

NEXT MONTH
IN

EARTHMOVERS

NEW PRODUCT
KOBELCO SK380SR
The first short swing radius
Kobelco SK380SR, which
features a 200kW engine,
to be put to work in Ireland
has joined the fleet of Ronan
Sheridan Plant Hire.

SITE VISIT
RAVENSCRAIG
We talk to Fiona Scott, operating one of Tom Grant’s JCB 86C-1
low ground pressure midi excavators, on the site of the former
steel works near Motherwell.

EURO FOCUS
TRUCK EXCAVATORS
A Czech-based contractor is using a telescopic boom excavator
mounted on a Tatra 815 6x6 truck to undertake
finishing works on road verges.

PLUS
SHOW REPORT
FUTUREWORX 2022

OPERATOR FEEDBACK
DOUG POTTER

FIRST DRIVE
LIUGONG 913FCR

We report from the Futureworx
construction machinery
technology event and
conference, a look into the near
future held in Peterborough.

To celebrate his 80th birthday,
the well-known former Hyundai
demonstrator, gets back in the
cab of both old and new
excavators.

Hot on the heels of its bigger
brother, Nick Drew reviews
Chinese manufacturer
LiuGong’s new 13-tonne class
compact radius excavator.

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
96

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

NEXT
ISSUE
JU
out 6 MNE
ay

For the latest releases visit www.diecastconstruction.co.uk

NEW CAT 6030 Face Shovel
from CCM

NEW LIEBHERR R9150B
from WSI

NEW LIEBHERR LTM 1110-5.1
from CONRAD

NEW ROKBAK RA40 ADT
from NZG

KLEEMAN MR 130 Impact Crusher
from CONRAD

NEW CAT 794 AC MINING TRUCK
from DM

COME AND SAY HELLO AT THE HEMS SHOW ON APRIL 10TH BURNLEY FOOTBALL CLUB
CONRAD MODELS 1:50 Scale
MAN TGS PALFINGER ‘LEVAGE’ ................................... £205.00
MERC PALFINGER ‘LANZ’ ............................................ £200.00
LIEBHERR LTM 1110-5.1 Mobile Crane ....................... £225.00
KLEEMAN MR130 Z EVO 2 Impact Crusher .................. £252.00
NZG 1:50 Scale
KOMATSU PC1250 Lenhoff in WHITE ................................ £274.00
NEW LIEBHERR PR736 G8 DOZER .................................... £ 120.00
NEW ROKBAK RA40 ADT ................................................... £128.00
FIRST GEAR 1:50 Scale
KOMATSU D 457A-5EO Dozer ........................................... £125.00
KOMATSU D71PX Dozer ..................................................... £85.00
KOMATSU 980E-AT Mining Truck ...................................... £358.00

WSI 1:50 Scale
VOLVO EC220D Excavator .................................................... £88.00
LIEBHERR R9150B Premium Line ........................................£175.00
CCM 1:48 SCALE
CAT 6030 Face Shovel ...................................................... £700.00
CAT 6030 Backhoe .......................................................... £700.00
DIECAST MASTERS 1:50 Scale
CAT 366 ‘De Romein’ ....................................................... £118.00
CAT 320F L Weathered Excavator ..................................... £108.00
CAT M323F Railroad Excavator CAT Yellow ......................... £90.00
CAT 365C Face Shovel ........................................................ £95.00
CAT 794AC Mining Truck .................................................. £255.00
CAT 352 UHD Excavator ................................................... £245.00

DIECAST CONSTRUCTION

Email: diecastconstructionco@gmail.com
We accept most major
credit and debit cards.
ALL PRICES INCLUDE POST AND PACKAGING
FOR THE UK AND NORTHERN IRELAND

PO Box 318, Cirencester,
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Tel: 01285 642432 (afternoons/evenings)

For big discounts on

VOLVO
Construction
Equipment Parts
www.walkerplant.com
parts@walker-plant.co.uk
+44 (0) 1777 709 533

BREAKING FOR PARTS
TELESCOPIC HANDLERS
LOADING SHOVELS
EXCAVATORS
Wanted – all types of machines
for resale & breaking
C W Good & Son
The Foundry, Kington, Herefordshire HR5 3DE
Tel: 01544 230 167 Email: les@gwgood1.go-plus.net
Fax: 01544 231 046 (M)07710 909 100

MAY 2022

EARTHMOVERS

97

TAIL END // PICTURE POST

PICTURE POST
Spotted an interesting earthmover? Send us the details and you could win £20!
arthmovers turn up in every
corner of the world. It doesn’t
matter whether they are stuck,
submerged, or just plain
interesting - we want to see them all.
As an extra incentive (other than the
obvious thrill of seeing your pictures
in print), we’re offering £20 for each
month’s star picture.

E

ORK
IT’S TEAM W TS
THAT COUN

PI

OF THC
E
M

ONTH

Tell us as much as you can about the
machine in the picture, and don’t forget
to enclose your name and address, and
an SAE if you would like us to return
your picture(s).
E-mail high-resolution images to editor@
EarthmoversMagazine.co.uk or send your
prints to:Picture Post, EARTHMOVERS,
Sundial Magazines Limited, Sundial
House, 17 Wickham Road, Beckenham,
Kent BR3 5JS.

All hands on deck to rescue a bogged excavator, although that ground looks as if it waiting to swallow
more machinery.
Building-up
a Cat 6030
mining excavator
down under, the
modern
incarnation of the
famous O&K
RH120-C.

Continuing with
this months O&K
theme, this
RH120-C was
snapped after it
had climbed out of
a pit, to undertake
reinstatement
works.

This Volvo
EC650 in
mass excavation
configuration is
aging well, it looks
like it could still
show the youth of
today a thing or
two.

The perils of
running a
self-drive plant
hire operation,
this lever-puller
was just a little bit
overconfident.

98

EARTHMOVERS

MAY 2022

A WINNING TEAM
… coupled with Reeds’ track record of reliability and great post-sales service

01380 816516 ʍ enquiries@reedsltd.co.uk ʍ www.reedsltd.co.uk

SPRING 2022 • ISSUE 8

KING OF
THE FOREST
KOMATSU 901XC
HARVESTER
OPERATING IN
THE SCOTTISH
BORDERS
PLUS!
WORKYQUAD
COMPAC
SKID-STEETRS
ASH DIEBACK

SENNEBOGEN 718E MATERIAL
HANDLER WITH VOSCH SAW GRAB

HIGH TECHNOLOGY

WHY BLACK BRUIN IS NOT YOUR
AVERAGE MANUFACTURER

MARKET REVIEW

RANGE OF FORESTRY GRABS
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

TRIBUTE TO LARS BRUUN – MECHANISATION PIONEER

FORESTRY MACHINERY
FOR ALL NEEDS
 FROM LIGHT THINNING TO HEAVY FINAL FELLING

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ON
WITH STEERABLE WAG

+

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THINNING AND FINAL FELLING
STEERABLE WAGON WITH 54°
STEERING ANGLE & ACCURATE TRACKING
TIGHT TURNING RADIUS | POWERFUL CHASSIS
SPACIOUS CAB WITH COMFORT LINE

ROTTNE F13FILM
www.rottne.com/en/steerablewagon

WWW.ROTTNE.COM

ED’S LETTER

SPRING 2022 • ISSUE 8

KING OF
THE FOREST

EDITOR Kyle Molyneux
kyle@sundialmagazines.co.uk
ART DIRECTOR David ‘Spike’ McCormack

KOMATSU 901XC
HARVESTER
OPERATING IN
THE SCOTTISH
BORDERS
PLUS!
WORKYQUAD
COMPACT
SKID-STEERS

ADVERTISEMENT SALES
Alex Cronin 020 8639 4405
Tom Pickford 020 8639 4417

ASH DIEBACK

ADMINISTRATOR Martin Attis 020 8639 4409
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Paul Cosgrove 020 8639 4401
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
Paul Argent, Eoghan Daly, Ken Topham and
David Wylie
Forestry Machinery is published by
Sundial Magazines Ltd, Sundial House,
17 Wickham Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 5JS
TEL 020 8639 4400 FAX 020 8639 4411
EMAIL info@forestrymachinerymagazine.co.uk
WEB www.forestrymachinerymagazine.co.uk
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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TEL +44 (0)1371 853634
EMAIL farmmachineryjournal@escosubs.co.uk

Spring 2022
Issue 8

SENNEBOGEN 718E MATERIAL
HANDLER WITH VOSCH SAW GRAB

HIGH TECHNOLOGY

WHY BLACK BRUIN IS NOT YOUR
AVERAGE MANUFACTURER

MARKET REVIEW

COVER IMAGE
David Wylie

RANGE OF FORESTRY GRABS
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

TRIBUTE TO LARS BRUUN – MECHANISATION PIONEER

WELCOME
to Forestry Machinery, the magazine dedicated
to modern forestry equipment.
If you’ve missed attending industry shows during the last few years, then you’re in
luck! APF 2022 has announced that it is teaming up with The Arb Show to stage
the largest forestry and arb event ever held in the UK. The date for your diaries is
September 22nd to 24th and the location will be Ragley Estate in Warwickshire.
Over 320 exhibitors and 22,000 visitors are expected to attend the exhibition.
Organisers say all the usual features of each show will come together to provide
the ultimate one-stop shop for the forestry, arboricultural, woodland and fencing
industries. We’re sure many will be heading straight to the impressive-sounding

NEWSTRADE
Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue
London, EC1A 9PT TEL 020 7429 4000

demonstration circuit, which spans 2,000m and gives forestry machines room to

REPRO
Design & Printing Solutions Ltd, The Coach House
101 Northwood Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 2HE
TEL 01227 770034

Arb Show favourites such as the UK Open Tree Climbing championships will

PRINTING
Walstead Southernprint, 17-21 Factory Road,
Upton Industial Estate, Poole, Dorset, BH16 5SN
COPYRIGHT
Sundial Magazines Ltd 2022. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden
without the express permission of the publishers.
Sundial Magazines Ltd. Registered in England no. 4134490.
CONDITIONS FOR ADVERTISING
All advertisements are accepted subject to the publisher’s
standard conditions of insertion. For a copy of advertising
terms & conditions, please write to Paul Cosgrove at Sundial
Magazines Ltd, Sundial House, 17 Wickham Road, Beckenham,
Kent, BR3 5JS

show off their capabilities within a ‘realistic setting’.
feature with lots of new and exciting competitions for all abilities, too. The event
promises to showcase the very latest state of the art machines and technology
being used in the industry as well as traditional but still used woodland crafts and
horse logging.
A brand new Arb Worker Zone promises to be another highlight. This will be an
interactive area giving arborists the chance to see demos of new climbing
equipment and techniques, a technical area to learn direct from the
manufacturer about equipment maintenance and repair and the popular
Arborist’s workshop with a timetable of topical subjects given by industry experts.
All this will be in addition to the World 25m pole climbing competition, the
European Chainsaw Carving Championships, woodland crafts area, the British
Open Fencing championships, the Fencing Village and over £60 million worth of
working machinery on show.
Kyle Molyneux, Editor

NUMBER ONE FOR ALL THE LATEST PLANT

EARTHMOVERS
APRIL 2022

FIRST DRIVE

Hyundai’s 21-tonne
plant hire spec
excavator
evaluated
on site

£4.30

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EMO
DEMOLITIO
D
TOOL GUIDE

NEW TWIN-ENGINED
SCRAPERS
IN THE UK

MODERN MACHINE S FOR FARMERS

& MACHINERY NEWS

April 2022 // Issue 96

NEED MORE MACHINERY?

& CONTRAC TORS

www.farmmachineryjournal.co.uk

FARM TEST

Massey’s makeover

Satisfy your appetite for off-road machines with
Earthmovers and Farm Machinery Journal –
the magazines for owners, operators and contractors

Why the modern
5S is the perfect
heir to MF’s
all-rounder
dynasty
PLUS

5S.125
DYNA-4
DRIVEN

NEW PRODUCT

TAKEUCHI
TRACKED
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BEET
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MARKET GUIDE

FROM ALL GOOD BOOKSTALLS & ON SUBSCRIPTION
Latest Scottish ADT

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Classic Cats working

2400 rope excavator
● Manitou rotary telehandler ● Lima

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ROUND

LATEST HARVESTER & BALE
RS
TELEMATICS AT WORK REVIEWED
RED DIESEL

VERDICTS
HOW NEW FUEL RESTRICTIONS OPERATOR
GÖWEIL BALER, LEMKEN
WILL AFFECT FARM MACHINES HARROW
& CASE COMBINE

18/02/2022 17:09

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

3

DRIVING YOU
FORWARD
Designed for high performance off-road, the Brute
Force 750 4x4i EPS boasts industry leading
features including speed variable Electronic Power
Steering (EPS) plus a further increase in the
torque and all-day working performance of its
750 cm3 V-twin engine. The Brute Force 750
is a true workhorse, offering a massive 120kg
combined carrying capacity and, thanks to
its sturdy chassis and low-down grunt,
boasts and equally impressive 567kg
towing capacity.
For more information and to find your
local dealer visit www.kawasaki.co.uk

CONTENTS

CONTENTS
SPRING 2022

REGULARS
3

WELCOME
APF 2022 and The Arb Show join forces

7

NEWS
The latest updates and developments

FEATURES
10 SITE VISIT
KOMATSU 901XC HARVESTER
Agriforest’s new harvester in action

18 ASH DIEBACK
SENNEBOGEN 718E
An unlikely hero in the war against disease

24 COMPACT SKID-STEER
WORKYQUAD SQ11 PLUS
Punchy demo machine put to the test

30 COMPANY PROFILE
BLACK BRUIN
High-tech motors and rotators

38 OPERATOR TRAINING
LYNCH HARVESTING LTD
On site with 25-year old Martin McManus

44 UTILITY TERRAIN VEHICLE
FAT TRUCK 2.8C
Go-anywhere UTV built in Canada

48 TIMBER LOADING
LH WEIGH-PRO
Loading trucks safely and accurately

60 BIOMASS ENERGY
LIEBHERR L 556 XPOWER
UK sawmiller A&J Scott’s new machine

64 MARKET REVIEW
FORESTRY GRABS
Units from Westtech, Cranab, Lasco and more

72 LARS BRUUN TRIBUTE
MECHANISATION PIONEER
A look back at the great Swede’s creations

54 TRUCK-MOUNTED CHIPPER
CBI CHIPMAX 484VR
Boost for Worrell Harvesting wood energy

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

5

KETO
NEW RELEASE!
KETOFORST
KETO150

Xtreme V2

Karate Multi

Dealer: Jas P Wilson Forest Machines
info@jaspwilson.co.uk
tel 01556 612 233

NEWS

FORESTRYMACHINERYNEWS

NEW PONSSE H8 HEAD
onsse’s new and completely upgraded H8 harvester head
should strengthen the company’s position as one of the
world’s leading suppliers of harvesting solutions. A powerful
feed, firm grip and solid yet agile frame are characteristics of the H8
harvester head. Active Speed is available for the harvester head as a
new feature, giving the harvester head top-level performance.
With Active Speed, the harvester head’s operating speed can be
adjusted based on the tree species and stem diameter. Equipped
with this new function, working with the H8 harvester head is said
to be smooth and productive, no matter the diameter of the tree.

P

EMOTIVE OFFROAD E-ATV

The new harvester head can be mounted on Ponsse’s Ergo and
Bear. The saw box area is even wider than before, making the new
H8 ideal for trees with a high butt diameter. The harvester head’s
structure has been designed for easy maintenance, and the frame
has been built to be even more durable. A powerful feed, combined
with a geometry that firmly supports larger stems on feed rollers,
ensuring good productivity and fuel economy. The automatic
features of the Opti control system – developed and built by Ponsse
– control the feed speed and saw movement, according to the tree
diameter, and ensure fast and precise sawing.

Devon-based EMotive, creator of the
world’s first zero-emission all-terrain
electric vehicle, is launching a
£180,000 Crowdcube campaign to
take its prototype and eco-alternative
to the Mercedes-Benz Unimog to the
next stage of development, ready for
demonstration and mass production
under licence.
Ranging from fire rescue all-terrain
vehicles (ATVs) to farm, forestry and
adventure tourism trucks, EMotive
aims to address the gap that currently
exists for this 6- to 12-tonne class of
transport.
Built around a bespoke commercial
chassis architecture and advanced
powertrain, EMotive uses a unique
smart power delivery system to

provide pure electric drive to
individual wheels. The platform can
be configured to 2-, 4- or 6-wheeldrive depending on the application,
allowing its technology to be used in
everything from utility vehicles to
extreme terrain and military vehicles
capable of operating in some of the
world’s harshest environments.
To date, EMotive has invested nearly
£2m in developing and prototyping
the physical vehicle’s form, not
forgetting the significant design of its
smart electric powertrain. The next
stage will be to complete and finetune the fully functional E-ATV
prototype ready for demonstration to
commercial partners and produced
under licence.

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

7

NEWS

PATHOGEN
SPREADS
he Forestry Commission is urging woodland managers,
landowners and the forestry industry to remain vigilant
following further findings of Phytophthora pluvialis in areas
across England.
Phytophthora pluvialis is a fungus-like pathogen known to affect
a variety of tree species, including western hemlock, Douglas fir,
tanoak and several pine species (in particular radiata pine). It is
reported to cause needle cast (where needles turn brown and fall
off), shoot dieback, and lesions on the stem, branches and roots.
Extensions to the existing demarcated areas in Devon and
Cornwall have been made following further identifications of the
pathogen in these areas. Investigations are ongoing into the first
reported cases of the pathogen in woodlands in Surrey and,
following further findings in Wales, a new demarcated area has
been introduced in Herefordshire to combat any potential spread.

T

MODIFIED DOOSAN
Kunz & Co GmbH from the Black Forest region of Germany has
purchased a new Doosan DX190W-5 wheeled excavator, specially
modified for forestry work by Ummenhofer and Wirkstoff Technik.
The DX190W-5 is powered by a 129kW Doosan DL06P six-cylinder
engine and features several upgrades to serve as a process excavator,
measuring, delimbing and
cutting logs, as well as
building forest roads.
These included an
OilQuick quick coupler
to change the various
attachments needed, a
conversion to bio-oil, and
700mm wide tyres. The
core of the conversion was
the P60 processor unit
including Koller
Forsttechnik controls. This
weighs 1.6 tonnes and
delivers its optimum
performance at a hydraulic
output of 280 to 300L/
min. After the conversion,
the excavator had a total
weight of 24 tonnes, so it
can still be transported on
a low-loader.

LIEBHERR CHIPS IN
One of the world’s biggest producers of
wood-based panel products has added a
Liebherr L 580 XPower wheeled loader to
its UK equipment fleet. Egger (UK) Ltd’s
subsidiary, Timberpak is putting the
28-tonne machine to use at its north-east

8

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

XWATCH FOR MATERIAL HANDLER
Experienced mechanised arb contractor, Eddie Warrener
recently called on Xwatch safety solutions to help his specialist
Liebherr 924 Material Handler (complete with custom
telescopic extension arm) comply with a safety alert from FISA
and the HSE, which highlighted the fact that mechanical tree
work with an excavator clearly falls under LOLER regulations
and all the due processes these regulations entail.
The modifications included a full Xwatch RCI (rated capacity
indicator) system for the base machine with full height, slew,
reach envelope monitoring restriction, plus audible and visual
warnings for the operator. The system was also incorporated
into the telescopic extension arm.

plant in Washington unloading curtainsided trailers and moving the incoming
material around the yard prior to
processing. The L 580 joins two Liebherr
LH 24 material handlers on site and was
supplied with Liebherr’s industrial arm
equipment, hydraulic quick hitch and light
material, high-tip bucket.

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

9

eadquartered in South Lanarkshire, Scotland,
Agriforest Ltd specialises in timber harvesting and
forest management, and was established by Douglas
Mathison in 2016. Douglas was born and raised in the
Scottish Borders. He started out as a tree surgeon and
attended the Scottish Agricultural College, graduating with a
degree in Rural Business Management. After graduating, he joined
a large national timber harvesting company as a manager, which
further developed his practical and academic experience. Then
Agriforest Ltd was born and he hasn’t looked back since.
Douglas and his team specialise in providing the best possible
returns for owners of small- to medium-sized woodlands, primarily
on farms and estates. To achieve this, Agriforest combines its
woodland management expertise with a select bunch of local and
trusted contractors who are known to provide efficient and reliable
service. A unique aspect of Agriforest’s service is that the company
doesn’t charge upfront fees from initial appraisal to obtaining
relevant consents, and organises and implements everything from
start to finish.
Douglas commented, “We are steadily growing our business, and
from our first year in 2016, we’ve gone from 16,000 tonnes of
processed timber per annum to over 35,000 tonnes in 2020.” Most of
the company’s jobs range from 500 to 7,000 tonnes, and whilst it has
good working relationships with numerous sawmills, it is not tied to
any particular one, as it constantly looks to get the best rate for the
client. Products produced by the sawmills include animal bedding,
pallet wood, high-quality furniture and biomass, for example, which
are all dependant on the quality of the timber harvested.

H

Above: Douglas Mathison started
Agriforest Ltd back in 2016.

“HAVING OUR
OWN EQUIPMENT
AND OPERATORS
PROVIDES NOT
ONLY EXTRA
CAPABILITY, BUT
ALSO FLEXIBILITY
TO MEET OUR
CLIENTS’ NEEDS”

Nokian TRS tyres
are performing well
in wet/soft ground.

Komatsu 901XC perfectly suited to
both clearfell and thinning ops.

RED

Agriforest Ltd invites David Wylie to a clearfell
and thinning operation in the Scottish
Borders to see the company’s versatile new
Komatsu 901XC harvester at work

GIANT

IMAGES DAVID WYLIE

10

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

SITE VISIT | KOMATSU 901XC HARVESTER

SITE VISIT
I met up with Douglas and his skilled operators at a clearfell and
thinning operations near Broughton in the Scottish Borders, where
their new Komatsu 901XC harvester (and John Deere 1210G
forwarder) was being put to work.
Readers may recall that we visited Douglas and his team in 2020
when they were contracted to work on a relatively small clearfell site,
which was being prepared for replanting by trench mounding. On
that job was Agriforest’s new Doosan DX160LC-5 high-track
excavator. The company also operates a powerful Valtra T183 tractor
and heavy-duty logging trailer fitted with a crane, which is often
driven by freelance agricultural contractor Graeme Louden. At the
time of that visit, they were working with Alex Ballantyne – owner of
Ballantynes Tree Services – to remove weakened and diseased trees
on Local Authority land near a roadside entrance in Hawick.
Despite investing in its own harvester and forwarder (due to an

expanding orderbook), AgriForest has enough work to keep two
subcontracted harvester and forwarders going. Not forgetting a
number of reliable road haulage firms to transport the timber to the
various sawmills around Scotland and the north of England.
Douglas explained his thinking behind arming AgriForest with its
own harvester and forwarder. “We pride ourselves on taking on
smaller projects that last anything from a week to a few months, and
having our own equipment and operators provides not only extra
capability, but also flexibility to meet our clients’ needs.”
In managing the various projects and new pipeline business,
Douglas has become reliant on Komatsu’s MaxiFleet – a web-based
fleet management system – with real-time telematics data provided
by his new Komatsu 901XC harvester. Douglas is using the data to
manage the project’s progress and, in conversation with his
operators, forward planning a completion date of one project and
the start date of another.
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

11

KOMATSU 901XC

The front end
equipment is so
fast and accurate.

At the heart of the Komatsu 901XC harvester is a powerful, 6-cylinder
AGCO turbodiesel engine producing 170kW and meeting the latest
Stage 5 emissions standard. The engine drives a hydrostaticmechanical transfer gearbox with two positions, and disengageable
front-wheel drive. It also comes with differential locks on the front
and rear axles. The hydrostatic-mechanical drive produces controlled
speeds from 0-22kph speed and 184kN of tractive force.
To operate the front end equipment, it has a dual-circuit, loadsensing system with variable piston pumps producing 400L/min at
1,600rpm and a pressure of 255 to 280bar. The crane has a reach of
11m, lifting torque of 198kNm and slewing torque of 43kNm.
The cab has tough polycarbonate windows, and the advanced
Autolev system has fully automatic cab and crane levelling and
damping. The cab’s horizontal levelling (longitudinal 22/20 degrees,
lateral 17 degrees) is in addition to the useful 180 degrees of rotation.

He can also view daily production data in terms of the amount
of cubic metres of timber harvested (pulp and log quantities), and
he can also check the fuel status of the machine when managing
fuel deliveries for the company’s on-site portable fuel tanks. Douglas
is pleased with the Komatsu’s average fuel burn of only 15 litres per
hour and low AdBlue consumption.

COMMAND AND CONQUER

Self-levelling cab
maintains comfort
on steep ground.

12

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

During our site visit, Douglas explained the scope of work initially
consisted of 10 hectares of clearfell operations to produce 4,500
tonnes of combined log and pulp timber. However, with rising
demand and timber prices, the client asked for a further 4,300
tonnes to be felled. Once the clearfell operations had been
completed, the Komatsu 901XC moved on to thinnings work, which
produced a further 1,000 tonnes of timber.
“The Komatsu 901 harvester is just the right machine for both
clearfell and thinning operations, and we specced the biggest
harvesting head for this machine [C124], which is able to cope with
trees 65cm in diameter – that’s 5cm bigger than the norm,” Douglas
explained. “The other advantage of the large Komatsu C124
harvesting head is that it greatly reduces the amount of hand-

SITE VISIT | KOMATSU 901XC HARVESTER
Komatsu C124 head
with four powerful
feed rollers.

“THE KOMATSU 901 HARVESTER IS JUST
THE RIGHT MACHINE FOR BOTH CLEARFELL
AND THINNING OPERATIONS”
cutting around the perimeter of the stand where you generally
encounter larger trees.
“Overall I’m delighted with the Komatsu’s performance, as it’s
coped well with a large variety of work and performed beyond my
expectations,” Douglas affirmed. “Our new operator Grant settled
into the machine quickly, and both man and machine are doing a
great job.” Dealer Komatsu Forestry Ltd UK also received praise

from the Agriforest founder for its professionalism and support.
At Douglas’ request, the Komatsu 901XC harvester’s standard
tyres were changed to Nokian TRS tyres, as they have a deep cleated
tread patter similar to that of an agricultural tractor, to provide
extra grip when the heavy steel bandtracks are not required. “The
Nokian TRS tyres are performing really well in wet/soft conditions,
and there is a noticeable difference in improved fuel efficiency,”

Left: Valtra
T183 tractor,
logging trailer.
Far left: Trench
mounding with
Doosan DX160.

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

13

Quality Machinery
speaks for itself
Maschinenbau GmbH

Made in Austria

Visit our
website for
all our
product
information

MADE IN

SWEDEN

Eschlböck BIBER
wood chippers by eschlboeck.at

Tel: 01892 770 788 Mobile: 07836 274 164
www.marshalllogging.co.uk sales@marshalllogging.co.uk

SITE VISIT | KOMATSU 901XC HARVESTER
Left: All production
data is displayed on
this large screen.
Right: Grant Bisset
at the Komatsu
901XC’s controls.

Below: Biggest head
can cope with trees
65cm in diameter.

“THIS MACHINE IS SAID TO BE ONE OF THE
MOST STABLE ON THE MARKET – IT
CERTAINLY FEELS LIKE THAT TO ME”
said Douglas. “By not rotating and carrying an extra 4 tonnes of
metal around, we enjoy an improvement in fuel burn and tyre life
without the bandtracks fitted.”

OPERATOR’S VIEW
At the controls of the Komatsu 901XC harvester during our time on
site was Grant Bisset. Grant’s previous role in forestry operations was
as a skilled climbing arborist for nearly 30 years, and then at age 48
he felt the time was right to be sat in a nice comfortable harvester.
When the Komatsu 901XC arrived in February 2020, Douglas
arranged formal training for Grant with Komatsu Forestry,
complementing his massive experience in tree felling.
At the time of our visit, Grant was using the 901XC harvester for
tackling thinning operations and producing a mix of various sizes,
from 3.7m sawlogs and thinner timber for 3m long pulp use. With
1,073 hours on the clock of the harvester, Grant had this to say: “For
a thinnings-based machine, I’m really impressed with its overall

performance. The powerful Komatsu harvesting head really helps
to produce high productivity in most clearfell work, too.
“The 901XC harvester has a self-levelling cab for working
comfortably on steep ground, and with the cab also being zero
tailswing you don’t have to worry about hitting adjacent trees as you
are slewing from side-to-side,” Grant explained. “The front end
equipment is so fast, accurate and responsive – it’s like a surgeon’s
scalpel thinning out the trees, and you can quickly leave the
processed timber in a neat pile for the forwarder to collect.
“The view of the front end equipment and chainbar is excellent,
as the cab slew is completely synchronised and the boom foot is
mounted at the side of the cab,” he continued. “The machine is also
very quiet and comfortable. You can spend 12 hours at the controls,
but it feels like a normal 8-hour shift.” Grant was also very
complimentary about the cab’s space and storage.
“The XC stands for ‘extreme conditions’ and this machine is said
to be one of the most stable on the market. It certainly feels like
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

15

KOMATSU 901XC HARVESTER | SITE VISIT
Zero tailswing cab
means no worries about
hitting adjacent trees.

“GRANT WAS
USING THE
901XC FOR
TACKLING
THINNING
OPERATIONS
AND
PRODUCING
A MIX OF
LOG SIZES”

that to me, particularly if you have the 4-tonne bandtracks fitted,”
he said. “Shortly after arrival, one of the hydraulic oil pressures was
low, so I quickly called Komatsu Forestry at Longtown and the team
remotely accessed the machine. We checked and adjusted the
hydraulic pressures – after using my smartphone camera to locate
the correct valve – and the 901XC was back to work in a matter of
minutes.”

FLEET EXPANSION
Douglas and his team are clearly delighted with their new Komatsu
harvester (and John Deere forwarder) and will be looking to
expand Agriforest’s fleet and operations in the future, providing the
company can find the staff. With that in mind, Douglas’ approach of
turning veteran aborist Grant into a keen machine operator could
be a great way to help fix the industry’s current skills shortage.

JOHN DEERE 1210G FORWARDER
Working on a large
clearfell operation.

1210G forwarder. “This new John
Deere 1210G forwarder is a bit
bigger than our previous machine
so the crane has a lot more
power, and the IBC system is so
easy and intuitive to use. It’s one
less thing to worry about when
you’re operating the machine all
day long,” Dan explained.
“This is my first forwarder
experience, so I can’t really

Above: 1210G is a fantastic piece of kit.

compare it to anything else, but

AgriForest Ltd operates a mixed

operators with its easy to use IBC

fleet of machines. The company

system,” said Douglas. “This

started with a used Komatsu 835

machine is also very versatile, as

forwarder, however John Deere

the bunk’s carrying area can be

offered a new 1210G forwarder

enlarged for say, large timber

with its groundbreaking

from clearfell work and then

Intelligent Boom Control (IBC),

made narrower when we are

which is designed to significantly

tackling thinning operations.”

cut the operator’s workload. This

Like Grant, Dan Lock’s

system has proved an instant

previous role in forestry

success for both Douglas and his

operations was as a skilled

newly qualified operator Dan

arborist for over nine years

Lock.

and he was delighted when

“The 1210G is a fantastic piece
of kit, particularly for new

16

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Douglas gave him the
opportunity to drive the new

the 1210G cab has all the creature

the cab floor area is large enough

comforts you could ever want,

to accommodate my little pet

including a heated and vented

dog. It’s simply a brilliant

seat, electric oven to heat food

machine to operate,” Dan

and tonnes of storage space, and

concluded.

Right: Dan Lock’s
view of the bunk.
Below inset: The
best work buddy.

“ESTIMATES ARE THAT
ANYTHING UP TO 90% OF
ASH DIEBACK ROADSIDE
REMOVAL WILL REQUIRE A
MECHANISED APPROACH”

TALL ORDER
David Wylie travels to Dumfries House in Scotland, where proactive steps are being taken
by an experienced triumverate to manage ash dieback. Central to the team’s work is an
unlikely machine – a Sennebogen 718E material handler with an array of attachments
IMAGES DAVID WYLIE
irst confirmed in Britain in
2012, ash dieback – previously
known as ‘Chalara’ – is a disease
of ash trees caused by a fungus
(Hymenoscyphus fraxineus). Ash trees
across much of the UK now show symptoms
of ash dieback and it is expected that the
majority of ash trees – estimated to be
around 80% of ash stock (20% of UK tree
population) – will subsequently die from or
be significantly affected by the disease in the
coming years. Currently, there is no known
efficient prevention or curative treatment.

F

18

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Visible ash dieback symptoms vary but
include leaf wilt, leaf loss and crown dieback,
and in some instances visible bark lesions in
branch or stem tissues which directly
contribute to tree decline and death over four
noticeable stages. Growing trees are known to
be weakened to the point where they succumb
to secondary pests or pathogens, for example
Armillaria fungi (honey fungus).
Speed of decline varies – mortality has
been observed in as little as two growing
seasons. When a declining tree is affected by
secondary pathogens, it appears to more

rapidly lose timber strength and integrity,
and is prone to structural failure (measured
in four stages), making the management and
felling of infected trees hazardous and costly.
Some ash trees appear to tolerate
infection. Therefore, the use of crown
reduction or lopping instead of felling,
natural regeneration of felled trees and
propagation of tolerant trees may lead to
more tolerant strains. Tree health scientists
are studying the genetic factors that enable
this development, so that tolerant ash trees
can be bred in the future.

ASH DIEBACK | SENNEBOGEN 718E MATERIAL HANDLER
Sennebogen’s high
lift cab for good
working viability.

This big tree was
felled in a mere
30 minutes.

Due to the rapid deterioration in the
tree’s structural integrity, landowners and
managers, as well as highways agencies and
local authorities, are being advised to have
their ash tree stock surveyed and actioned
promptly. However, demand for remedial
services may outstrip supply for specialist
contractors to deal with this widespread
disease. Estimates are that anything up to
90% of ash dieback roadside removal will
require a mechanised approach to
maintain the highest levels of public
and operator safety, while minimising
network disruption and controlling
overall cost.
Ayrshire Tree Surgeons –
and its partner companies
– will replicate the methods
utilised by contractors for
the largest authorities in
England, which will
improve efficiencies by
up to 20 times that of
traditional hand-cutting
alone. This approach
eliminates the risks associated

Preparing for the
self-propelled Albach
Diamant chipper.

with stage 3 and 4 infected trees, which
have weak and unpredictable structures.

FUTURE PLANNING
Dumfries House Estate is set in 2,000 acres
and includes an 18th century house. Part
of The Prince’s Foundation, the venue is a
popular visitor attraction, as well as a skills

4-tine Vosch grapple
with impressive
power and jaw width.

and learning centre in Ayrshire, Scotland.
The gardens team at Dumfries House, ever
mindful of the need to create a sustainable
habitat for the estate’s many wildlife
residents, have announced plans to plant
more than 1,000 trees.
For example, Head of Gardening, Melissa
Simpson and her hard-working team of
specialists will plant more than 200 semimature trees native to the UK throughout
Valentin’s Education Farm, Glenside Farm
and the field facing Dumfries House itself,
including a mix of acers, birch, ash, tulip
tree, sorbus, and lime trees. Meanwhile,
600 smaller trees from a Scottish
supplier will form a newly
established woodland next to the
historic Temple building, adjacent
to The Duke of Rothesay Avenue.
“My passion is planting trees,
and the gardens team’s effort to
create new woodland and increase
the number of trees throughout
the estate can only strengthen
the natural habitat and
biodiversity of the estate,”
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

19

SENNEBOGEN
718E MATERIAL
HANDLER
The 21.4-tonne 718E is powered by a 4.5-litre,
160hp Cummins B series engine that uses a
diesel particulate filter and AdBlue to meet
the Stage 5 emissions standard. As part of

“THE ASH DIEBACK REMEDIATION
WORK INVOLVES FELLING,
CHIPPING AND TRANSPORTING
AROUND 110 AFFECTED
TREES”

Sennebogen’s green technology systems,
the 718E has a load-sensing hydraulic piston
pump which produces 350bar and 310L/min
from the main pump. It also has a
supplementary system to produce 182L/min
at 200bar. The 718E has four drive motors to
provide all-wheel drive, plus a multi-disc
service brake system and a spring-loaded
parking brake. Its top speed is 20kph.
The 718E has a hydraulically elevating cab
that reaches over 6m in height to give an
outstanding panoramic view of the work
area, and the cab has also 30 degrees of
tilt-back to alleviate operator neck strain
when working in high-reach applications.
Sennebogen’s Maxcab has all the usual
creature comforts with an air suspension
seat, climate control, USB charging sockets,
and an electronic cooler box to keep the
operator’s lunch or drinks cool. The joystick
controls are mounted onto the seat frame so
as the seat moves up and down so do the
controls. For added safety and visibility, it
also comes with a 360-degree camera
system linked to a large LCD screen.
Sennebogen also makes two bigger
machines – the 173hp 728E with 17.6m of reach,
and the 225hp 738Ea with 20m of reach.

said Gary Anderson, who joined the
garden team at the start of November 2021.
And whilst hundreds more trees will appear
on the estate during 2022, a far smaller
number are being felled due to ash dieback.
The ash dieback remediation work
involves felling, chipping and transporting
around 110 affected trees. This work is
being carried out safely and efficiently by
three companies working in partnership.
The principal contractor is Ayrshire Tree
Surgeons. The firm has been working
successfully for many years with a division of
Robert Cook Plant Hire (Cook Contracting)
and has recently joined forces with
Lincolnshire-based KWR Plant Hire to make
great use of its Sennebogen 718E material
handler and attachments.
This three-way partnership has
demonstrated the safest way to deal with ash
dieback trees, including critical stage 3 and
4 structural failures, to existing customers.
Enough future work has been secured to
warrant Ayrshire Tree Surgeons ordering a
new Sennebogen 718E material handler
and powerful Vosch saw grab attachments
through Molson Group for delivery in early

20

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

2022, with the option of a second 718E
machine in Q2 2022.

SPECIAL REQUEST
During our visit, we caught up with Kevin
Russell, KWR Plant Hire’s owner-operator,
and his immaculate 2019 Sennebogen 718E
material handler equipped with a powerful
Vosch saw grab attachment. Kevin said, “We
have over 20 years of experience with
various types of mechanical plant and have
gradually evolved into specialist forestryrelated work using a long-reach material
handler with rotating saw grabs and tree
shears attachments.”
As the 2019 orderbook started filling with
ash dieback work, KWR contacted
Molson Group armed with
technical input from
Eddie Warrener of
Moorlands Specialist
Excavations, and
asked the company
to come up with a
Sennebogen
material handler
and attachments

Gary Anderson
tree planting for
Dumfries House.

that would be ideally suited for this
application.
“This Sennebogen 718E material handler
and powerful Vosch saw grab is, to my mind,
the ultimate tool for felling trees safely,
efficiently and quickly; either at the
roadside or in close proximity to buildings
and other structures,” enthused Kevin. “With
the having wheels and high flotation tyres, it
provides a great deal of mobility on roads or
across soft ground, and with the outriggers
deployed and the heavy dozer blade firmly
planted on the ground, the 718E has
phenomenal stability at a long 15m reach
with over a tonne of lifting capability!
“Molson Group has done a cracking job
by not only adding numerous safety-related
items, such as the boxing ring on
the upper-structure, cab guard
and a bullet-proof front
safety glass, the team have
also converted the
standard machine
controls to suit my
preferences. Overall,
I’m delighted with the
results,” said Kevin.

ASH DIEBACK | SENNEBOGEN 718E MATERIAL HANDLER
TECH SPECS
Sennebogen 718E
OPERATING WEIGHT 21,400kg
MAX RANGE 13m (telescopic 2m),
15m with Vosch saw grab
ENGINE Cummins B 4.5, Stage 5
POWER 126kW/169hp at 2,200rpm
CAB ELEVATION 6m

“I’m also delighted to be
supporting both Ayrshire
Tree Surgeons and Cook
Contracting with ash
dieback work here in
Scotland. As we all work
nationally, I’m also looking
forward to their support to
help deliver this type of work
on a larger scale across England
and
Wales, as demand grows.”
Height and slew
Kevin explained that this
restrictor from
GKD Technologies. Sennebogen 718E material handler has
good hydraulic flow to power all his
attachments, including this powerful Vosch
saw grab which we understand was
developed in conjunction with Sennebogen.
Unlike a conventional timber harvesting
head, the Vosch saw grab has a powerful
tilting linkage to safely control the descent
of heavy branches to the ground or
stockpiling area ready for chipping. The saw
bar is 1m in length and has very high torque
but much slower rpm than a harvesting
head, so that if they do suffer chain failure,
it will not become a missile, rather it will
simply fall to the ground.
Kevin commented, “This Vosch saw and
Owner-operator grapple is just the right size and weight. The
Kevin Russell at 4-tine grapple strikes a good balance
the controls. between reach, power, jaw width and
rotational manoeuvrability, meaning it can
Machine controls clamp really big branches and saw them
modified by Molson cleanly at just the right angle. The set-up is
to suit Kevin. what Vosch refers to as the ‘Sennebogen
system’ and it’s quite simply the best
combination I’ve ever bought,” its owner
confirmed.
Kevin also explained that his Sennebogen
718E was specced with a big dozer blade
which, with its automatic float setting,
makes light work of clear-up operations as it
skims across the top of the floor. For added
safety, Kevin has also fitted a height and slew
restrictor from GKD Technologies. This
device enables the machine operator or site
manager to set safe working height and slew
limits, ensuring site hazards or risks are
avoided. The system then provides visual
and audible warnings when these limits are
718E offers good approached. Kevin’s Sennebogen 718E
service access at material handler is serviced at 250-hour
ground level. intervals by Molson Group’s field-based
engineers, and the machine runs on
bio-degradable hydraulic oil, so should it
burst a hydraulic hose it won’t contaminate
the ground.

WORKING REVOLUTION
Kevin managed to tackle a large number of
trees during our short site visit, the largest
one being quite close to one of the estate’s
farm buildings. Working with Ayrshire Tree
Surgeons’ experience ground workers, all
concerned reckoned it would take about
two days to fell this tree using several
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

21

SENNEBOGEN 718E MATERIAL HANDLER | ASH DIEBACK

Automatic float
setting for the
big dozer blade.
hand-cutters equipped with ropes and
possibly a cherry picker.
However, Kevin was able to fell this big
tree in just 30 minutes, and using the
powerful chainsaw he was able to mill the
nearly 2m-wide tree trunk into two halves
for handling and chipping when Cook
Contracting’s powerful self-propelled
Albach Diamant 2000 wood chipper arrives
on site. This Albach machine is said to be
able to keep pace with the 718E and can

Cook’s 770hp Albach
chipper and HGV with
walking floor trailer.

chip, load and blow around 22 tonnes of
high-quality chips into the fleet of semitrailers in about 15 minutes!

THE FIGHT CONTINUES
There is currently no known cure for ash
dieback disease, but this Sennebogen 718E
material handler and powerful Vosch saw
grab machine provide a safe and speedy
way of tackling the problem. As the
partnership of Ayrshire Tree Surgeons,

Robert Cook Plant Hire and KWR Plant
Hire has demonstrated, this machine set-up
is highly effective in a number of
applications and could be exactly what
others experiencing ash dieback have
been looking for.

“THIS SENNEBOGEN
718E AND VOSCH SAW
GRAB MACHINE
PROVIDE A SAFE AND
SPEEDY WAY OF
TACKLING ASH
DIEBACK”

Core of branch is
badly affected and
structurally weak.

ROBERT COOK PLANT HIRE
Girvan-based Robert Cook Plant

Contracting offers a range of wood

Hire is run by brothers Stuart and

chipping solutions as it has

HGV semi-trailers and the company

semi-trailers. Cook Contracting also

Kevan Cook. It has a number of

invested heavily in wood chippers

also has a new 770hp Albach

operates a number of 765hp

divisions to service the company’s

over the last few years, as well as a

Diamant 2000 self-propelled

Rotochopper chippers which offer

valued agricultural, construction

fleet of 22-tonne capacity HGV

woodchipper designed to blow

hybrid mobility with their tracked

and forestry customers. Cook

semi-trailers with walking floors.

high-quality chipped wood into the

machine/demountable dolly set-up.

22

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

The wood chippers are based on

firm’s fleet of walking floor

ALL IN
A DAY’S

WORKY
WorkyQuad compact skid-steers promise to make
life easier for those involved in the cutting and
removal of trees. Dealer Kipper Hire hooks up David
Wylie with Tay Tree Surgery as the company puts
an SQ11 Plus demonstrator model to the test
IMAGES DAVID WYLIE

24

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

eadquartered in Warrington,
Spectrum Plant is the official
and sole UK importer of Cast
Loaders and WorkyQuad Skid
Steers from the Cast Group based in Italy.
Kinross-based Kipper Hire is a sister
company and official dealer for the range
of machines in Scotland, along with a
sub-dealer P J Gaul in Inverness.
The Cast Loaders are compact,
lightweight and easily transportable. All
models in the range have telescopic booms
with high lift capacities and the ability to use
multiple attachments making these
machines highly flexible. The WorkyQuad
Skid Steers represent a small revolution for
work in confined spaces. Thanks to the
interchangeability of multiple accessories,
WorkyQuads can operate in a variety of
locations larger machines just can’t access.

H

WORKYQUAD RANGE
The WorkyQuad range starts with the
625kg SSQ11 Country on narrow tyres,
above which sits the SSQ11 Plus model

COMPACT SKID-STEER | WORKYQUAD SQ11 PLUS

Far left: SSQ11
with 2,050mm
arm pin height.
Above: 350kg
lift capacity for
this model.

Left: Load up
and carry to
the chipper.
with high flotation garden tyres. Both are
powered by an air-cooled, 389cc,
1-cylinder, 11.7hp Honda petrol engine
(with electric or pull start), which drives
a Casappa hydraulic pump to produce
21Lpm of flow at 200bar for the
proportional 0-6kph M+S Hydraulics
hydrostatic 4WD wheel motors. It also
powers the front end equipment and
hydraulic powered attachments with an
auxiliary hydraulic circuit as standard.
There is also a 14.8hp SSQ15 D diesel
model, electric SSQ EcoQuad with rangetopping 450kg lifting capacity, and 680kg
SSQ22 model with 22.1hp. Both the SSQ15
D and SSQ11 Plus have a lift capacity of
350kg and measure around 1.5m
long, 1m wide and 1.3m tall.
Ground to lift arm pin hight is
2,110mm for the SSQ15D and
2,050mm for the two SSQ11
models. On its
Narrow Access
Right: Craig
Wheels (also
Smith, co-owner
of Kipper Hire.
available on

the D and Plus), the Country measures just
740mm wide. For reference, the narrow
tyres are shown above...
There are eight different loading shovel
buckets, three grapple buckets, two silage
forks and one manure fork. Plus a set of
pallet fork attachments for the range of
loaders. Other hydraulic attachments
include two rotary brooms, various
hydraulic impact hammers and two
hydraulic augers/drills. In addition to this,
there is a full range of pneumatic and solid

WORKYQUAD
SKID STEERS
REPRESENT
A SMALL
REVOLUTION FOR
WORK IN
CONFINED
SPACES

tyre widths, sizes and tread patterns to suit
almost every application imaginable. The
WQ range also offers the fitment of tracks.

PROVIDING EXTRA MUSCLE
We met up with Craig Smith, Co-Owner and
Sales Director of Kipper Hire Ltd, and one
of his customers on site to find out more
about these machines. At the time of our
visit, owner of Tay Tree Surgery, Jan Coggins
was putting the WorkyQuad SSQ11 Plus to
work on a tree felling job on a residential
property near Dundee.
Jan explained that his business has
growing over the last six years, and with that
comes bigger jobs with much bigger trees to
tackle. Him and his team have also been
busy over the last two years with storm
damage work, including the chaos caused
by the recent storm Arwen that
devastated much of the east coast of
Scotland and other parts of the UK.
When companies get busier,
normally they hire more staff.
However, Jan is taking a slightly
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

25

WORKYQUAD SQ11 PLUS | COMPACT SKID-STEER

TAY TREE
SURGERY
Tay Tree Surgery is based in
Newport-on-Tay, just over
the water from Dundee in

Left: 1-cyl
Honda engine;
lever controls.
Right: Robert
Cargill on the
SSQ11 Plus.

Scotland. The company
mainly works in North Fife,
Dundee and Angus, but can
travel further afield. It is a
member of the Dundee
Trusted Trader Scheme
(run by Trading Standards),
which means it has been
assessed and deemed to
trade fairly, within the spirit
of the law and employ good
business practice.
Owner of Tay Tree
Surgery, Jan Coggins is a
member of the
Arboricultural Association
(the main professional body
for tree work) and him and
his team consistently work
to the recognised standard
– British Standard 3998 for
Tree Work – in order to
promote the health of the
trees/hedges they work on.
In addition to being a
LANTRA qualified Tree
Surveyor, Tay Tree Surgery
also holds NPTC certificates
of competence in the
following areas: Cross cut
and maintenance of

SPECTRUM PLANT

chainsaws, tree felling,
Initially focussed on tree surgery machinery,

aerial rigging and rescue,

Spectrum Plant has expanded to include

and aerial chainsaw use.

solutions for landscapers, farmers,

Domestic and commercial

equestrian centres and more through a small

work covered includes

number of knowledgeable dealers. You can

private gardens, golf

find out more about the company’s full

courses, builders and

range of machines, or contact your local

property developers and

dealer at www.castloaders.co.uk.

gardens in commercial
properties).
To find out more, contact
jan_coggins@yahoo.com.

different approach by looking to invest in
mechanical handling equipment to boost
the efficiency and productivity of his
existing staff, while improving safety.
Jan commented, “I prefer having a small,
highly skilled team, as it’s easier to manage.
There is a shortage of skilled experienced
staff in arb and buying a machine like this
WorkyQuad will take some of the lifting and
handling drudgery out of our job, which
may help to retain the skilled staff I have.
I like keeping the workplace as attractive
as possible,” he added.

26

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

“First impressions are that the
WorkyQuad will undoubtedly make us more
efficient, however the biggest benefit of
these machines is that they improve the
safety and welfare of my team,” Jan
continued. “Arb work is very physical and
I’m no spring chicken, age wise. Anything
that keeps me and the guys safe and fit,
working week in and week out, is a
worthwhile investment.”
Jan also explained that the WorkyQuad
will be a huge help when it comes to
processing the felled timber. The machine is

able to lift and transport sections of the tree
trunk, saving time for the ground workers
who no longer need to cut the timber into
smaller 150mm-wide ‘coins’ to make moving
them easier. The WorkyQuad’s impressive
lift capacity also comes in handy for holding
timber aloft for cutting. “It can take us 45
minutes to resharpen a chainsaw if it gets
accidentally blunted by a stone or other
hard debris on the ground,” said Jan.

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
So, how did Jan hear about Kipper Hire’s
WorkyQuads? “We’ve had a long-standing
working relationship with Kipper Hire
through its range of FSI stump grinders that
we have bought and hired over the years. We

TECH SPEC

WORKYQUAD
SQ11 PLUS
ENGINE 1-CYL, 389CC HONDA
GX390, PETROL
POWER 11.7HP
DRIVE SYSTEM HYDROSTATIC
4WD WHEEL MOTORS
SPEED 0-6KPH
(PROPORTIONAL)
TRACTION FORCE 558KG
HYDRAULIC DRIVE SYSTEM
21.6L/200BAR
HYDRAULIC WORKING
PRESSURE 21.6L/200BAR
STANDARD TYRES
18X8.50-10 GARDEN
BRAKING SYSTEM
HYDROSTATIC WITH 4X
HYDRAULIC WHEEL MOTORS
HYDRAULIC LIFTING CAPACITY
600KG
LOADING CAPACITY 350KG
(WITH COUNTERWEIGHTS)
DIMENSIONS
1,525X910X1,258MM (LXWXH)
MINIMUM WIDTH WITH
NARROW ACCESS WHEELS
740MM (SOLD SEPARATELY
OR CHANGED WITH ORDER)
WEIGHT 625KG
INTEGRATED COUNTERWEIGHT
50KG (STANDARD)
find the team very friendly and easy to deal
with, and they know what they’re talking
about. The company is fairly local to us and it
has always provided great aftersales service.
“We had a look on some arb websites and
noticed Kipper Hire’s post on the
WorkyQuad, so we gave Craig Smith a call
and subsequently arranged a 1-day
demonstration. If we liked it, we could take
it for the rest of the week on hire – it’s a
great ‘try before you buy’ arrangement.
“The WorkyQuad SSQ11 model offers the
right balance between size and power, and
means we can get mechanical handling
equipment through very narrow garden
gates and so on. It also has the option of
wider turf tyres when we need that low
ground pressure performance,” Jan
continued.
“The SSQ11 has easy-to-use controls that
are nicely laid out next to the two grab
handles, and the hydraulic controls for the
front end equipment and drive/skid-steer
motors are smooth and proportional,” Jan
explained. “You don’t need to have the
engine running flat-out for good
performance, as we found the little hand
throttle set at about half to three-quarters is
sufficient for most work.
“We don’t normally get involved in

landscaping work, but I could see this
machine being ideal for the job. The
WorkyQuad’s quick hitch system can utilise
a huge range of attachments such as a
bucket, grapple and grapple-bucket for our
main type of arb applications. The other
thing we like about the WorkyQuad range
is that they are powered by well-known and
reliable power units from Honda [and
Kubota], and the rest of the machine also

looks very sturdy and reliable,” Jan
confirmed to Forestry Machinery.
Once all the branches had been trimmed
off the main tree stem of these large and
heavy cedar trees, the WorkyQuad was used
to provide some directional felling; a rope
was tied near the top of the tree stem and
attached to the WorkyQuad’s quick hitch,
which then applied a degree of pull in the
right direction. Jan explained that the

Left: Jan
Coggins of Tay
Tree Surgery.
Right: Simple
and reliable
quick hitch.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
ARE THAT THE
WORKYQUAD WILL
UNDOUBTEDLY MAKE
US MORE EFFICIENT
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

27

WORKYQUAD SQ11 PLUS | COMPACT SKID-STEER
KIPPER HIRE
Kipper Hire has been providing specialist
machinery sales, hire and repair to the
tree surgery industry in Scotland since
2014. A family-run business with decades
of plant and machinery expertise, it
operates out of purpose-built premises
right by the M90 at Kinross. Kipper Hire
has represented WorkyQuad and several
other premium brands since it was started.
Find out more about Kipper Hire and its

team would normally have done this with
their big pickup truck, but the WorkyQuad
is a much more manoeuvrable solution,
particularly when working in confined
areas, and it copes well with the task.
Once the tree was felled, Jan and his team
were able to cut the stem into bigger sections
than normal, thus saving time and eliminating
unwanted chainsaw noise and extra sawdust
that would need to be cleaned up afterwards.
It was then quickly and effectively loaded onto
a drop-side trailer for disposal.

products at www.kipperhire.com.

PULLING ITS WEIGHT

THIS WORKYQUAD MAKES OUR JOB JUST SO MUCH EASIER,
AS THERE IS LITTLE OR NO LIFTING EFFORT INVOLVED

WorkyQuad
being used for
directional
tree felling.

28

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Ground worker Richard Cargill said, “This
WorkyQuad makes our job just so much
easier, as there is little or no lifting effort
involved. I was really impressed with its
stability and power, which meant it could
carry out some directional felling today. I’m
looking forward to using it over the next few
days to find even more ways to get the best
out of it and lighten our workload.”
Jan Coggins and his team were clearly
pleased with the performance of the
compact and versatile WorkyQuad SSQ11
Plus. They have decided to test the dieselengined SSQ15 D model before making a
final investment decision.

www.forsmw.com

NEWS!

lable
Drive is now avai l
as an option for al
trailer models.

ive
> 4WD Robson dr
> Hydraulic drive
, 4WD
Black Bruin 2WD

Fors MW, which was founded by Leif Fors in 1992, is celebrating 30 years on the
market this year. The first FARMA trailer was designed on the factory floor and
the rest is, as they say, a success story.
FARMA is today, 30 years later, one of the market’s best-selling brands by far, not only in
Sweden but in many countries around the world. With well-thought-out solutions, high
quality and flexible trailers that follow in the tractor’s footsteps, FARMA has become the
obvious choice of many forest owners. Over the years, our FARMA model program has
grown and today we offer trailers from 6-17 tons.

In connection with the 30th anniversary, FARMA launches drive as an option
on all trailers. Traditional roller drive or Hub motor drive - The choice is yours.
Contact your FARMA dealer today, and they will help you put together a trailer that suits
your needs.

SALES REPRESENTATIVE UK/INTERNATIONAL Tom Belton 07860 951 485 tom.belton@forsmw.com

Black Bruin motors are used
on Estonian firm BMF’s
high end trailer products.

BEAR NECESSITIES
David Wylie looks at the latest hydraulic rotators, harvester feed roller
motors and trailer-assist drive motors from Black Bruin – a Finnish
company with over 60 years of experience in the field
IMAGES BLACK BRUIN
ogging in Finland began shifting from
horses and floating to timber trucks in
the 1950s. The combination of heavy
loads and poor roads led to the need
for increased pulling power. Responding to
this demand, Finnish engineer Ilmari Louhio
(1919-2015) developed the hydraulic SISU
radial piston motor, which was designed as
part of the wheel hub to provide additional
all-wheel drive power.

L
30

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

This innovative wheel hub motor has
been in use since 1959, although Finlandbased Black Bruin has changed its name a
few times since this date. Starting out as
SISU motors in 1959, the company was
renamed Partek (1970s) and then as Valmet
(1980s). In the 2000s, it switched to Metso
and Sampo-Hydraulics. The name Black
Bruin (Bruin, as in Bear) was already
well-known by the industry as a motor’s

brand name since 1984. In 2016, Black
Bruin finally became the name for the
entire company.
Black Bruin’s products are based on
strong and reliable radial piston cam ring
technology, which are said to work tirelessly
in a wide variety of mobile and industrial
power transmission applications. Today, the
firm and its 90 staff export 70% of its
products to the global market, and achieved

COMPANY PROFILE | BLACK BRUIN

“TODAY, THE FIRM AND ITS 90 STAFF EXPORT 70% OF ITS PRODUCTS TO THE
GLOBAL MARKET, AND ACHIEVED A €19.4M TURNOVER IN 2021”

Above right:
Black Bruin’s
parent company
is Sampo
Rosenlew.

Right: Radial
piston tech
boosts power.
a €19.4m turnover in 2021. It provides
hydraulic technology to Agriculture,
Forestry, Construction, Mining, Marine,
Heavy transport and On-rail equipment.
The company also supports fixed plant in
industrial applications, and Forestry – in the
cut-to-length – equipment applications is
one of BB’s biggest markets.
With strong sales growth in central
Europe in recent years, we met up with

German-based Mattias Klasmann, Area Sales
Director, to find out more about Black
Bruin’s full range of radial piston hydraulic
motors for the UK and Ireland market.

FORESTRY HARVESTER & GRAPPLE ROTATORS
Mattias Klasmann explained that although
he joined the business in 2020, he has
known the company for some time, as he
previously worked for Claas

Industrietechnik and had dealings with the
company when its name was SampoHydraulics.
Mattias also explained that Black Bruin’s
full range of modern hydraulic motors and
rotators operate according to the same basic
principle as the original design from 1959,
which sees hydraulic pressure push the
pistons and cam rolls outwards against the
cam ring on the housing. The waveform
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

31

Right: Harvester
rotators up to
3.5KNm torque.

Far right: Links
with 4 adjustable
multi-disc brakes.

of the cam ring
transforms the force into
high torque. The company’s
rotators and harvesting head feed
roller motors are used in various
parts by at least four of the top
original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) – making
timber harvester and forwarder
machines – in the world. The firm
currently offers three rotator sizes
with a maximum of 1,600Nm,
3,000Nm, and a massive 3,500Nm
of torque.
Black Bruin also offers links and
multi-disc brakes for efficient and
steady swing damping. These
high-grade steel links for harvester
rotators can be equipped with up to
four adjustable multi-disc brakes,
and are also available without brakes for
applications where swing damping is not
required.

Compared to rival designs, Black Bruin’s
cam ring technology is said to have better
service life, maintaining power and

accuracy. In one example, a Ponsse Ergo
harvester fitted with a Black Bruin RH3016
rotator was clearing a spruce forest near
Jyväskylä in Finland. The machine’s
operators, Mikko Rajala and Raimo
Saavalainen, confirmed that the feel
of the rotator is strong and precise
even after 3,000 hours of use.
This harvester is just one of
Metsä-Multia Oy’s large fleet that
performs thinnings, clear cutting
and forest maintenance in a
130km radius in central Finland.
The company’s fleet includes 45
Ponsse and two Nisula forest
machines, four excavators and five
flatbed trucks, and it has 90
employees. Most of the softwood goes
to the nearby Äänekoski pulp mill,
which is in fact the largest pulp mill in the
entire northern hemisphere following the
recent modernisation.
Aki Laaja, Managing Director of Metsä-

ON-DEMAND
DRIVE SYSTEM
A complete transmission solution
for tractor-driven trailers and
working equipment.

VALVE

32

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

RADIAL
PISTON MOTOR

CONTROL
DEVICE

COMPANY PROFILE | BLACK BRUIN
“COMPARED TO RIVAL DESIGNS,
BLACK BRUIN’S CAM RING
TECHNOLOGY IS SAID TO HAVE
BETTER SERVICE LIFE,
MAINTAINING POWER AND
ACCURACY”
Multia commented, “The most important
features of a rotator are reliability and
precision. With Black Bruin’s radial piston
motor design, rotator remains powerful
throughout its service life, generally 8,000 to
13,000 hours, whereas rotators powered by
vane motors tend to get looser over time.”
And with their high efficiency – only 20L/
min of oil flow to operate – they are said to
offer good fuel economy.
In order to support its presence in the UK
and Ireland market, Black Bruin has signed

DISPLAY

steering ability and prevent trailers from
sinking into wet fields or forests,
avoiding damage to arable
land or tree roots. This
saves time and
money.
Trailers with
HARVESTER HEAD
driven wheels even
FEED ROLLER
save fuel, because
MOTORS
there’s no hauling
of dead weight and
Black Bruin’s
heavy loads can be
Finland-based
pulled with a smaller
marketing engineer,
tractor – thus making it
Pasi Kokkinen explained
possible to save on
that the company’s feed
capital investment costs
roller motors are based on
by using a smaller tractor.
its patented multi-speed
In order to meet these
technology, which is especially
challenging conditions, Black
suitable for use with four-roller
Bruin’s
On-Demand Drive System
harvester heads. Based on user
Above: Based
with multiple options is a preferred
experience, this technology
on 1959 design
choice amongst trailer
– combined with Black Bruin’s
principal...
manufacturers and customers.
leading radial piston design – are
Tractor-trailer
said to enable up to 20% better
combinations are
productivity than competing
used in many ways
technologies.
depending on the
Black Bruin’s technology
forest, field, or
is also said to provide a
construction site
dynamic solution to the
applications. With that
diversity of timber
in mind, Black Bruin is
harvesting, as it enables the
said to have listened to
automatic change of the
customers’ needs and
feed rate according to the
has experienced
size of the tree. This gives the
strong customer
harvester head a stronger
demand for a higher
and relatively higher speed
level of automation for power
than normal, translating
delivery with its control systems
into both improved
compared to a simple manual
productivity and
system.
profitability.
Above: CTR201
“Both end users and trailer
Thanks to the technology,
advanced
OEMs want to know about our
the harvester operator is said to have
control set-up.
more automated control system
superior processing control of trees
option,” explained Black Bruin’s
and trunks of different sizes, and the
Product Support Manager, Tero Pelkonen.
strong grip performance helps to ensure
“But in certain conditions, a simpler system
the user can maintain the correct feed rate.
may well defend its place. And for
TRAILER ASSIST DRIVE MOTORS
manufacturers of trailers and axles, the
complete drive system makes it easier to
On steep and/or very soft ground
design driven axles and integrate them on
conditions, there’s no question about the
trailers.”
advantages of trailers with driven wheels for
Black Bruin offers a complete Ontractor operators. They offer improved
distribution and service support agreements
with Linde Hydraulics UK and Micro
Hydraulics Ltd. to provide
essential fitting, service,
repair and warranty support
for Black Bruin products.

Right: BB also
makes hydraulic
winch motors.
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

33

WWW.BMF.EE

Forest machines that are
loved by farmers and valued
by professionals:
• Grapples 0.15-0.37 m2
• Cranes 4.3-10 m
• Trailers 6-18 t

• Hidden hydraulic hoses
• Made of especially tough steel: My Inner Strenx® and Hardox® In My Body
• Protected oil pump
• Protected cylinders
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M. Large Tree Services Ltd.
“Coolewell”, Church Road
Newtownabbey, BT36 6DH
+44 (0)28 9034 2838
sales@mlarge.com
www.mlarge.com

COMPANY PROFILE | BLACK BRUIN
Demand Drive System, covering
hydraulic motors, valves and a control
units. And the company’s latest drive
control technology is also
available with Hill
Descent Control
(HDC) for both
systems,
making several
migration
paths possible.
There are two
alternative
control systems
– the CTR201 unit
is the more
advanced option, coupled to the tractor’s
ISOBUS, which provides the system with all
the data needed to control the trailer’s
wheel motors, including the tractor’s
direction and speed. The display unit makes
it easy to select the desired drive power, then
the trailer automatically pulls in the same
direction and at the same speed as the
tractor.
If required, the operator can also
disengage the automatic system and control
the trailer’s drive manually. When
accelerating up to on-road speeds, the
operator does not need to disengage drive
– the system does that automatically at high
speeds. The CTR201 unit is designed to
simplify the operator’s work significantly
and offers practical user experience.
The alternative CTR101 unit is a cheaper
and more manual system, in which
engaging the drive and shifting between
speed ranges are taken care of by the driver.
However, the display unit of the CTR101
control system has the same updated and
user-friendly interface of the more
advanced CTR201 unit.

Above: Hydraulically
driven axle with Black
Bruin motors installed.
Black Bruin’s
HDC function helps
control the vehicle combination
and improves safety going down steep
slopes – in both forward and reverse gears
– and drivers can adjust the HDC power
level as they go. When the system is
engaged, the wheel motors function as
hydrostatic brakes. Using hydrostatic
braking lightens the load on the tractors
service brakes and prolongs their
maintenance interval. For further
information, see the ‘Black Bruin Drive
Control’ sidebar on page 36.

DRIVE-ASSIST MOTORS
One such original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) that has embraced Black Bruin’s

drive-assist hydraulic motor kits is Estonianbased BMF. BMF is a highly successful forest
trailer brand of Estonian company OÜ
Lisako, which produces approximately
1,000 trailers with cranes annually for
forestry use. What is unique about these
BMF trailers is that the supporting legs form
part its high-end trailers.
About one third of the Black Bruin
motors BMF uses are 35kW B240, and the
rest are 50kW B250 motors. So far,
approximately 5% of all BMF trailers have
a Black Bruin motor as a power source.
BMF’s Commercial Director Margus Kerm
explained that Black Bruin motors are
already familiar among BMF customers and
there is a genuine need for the solution, but
not all average customers want to pay the

Left: Black Bruin
drive motors for
stump mounding.

Above: More BB
motors in action
in the forest...

“WHEN THE SYSTEM IS
ENGAGED, THE WHEEL
MOTORS FUNCTION AS
HYDROSTATIC BRAKES”
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

35

BLACK BRUIN | COMPANY PROFILE
There’s no question about the
advantages of trailers with
driven wheels for tractor operators.

“ONE OEM THAT HAS
EMBRACED BLACK BRUIN’S
DRIVE-ASSIST HYDRAULIC
MOTOR KITS IS ESTONIANBASED BMF”
price. “It is more for the professional
users, with bigger forests and volumes, who
work in the forest every day, all year round,”
he said. “The bigger trailers have recently
been gaining popularity and selling better.”
Basically, there are two types of BMF
customers wanting the Black Bruin solutions.
Firstly, those who need hydraulic motors in
very slippery conditions – muddy and wet

terrain. Margus Kerm commented, “In our
region, where it’s pretty wet and muddy in
the forest, they need the axle drive. For
example, in the Baltics and Poland.”

WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT
In regions with higher hills, it is even more
important to have the best possible traction
and trailers with hydraulic motors to help
them climb up the steep slopes. The main
market for BMF trailers is in Central
Europe, Germany, the Czech Republic,
Austria, Slovenia and in other places where
forests tend to be in mountainous areas.
“The alternative to having a hydraulic
wheel drive system with a Black Bruin
motor is the so-called Robson roll drive

system, which is quite simple and
potentially has a lower price tag, Margus
explained. “Experience shows, however,
that especially in difficult conditions and
definitely in the long run, the Black Bruin
solution is much better. It helps the farmer
and logger so efficiently in muddy
conditions, which makes the slightly higher
price well worth it.”
Over the last 63 years, Black Bruin has
continued to develop its unique, strong and
reliable radial piston cam ring technology
to meet a wide range of application needs
in the forestry and other demanding
application. The company is now gearing
up to service the UK and Ireland market
with renowned service support partners.

BLACK BRUIN DRIVE CONTROL
Many trailer manufacturers have
their own solutions to control
hydraulic wheel drives, as even
BMF did earlier, but the company
has switched to using the Black
Bruin CTR system, as it believes
that its customers gain so much
more from using it.
“The Black Bruin solution has
many features which our system
did not have, such as safety
systems, power adjustments,
speed range controls, hill descent
control (HDC) function and so on,”
said Margus Kerm, BMF’s
Commercial Director. “Black Bruin
knows every detail of its hydraulic
motors and that is why it offers the
best drive control solution on the
market. We also get
comprehensive product support

36

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

from Black Bruin, which is great for
us. It is a really good partnership,”
Margus confirmed.
After successful field testing, the

first BMF customer to go for CTR
with HDC function took delivery of
the trailer and is happy with the
solution.

BMF reports that Black Bruin
offers the highest level of product
support and rarely receives
complaints about the products.
When issues arise, Black Bruin has
always resolved them – and quickly
too. “It is a quite sophisticated
system, so there are always
questions – not necessarily real
problems with the machine as
such,” Margus affirmed.
In these pages we have written
about a number of contractors
who maintain and build farm and
forest tracks, and they regularly
work on steep ground in all
whether conditions. Clearly, this
assist-drive solution fitted to
tipping trailers would also be a
suitable application for these types
of operators.

YOUTH AND

IMAGES
EOGHAN DALY

EXPERIENCE
Fleet upgrades are essential to improving performance and
maintaining production consistency. However, looking after a
dedicated team of operators and training new entrants for the
future is equally crucial, as Eoghan Daly reports
38

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

OPERATOR TRAINING | LYNCH HARVESTING LTD
ynch Harvesting Ltd is no
stranger to replacing and
upgrading its machinery.
Located in County Leitrim,
Ireland, the company’s latest crop of
machines is in stark contrast to what helped
Tommy Lynch get his timber harvesting
contracting business up and running 23 years
ago. The modern fleet of three harvesters
and three forwarders work across the
counties of Leitrim, Cavan and Roscommon,
with thinning and clearfelling work
conducted for Coillte and Arbor Forestry.
For Lynch Harvesting, it’s not just about
investing in the latest kit, however. Tommy
makes a point of recruiting fresh talent to
complement his experienced team of
operators, and helps their career wherever
he can once their commitment to the job is
confirmed. There is cause for concern,
though. “I’m fortunate to have some longserving operators, but it’s very important to
encourage new entrants. The age profile of
forest machine operators is becoming a
worry and unless something significant is
done to attract new blood to the industry,
we will be left with very few operators within
the next 10 years,” reckons Tommy.
With one young operator already trained
and reaching an impressive level of
competence, a second is in the process of
going through the necessary training
regime. Interestingly, both new
operators have ventured into
the industry from nonforestry backgrounds.
Martin McManus is
Lynch Harvesting’s
first newly trained
operator and during

L

Left: Scorpion is
a true all-round
harvester.
Above left inset:
Martin McManus
is into his fifth
year with Lynch.
Far right and
inset right: H6
head balances
power & speed.
Below: Zero tail
swing crane ideal
for thinnings.

“INTERESTINGLY, BOTH
OF LYNCH’S NEW OPERATORS
HAVE VENTURED INTO THE
INDUSTRY FROM NONFORESTRY BACKGROUNDS”
our visit showed what can be achieved with
some well-placed dedication. Now into his
fifth year with the company, 25-year old
Martin was operating a Ponsse Scorpion
harvester with Ponsse H6 harvesting head
delivered new during October 2021. As
Martin expertly negotiated his way through
a first thinning Norway Spruce stand near
Elphin, County Roscommon for Arbor
Forestry, a sense of hope for the future of
the industry prevailed when we saw how a
new entrant with no previous engagement
in forestry could progress.

FROM CONSTRUCTION TO FORESTRY
From Ballyshannon, County Donegal,
Martin previously worked in construction
assisting his father who serves as a carpenter
and roofing contractor. However, having
seen timber harvesting equipment in
operation locally, a career in forestry always
seemed appealing. Upon completing his
secondary school education, he attended
Ballyhaise College to complete a Level Five
course in forestry operations.
Early modules educated
participants in tree
identification and forestry
practices, and were
followed by chainsaw
training and
maintenance

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

39

PONSSE ELK

A COMPACT POWERHOUSE
PONSSE Elk is a highly versatile machine in its size class. Its compact design makes it very agile,
while its components, shared with larger machines, make it a powerful and durable forwarder with a
first-rate load-carrying-capacity. Its engine with a fast response, impressive torque and sturdy loader
make working comfortable, especially when the operator can enjoy the most spacious cabin and
ergonomic controls on the market. PONSSE Elk is an excellent choice when you need an economical
but a powerful workhorse for thinning-based logging.

Proud to be working with
Ponsse Ireland, Cappakeel, Emo, Co. Laois R32 NN28

40

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

A loggers
ggers best friend

OPERATOR TRAINING | LYNCH HARVESTING LTD
Left: Ponsse
callipers check
length accuracy.

“THE PONSSE SCORPION USES AN 11.2M-REACH CRANE
AND IS EQUIPPED WITH AN H6 HARVESTING HEAD”

procedures. While studying, Martin got
to grips with the college’s John Deere
timber harvester simulator, familiarising
himself with the control layout of a typical
timber harvester and honing his operational
skillset.
It was during the final stages of his course
and while looking for work experience that
Martin came across Lynch Harvesting. “I
needed to do work experience to complete
the course and approached several forestry
contractors to see if they would be willing to
take me on for 10 weeks,” Martin explained.
“Of those firms I tried, Tommy Lynch was
the most accommodating and took me on
doing pre-brashing before the harvester got
to work, which gave me an ideal chance to
apply my chainsaw training.”
Martin also completed a course in the
felling of larger trees and work practices in
wind-blow, while a first aid course was also
completed separately. Armed with a mix of
training and practical
experience, Martin continued

working with Lynch Harvesting and, while
continuing with chainsaw work for the first
10 months, seized every opportunity to
operate forestry machinery.

MAKING IT COUNT
When the full-time driver had completed his
shift, Martin worked on the forwarder in the
evenings, encountering a variety of situations
and further developing his ability. Then in
December 2017, he jumped into the cab of
a John Deere 810E forwarder full-time. Just
over a year later, he transitioned to a newer,
higher capacity 1010E before advancing to a
current-generation, fixed cab 1010G in
January 2018.
“I was really impressed by the John Deere
forwarders and especially the most recent
1010G,” Martin said. “It’s a serious machine
to travel wetter sites and causes minimal
ground damage even in thinnings. With
floatation tracks all-round, it has very low
ground pressure and has decent load
capacity for the longer haul distances.

PONSSE ELK FORWARDER
W
hile the Lynch

Stage 5 emissions-compliant

Harvesting fleet is

and delivers a massive 175kN

varied, the company has

of tractive force. The K90+

developed a strong

double extension crane

allegiance to Ponsse in

reaches 10m, while the trailer

recent years. Lynch’s current

extension and variable width

harvesters all come from the

load bars make the load bunk

Finnish manufacturer and it

particularly versatile.

recently added its first

Specified with a standard

Ponsse forwarder to the

rear bogie, which has been

fleet. Coincidentally, this

fitted with floatation tracks to

machine also represents

overcome the challenges of its

another first: it is also the

initial clear fell extraction

first of the Ponsse Elk models

application, the machine

to go into service with an

travels ground particularly

Irish forestry contractor.

well. Encasing the 710mm

Slotting into the Ponsse

wide tyres, the floatation

Above: Elk’s
crane reaches a
full 10 metres.
Below: The Elk
shifted material
at some speed.

leading towards the forest

multiple bay configurations,

road. Incorporating deep,

allowing it to remain

ploughed ground for original

productive over the

establishment of this Sitka

complete extraction process.

Spruce, the high rainfall

Operated by experienced

experienced in the area

operator James Waugh, the

range between the Wisent

tracks extend well beyond the

and Buffalo, the Elk is rated

tyre width and through the

through this upland location

Elk clearly got off to a great

as a 13-tonne capacity

close formation of the link

meant the sensitive ground

start on its first site, as James

machine – ideal for meeting

structure afford an extremely

was not affected by the

explained. “Even though

Lynch’s need for extra

high level of floatation.

machine thanks to its low

we’ve only had this

ground pressure and the

forwarder one week, it is

orking on its first site at

already proving to be an

Manorhamilton, County

capacity. However, despite
is still an all-round performer

W

reassuringly generous brash
mat formed through the

excellent machine. The

with operational abilities in

Leitrim, which involves

harvesting action.

power it has and how well it

thinnings and clearfell

extraction of a large clearfell

extraction, its width

site for Coillte, the

sufficiently narrow overall

ground conditions

even with 710mm tyres.

were typical of

considerable volume of

while the crane handles very

the area with a

shorter lengths with

well too. The space in the cab

the ability of the

is in a different class too, and

this impressive figure, the Elk

Powered by a 150kW and
850Nm Mercedes-Benz

steady uphill

OM934LA unit, the Elk is

gradient

Incorporating a high
percentage of sawlog
material, there was also a

Elk to facilitate

travels the ground with a full
load is very impressive. It
also has great crane reach

it’s nicely laid out.”

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

41

LYNCH HARVESTING LTD | OPERATOR TRAINING
“ALL FORESTRY MACHINERY
MUST BE MAINTAINED
AND MUCH OF THAT
RESPONSIBILITY FALLS
TO THE OPERATOR”

The levelling seat makes it a very
comfortable forwarder to operate and even
in the standard fixed cab is well laid out with
a good view,” Martin added.
Following four years on forwarders,
Martin changed to harvester operation
during early 2021. Working on a four-year
old Ponsse Scorpion, he quickly developed
an understanding of the machine and came
to appreciate its reliability and strong
performance. Rewarded for his
commitment to Lynch Harvesting, Martin
took charge of a new Scorpion packed with
optional extras in August 2021. The
machine has since set new standards when it
comes to productivity.
In standard form, the Ponsse Scorpion
uses an 11.2m-reach crane and is equipped
with an H6 harvesting head. Following his
positive experiences working in thinnings
and clearfell, Martin applauds the
harvester’s sheer grunt and notes a clear
evolution of the species. The basic design
may be the same, but the newer machine is
able to better apply its power and generate
more speed in the harvesting head than the
older version. “I couldn’t imagine a more
stable machine,” he said. “It has a very

42

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

smooth crane with plenty of reach, and the
H6 head is just amazing, particularly in
densely limbed timber.”

PUTTING IN THE HOURS
Having effortlessly completed a clearfell
with a 0.4 cubic metre average tree and
moving to a first thinning with a 0.08 cubic
metre tree size, it is clear the Scorpion has
a broad working range. Extremely
manoeuvrable, the machine’s crane works
very well in thinnings and its mounting over
the cab on a common slewing base does
wonders for visibility.
“The Scorpion’s crane design is first class
and provides a great view as there is no
crane kingpost blocking your line of sight,”
Martin explained. “It’s also a very tidy crane
with no exposed hoses and it
doesn’t move out into trees
on the opposite side
when slewing in
thinnings.”
The H6 head’s
optional colour
marking feature
came in handy at
Martin’s most

Left: Log types
are marked to
make life easy.

Below: Martin’s
previous ride
– a JD 1010G.

Bottom: Martin
has made great
progress.

recent thinning site. “I’m harvesting three
log lengths in this thinning and, when
they’re on the ground, each length is hard
for the forwarder operator to pick out. Log
marking allows me to spray the 3.1m pallet
red and the 3m pulp blue, while the 3.4m
stake lengths are identified easily as they
aren’t marked. It’s a small thing, but it
makes a big difference.” Of course, all
forestry machinery must be maintained and
much of that responsibility falls to the
operator. The Scorpion makes life easy for
Martin with its automatic greasing system.
At the time of our visit, Martin was
working four long days per week, meaning
three consecutive days off and a healthy
work/life balance. “Having the chance to
work with comfortable and state-of-the-art
machines like the Ponsse Scorpion is
great. It is a rewarding career
and, even though I often
need to stay away from
home, the working
week goes by quickly.
I never see it as
being repetitive as
every wood is
different.”

FAT TRUCK 2.8C | UTILITY TERRAIN VEHICLE

TOUGH
MUDDER
David Wylie tests the Canadian amphibious Fat Truck –
arguably the most high-tech Ultra-Class Utility Terrain
Vehicle currently available
IMAGES DAVID WYLIE

F

orestry Machinery readers may
recall we tested the Ukrainian-built
Sherp amphibious all-terrain
skid-steer vehicle in the Spring
2021 issue. With two Sherp units sold in the
UK for coastal rescue and flood defence
operations, there is now an alternative for
UK and Ireland customers, as the high-tech,
Stage 5 Cat engine and Canadian-built Fat
Truck has entered the UK market via the
sole authorised dealer, Off-Piste Agri Ltd.
Off-Piste Agri owner is Harry Kester and
he has a wealth of experience in the land
management sector. The company has
supplied and provided supported for
PistenBully GreenTech machines used by
farmers and land management companies
on high production silage clamping
operations and environmental management
of wetlands – some with MERA attachments
– since 2013.
Back in February of 2019, with an initial
investment of $1.5 million, the Zeal Motor
Inc – headquartered in Quebec, Canada –
launched its state-of-the-art Fat Truck
Ultra-Class Utility Terrain Vehicle. And
whilst the North American truck may look
very similar to the Sherp, the two machines
are very different under the skin.
The Fat Truck has an ISO and ROPScertified rollover protective structure and
3-point hags for all passengers. And whilst
the UTV is CE marked, Off-Piste Agri is not
promoting it as road legal in the UK.
However, as with custom and practise,
operators will be able to move it a limited
distance, from site to site, on public roads.
With that in mind, Off-Piste Agri is
currently working with a trailer maker to
develop a bespoke trailer design for quick
and easy transportation further afield. The
Fat Truck will load quite comfortably onto a
beaver tail trailer or HGV lorry thanks to its
lightweight design, though.
The Fat Truck 2.8C model on test (there
is also a new pickup model – more on this
later) can transport up to eight people (two
up front and six in the rear) and/or a

44

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

1,000kg payload. It is also amphibious with
a combination of a hull-like chassis and its
ultra-low ground pressure and chunky,
low-pressure tyres.
The Fat Truck is powered by the latest,
2.2-litre Cat Stage 5 turbodiesel engine with
67hp, linked to a modern automatic
Danfoss hydrostatic transmission system.
It also has intuitive proportional joystick
control, and can be driven from either the
front left or front right seats.
The Canadian-built ATV has a top speed
of 25mph (40kph) and can be equipped
with air con, a roof rack with ladder, exterior
mirrors, parking camera and more.

FIRST DRIVE
We met up with Harry Kester and his
training provider Contour Training at
Cochno Farm & Research in Clydebank,
Glasgow. The Cochno Farm & Research is
part of Glasgow University veterinary school
estate, which has a large area with steep hills
and soft ground that provides a challenging
training environment for 4x4 vehicles and
track-type people carriers, such as the one
made by Hägglund for the Swedish army.
After a safety briefing and familiarisation
with the Fat Truck controls, it was time to
put this ultra-class off-roader to the test.
Access to the front seats is via a large front
facing door, which is easily opened with a
powerful gas strut and neat drop down
3-rung access ladder that is stored within the
tubular frame of the central mounted
dashboard.

Above: Superb
traction even
in thick mud.
Below: Cabin
has a 2+6 seat
arrangement.
Below right:
Roof rack with
ladder is extra.

Mike Green from
Autoplant Ltd is
service support.

TECH
SPECS
Fat Truck 2.8C
ENGINE Caterpillar
C2.2, turbodiesel,
Stage 5, 67hp
TRANSMISSION
Hydrostatic with
16 ‘gears’: 8 high and
low range to drive all
four wheels
TOP SPEED 25mph on
land; 2mph on water
TYRES Tubeless, extralow pressure Fat Truck
LGP 1640x640x610
tyres, inflatable from
0.5 to 4.0psi
HEIGHT 2,565mm
LENGTH 3,720mm
WIDTH 2,550mm
GROUND CLEARANCE
500mm
TURNING CIRCLE
On the spot/within
its own length
PAYLOAD 1,000kg
PASSENGER CAPACITY
8 (2 front + 6 rear)
FUEL TANK CAPACITY
70L (18.5 US Gal)
TOW CAPACITY 1,000kg
MAXIMUM UPHILL
& DOWNHILL
35 degrees/70%
MAXIMUM SIDEHILL
22 degrees/40%
VEHICLE WEIGHT
2,243kg
WARRANTY LIMITED
1 year/1,000 hours
(whichever
comes first)

Powerful Cat 2.2-litre diesel
engine with 67hp meets US and
European emissions standards.

THE FAT TRUCK 2.8C
CAN TRANSPORT UP TO
EIGHT PEOPLE AND/OR
A 1,000KG PAYLOAD”
The simplistic beauty of operating the
Fat Truck is its centrally-mounted joystick
control lever; if you’re right-handed, you sit
in the left-hand front seat, or vice versa for
those operators who are left-handed.
Situated in front of the joystick is a centremounted LCD screen displaying engine
revs, temperature, pressures and fuel level.
Four big push-button controls provide
access to the menu screens and scroll
through driver preferences, such as quick
tyre inflation – 0 to 4psi in just 17 seconds
thanks to an on-board compressor – and
deflation control to obtain maximum tyre
cleat contact with the ground.
Fat Truck has gone to great lengths to
make the 2.8C as easy to operate as possible.
Proof of this approach are the four preset

tyre pressures displayed on the LCD screen
for covering snow, mud, trail and water
(amphibius applications). There’s a manual
override/adjustment option, too.
Unlike the Sherp’s complex array of two
steering levers, 5-speed gearbox lever,
throttle and clutch pedals, the Fat Truck’s
joystick is a state-of-the-art HOTAS system
(similar to that found in the aviation
industry) for operating the modern
hydrostatic drive and steering, and to safely
brake this ultimate off-roader.
Simply moving the joystick left and right
steers the vehicle, and the more you push
the joystick the faster the vehicle will travel.
The parking brake disc is applied via a
button on top of the joystick and a
secondary fail-safe button on the centre
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

45

FAT TRUCK 2.8C | UTILITY TERRAIN VEHICLE
Fat Truck 2.8C navigating the
infamous ‘Hägglund fail’ hilly
and slippery grass section.

NEW PICKUP
VERSION
Zeal Motor Inc recently
launched its new Fat Truck
pickup, known as the 2.8P. The
company says the 2.8P model
is designed specifically for
transporting material and
tools to the job site, and was
inspired by Utility industry

FAT TRUCK HAS GONE TO
GREAT LENGTHS TO MAKE
THE 2.8C AS EASY TO
OPERATE AS POSSIBLE”

customers who requested an
amphibious vehicle to bring
payload through harsh
conditions with the occupants
separated from the payload.
With a maximum payload

console. There is good visibility through
the large front screen and side windows, and
there’s a standard rear-view camera too.
The easy-to-clean, vinyl covered seats are
comfortable, and front head restraints are
fitted for extra safety. Ride comfort is taken
care of by a pneumocirculating suspension
system plus the huge, soft-sidewall Fat Truck
LGP 1640x640x610 tyres, which can achieve
a fully loaded footprint of just 1.6psi at
maximum payload – five times less than a
human footprint! Operating range is high
and fuel consumption is low, with fuel burn
being just 7 litres of diesel per hour. The
70-litre fuel tank should give around 10
hours of endurance.
Harry Kester commented, “Right from
the start, our company has always been
driven by a safety-first approach, from our
first days offering PistenBully GreenTech
machines for great stability on silage clamps.
And I am proud to be the UK and Ireland
dealer for Fat Truck, as we believe it’s the
safest, best quality and modern ultra-class
off-roader in the market today.
“Again, with safety in mind, I wanted to
offer our customers the best possible sales
and service package for Fat Truck. This
meant partnering with Ian McGhie of
Contour Training and our service partner
Mike Green from Autoplant Ltd.”
To find out just how capable the Fat Truck
is, we handed it over to the experienced
hands of Mike Green and Ian McGhie, after
which it promptly forded through deep
water tracks and climbed steep, muddy hills
with up to 75% of gradient, and tackled
slippery grass sections.

46

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

capacity of 1,000kg, the 2.8P
is offered with many options,
including a high-speed
Capstan winch, vegetation
spraying unit, water tank,
firefighting foam kit and small
service crane for recovery of
storm debris, boosting its
versatility. Two versions of the

Ian mentioned there was an extremely
steep and slippery grass section on the
training route known as the ‘Hägglund fail’
because a tracked Hägglund all-terrain
carrier once failed to climb it! With that in
mind, the team were keen to find out if the
Fat Truck could do any better. Without any
fuss or drama, we observed the Fat Truck
easily climb this steep, slippery grass section
without any loss of traction. It was simply
awesome to see the 2.8C’s controlled rate of
climb and stability, and it hardly left a mark
on the ground with its super-light footprint!

Above: Off-Piste
Agri owner
Harry Kester.

2.8P are available: open cab or
closed canopy.
The new pickup features a
redesigned cab with improved
noise protection, a new front
entry door with integrated
stair, and a front window able
to open 4 inches while
providing better visibility. The
2.8P pickup also has a new
joystick with improved drive
software, and a new control
screen. Ground clearance is
increased slightly, and fuel

HIGHLY VERSATILE
Speaking to one forestry contractor, he was
interested to learn of the Fat Truck’s safety
and high performance go-anywhere
capability, and exceptional low ground
pressure to travel across sensitive areas, as
there may come a time when a forestry
project will need such a vehicle to get hand
cutting crews to the jobsite. And with its
hardtop or the new pickup configuration
and towing capability, the potential
applications in utility companies, farming,
forestry, land management and other
sectors, to which this vehicle can be used,
are simply endless.

Below: Pickup
version known
as the 2.8P.

tank capacity is 10 litres
greater at 80 litres for
improved range.

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

47

WEIGHT
WATCHER
Developed by experienced engineer
JP Betts, the LH Weigh-Pro system
has greatly improved how timber
hauliers load their trucks, as
Eoghan Daly reports
IMAGES EOGHAN DALY

“THE FIRST VERSION OF LH WEIGH-PRO SYSTEM
ARRIVED IN 2014 FOLLOWING TESTS ON VEHICLES
FROM A NUMBER OF HAULIERS”

48

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

t is difficult to predict the weight
of round timber due to
variations between species, as
well as the influence of seasonal
factors and even the duration since felling.
Consequently, when timber haulage trucks
are loaded without using a weighing system
there is great potential for error, resulting in
overloading or underloading, lost revenue
and/or prosecution.
Spotting a gap in the market for an
accurate, reliable and user-friendly weighing
system, County Tipperary-based JP Betts
began developing a solution to fulfil this
requirement. Timber truck weighing
systems are not a new innovation, but the
minority who were using them were
reporting unacceptably poor accuracy and
reliability.

I

JP Betts developed the
LH Weigh-Pro payload
weighing system.

TIMBER LOADING | LH WEIGH-PRO
JP Betts approached the challenge armed
with experience in the forestry and timber
haulage sector, gained through time
repairing and modifying hydraulic systems,
as well as providing an ‘out of hours’
hydraulic hose replacement service through
his business Late Hose.
As a qualified mechanical engineer and
electronics engineer, JP initially worked in
Australia servicing and providing
breakdown support for a large fleet of plant
on major infrastructure projects. Following
his return to Ireland, he worked in a
number of different roles which provided
the basis for his strong level of practical
experience in tandem with his
comprehensive qualifications.
Having established his own business just
outside Cahir, County Tipperary some years

ago, which he continues to run in tandem
with his regular day job, the regular contact
with timber hauliers through his
replacement hydraulic hose business –
coupled with modifications carried out to
ensure optimum performance of loading
cranes mounted on a range of trucks – gave
him solid footing to develop a new product.

EXPERIENCE COUNTS
“One of my customers brought a weighing
system to me that was underperforming and
achieving poor levels of accuracy,” JP
recalled. “I worked on it and saw several
ways in which a system could be developed
to address the shortcomings of this other
manufacturer’s design. Even though I set
about developing a new system straight
away, it still took time to perfect it before

I had something to offer the market. The
software development aspect of the design
was the most time-consuming.”
The first version of the so-called LH
Weigh-Pro system arrived in 2014 following
tests on vehicles from a number of hauliers.
Making the product easy to use ranked very
high on JP’s list of priorities, while achieving
a high level of accuracy without affecting the
normal flow of the loading process was
another crucial consideration.
The LH Weigh-Pro system has been
upgraded several times since the original
version launched, and the range has
expanded to include the original top seat
variant, a cabin-based unit, a wireless system,
and most recently a system that runs in
tandem with an in-cab printer to provide
A4 printed weight dockets. The LH

PROTRANS

Hitachi 120-1 with LH Weigh-Pro
system at clearfell site near
Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
Protrans Transport and

plus a Hitachi Zaxis 120-1

double extension loading

Logistics Ltd serves food,

in-forest loading excavator, are

crane with folding operator

retail, pharma, manufacturing

fitted with LH Weigh-Pro

canopy.

and timber sectors in Ireland,

systems.

the UK and Europe. All its
timber haulage fleet,

Left inset: Grab and LH
weigh link on Protrans’
loading excavator.
Left inset below: In-cab
screen and keypad of
Protrans’ Zaxis 120-1.

Of the company’s most

Hitachi Zaxis 120-1 operator
Adrian Sheils praised the

recent vehicles to receive the

accuracy of the Weigh-Pro

system is a high-spec,

system on his excavator. With

2021-registered Scania

the machine positioned at a

R500XT Highline 6x2 tractor

responsibly low height on a

unit allied to a Robinson

stable log stack base, it

timber trailer and fitted with a

effortlessly loaded the

sliding rear bunk, plus a full set

craneless trucks. The

of Alucar bolsters and load

installation was carried out

bars, and an Epsilon M120L

by JP Betts at Late Hose,
including the mounting
bracket allied to the boom
end, together with the LH
Weigh-Pro weigh link and the
necessary hydraulic plumbing
to serve the log grab.
“The weighing system is a
vital tool in recording the
payload during loading of the
trucks and is something we

Truck driver and excavator operator
Adrian Sheils finds the LH system
very accurate and easy to use.

couldn’t work without since it
gives such a high level of
accuracy,” Adrian said.

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

49

kate@kwrplanthire.co.uk
kev@kwrplanthire.co.uk

07775 770454
07774 690504

• REPAIRING ROADS
• CYCLE PATHS
• RAILWAYS

• PARKING AREAS
• INDUSTRY FIELDS
• FOREST ROADS, etc

• Weight 3600kg
• Working thickness
0- 300mm
• Working width 2,74- 4,36m
• Tilt automation
• For over 10 tons loaders,
tractors, and dozers
• Transport dimensions
3300* 2300* 1300 mm

50

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Tel: +358 400 521631
Email: pasi.mantynen@reptail.ǻ

www.reptail.Ā

TIMBER LOADING | LH WEIGH-PRO

Weigh-Pro
system can now
be adapted to
individual user
requirements too.
“We have built
durability and reliability
into the system from the
start, and believe having a
spec that’s over the application is
really important,” explained JP. “Even
though our standard system has durability
and long life built in, we build systems very
much with the application in mind and have
a range of weigh links from the standard
timber truck right up to large scale loaders
operating in the US and Canada. Over
there, temperatures range from -50C to
+50C, and with systems already working
there without problems, the product really
is tried and trusted.”
The top seat product and the system for
use inside the cabin of log loading cranes
or independent in-forest loaders are the
foundation of the range. Where the latter is
chosen, a more compact screen offering is
presented as it does not require the same
level of protection from the elements. In
contrast, when the top seat system is chosen,
an extreme level of protection is offered as
the system monitor with integrated control
panel is housed inside a weather- and
damage-proof casing.
Menu structure is extremely user-friendly,
with the operator initially entering the
maximum legal load capacity of the vehicle

to set up the system.
Once this weight
level is reached, the
display screen
changes colour to red
to alert the operator.
During the loading
process, each grab of logs is
weighed once the lever button
is pressed, with the weight added to
the total displayed on the screen.

ACCURATE AND RELIABLE
Two weighing modes are offered: Standard
mode takes a single weight of the grapple’s
contents, while the Average weight value
mode takes multiple weight measurements
during the individual crane cycle and enters

Above inset: LH Weigh-Pro’s top seat-mounted control
unit – here it shows a total payload of 26,204kg.
Below: Top seat units ready for dispatch with in-cab
Epson printer for use in alliance with the touchscreen.

“WE HAVE BUILT DURABILITY
AND RELIABILITY INTO THE
SYSTEM FROM THE START”
the average value as part of the payload
calculation. To inform the operator of
successful recording of each grab weight,
an audible beeper sounds following the
pressing of the lever button, while a light
also illuminates on the display panel, or in
the case of the cabin version through an
LED light integrated into a buzzer wired
into the dashboard panel.
As an added advantage, the last grab
weight can be cleared from the calculated
total which comes into its own in cases
where a log outside of classification is
encountered, or for any other reason at the
user’s discretion. To safeguard against
generation of errors, the same grapple
weight cannot be weighed twice.
Even though the standard version has a
user-friendly menu structure, an even more
simple-to-use touchscreen version is also
available. This is primarily intended for use
in alliance with the in-cab printer, which
produces weight dockets as a record of the
tare weight, gross weight and total payload
of a given haul.
Other variants of the system include a
wireless configuration, which sees no
physical connection between the control
and display modules and the weighing link
itself. Instead, a battery is incorporated
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

51

LH WEIGH-PRO | TIMBER LOADING

Truck crane links for scrap
metal and timber apps; far
right item is for a log loader
and is destined for Canada.

Weigh link being fitted to a timber crane
by JP Betts at his Cahir workshop.
into the weigh link which powers the
transfer of data. As the system is used only
during loading operations and powered off
during unloading, the battery can last up to
two and a half years before a replacement is
required.

IN DEMAND
While Late Hose offers a fitting service for its
LH Weigh-Pro systems, most are fitted either
by the customer or added during the fitment
of cranes by a dealer. With the majority of
Irish and UK-based crane suppliers having
developed a distinct preference for the LH
Weigh-Pro systems, demand for them has
increased in recent years.

Reliability is confirmed
has never been taken up by a
“FITMENT TO
by the infrequent nature
STANDARD TIMBER customer to date.”
of replacement part
While fitment to standard
TRUCK LOADING
requests, as JP confirmed.
timber truck loading cranes
CRANES IS THE
“Demand for
continues to be the most
MOST COMMON
replacement parts has
common installation for the LH
been extremely low,
INSTALLATION FOR Weigh-Pro system, a range of
which speaks volumes
other situations have been
THE SYSTEM”
about how reliable we
catered for. Other applications
have succeeded in
include the recycling industry
making the system. By
where a number of systems with
specifying all main system parts to a very high extreme duty weigh links are set to be
standard, we have managed to eradicate
deployed. In addition, a number of heavy
prospective problems and from the outset
duty weigh links with associated systems are
have offered a money back guarantee when it being dispatched to Canada for fitment to
comes to satisfaction with the system, which
large capacity log loaders.

KIERAN LEYDON HAULAGE
County Cavan-based Kieran Leydon

“There’s no benefit to overloading

specialises exclusively in round

timber trucks given the penalties

timber haulage and runs a quality

enforced by the law and also by

fleet of trucks. The Swanlinbar haulier

sawmills, so it’s in our own interest to

has long recognised the importance

run within the weight limits,” Kieran

of weighing systems and, having tried

explained. “These LH Weigh-Pro

other systems, the company

systems have proven very easy to use

recognises the effectiveness of LH

and are very reliable. They

Weigh-Pro systems, which are now

are also easy to install,

used on its entire fleet, including the

as I have transferred

most recent units that arrived in 2021:

a system onto a

two Scania R540 trucks, one in 6x2

truck’s crane

artic form and the other a high-spec

recently

6x4 rigid and drawbar trailer

without any

combination.

difficulties.”

52

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Left inset: Kieran Leydon Above: Kieran Leydon’s
has plenty experience
Scania R450 6x2 tag axle
running LH Weigh-Pro kit. tractor unit with trailer.

Is you weighing system costing you money?
LH Weigh-Pro will solve your problems!

THE EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE WEIGHING
SYSTEM WHICH HAS BEEN DESIGNED
SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TIMBER INDUSTRY
LH WEIGH-PRO CABIN

LH WEIGH-PRO TOP SEAT

The screen is separate from the control module.
The module can be stored elsewhere in the cab.
The screen can be mounted anywhere in cab
using the “ball and socket” wherever is suitable
for the operator. This is a very neat assembly
connected by a single cable.

Complete unit is waterproof and extremely robust
for extreme weather conditions. It has an external
fold down protective cover provided to offer sun
reflection and glass protection. A printer can also
be fitted to LH Weigh-Pro and mounted in truck
cab slip printing receipt of work carried out.

LH Weigh-Pro Late Hose Ltd, Cahir, Co Tipperary, Ireland
M: 00353 86 7854848 • Email: info@latehose.com

The ChipMax produces high quality
chip in great quantities and benefits
from regular wear part replacements.

CHIP OFF
THE NEW BLOCK
Building on its timber harvesting, extraction and haulage services, Worrell Harvesting
Ltd embarked on a most ambitious venture to develop a successful wood energy
operation with help from a CBI ChipMax 484VR, as Eoghan Daly reports
IMAGES EOGHAN DALY

R

enewable energy sources are very much encouraged these
days, which is increasing demand for woodchip. County
Laois-based company Worrell Harvesting Ltd recognised
the strong business case for wood energy much earlier
than most and diversified accordingly – a move that was backed by
solid investment.
Worrell Harvesting is a family-run operation and since
commencing operations in 1992 has developed into one of
Ireland’s leading forestry companies. From its base at Killinure in
Ballybrittas, a complete range of services to the forestry sector are
offered, including harvesting, haulage, woodchip production and

54

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

supply together with timber marketing for a growing client base.
Already working for many of Ireland’s leading sawmills, an
increase in private sector forestry throughout Ireland has seen
Worrell Harvesting grow its business around serving the needs of
these plantation owners. Established by brothers Kenneth, Colin
and Neil Worrell, early harvesting with chainsaw work was followed
by the purchase of their first forwarder, a Bruunett 678, and soon
advanced to their first harvester, a Norcar 490 with Silvatec 335
head. Now, Worrell Harvesting calls on a significant fleet of
harvesting and extraction machines from Ponsse and John Deere
to cover all stages of thinning and clearfell operations.

TRUCK-MOUNTED CHIPPER | CBI CHIPMAX 484VR

The company’s expansion to timber haulage
occurred in 1998 and inspired the purchase of many
rigid and articulated units. Entry to woodchip
production and supply eventually saw Worrell
Harvesting become one of leaders in this sector,
having pioneered the concept in Ireland.
“We have been involved with the production and
supply of biomass since 2007 and are pleased with
how it has developed for us over the years. It is a very
important part of our business,” explained Kenneth
Worrell. “It has also brought additional work to us,
as it assists in making much higher returns for the
forest owner since we are utilising the whole tree
and thereby making the maximum return for the
forest owner.”
The company’s original Komptech 5010 chipper
mounted on a Man 8x4 rigid truck with Epsilon
crane entered service in 2013, and despite
remaining a vital part of the operation has been
joined by a second, even higher output chipper to
serve growing production demand. Thanks to
self-sufficient haulage trucks, Worrell Harvesting has
the capacity to cover everything from the chipping
of logs to harvesting residues on both private- and
Coillte-owned forest properties. The company has
also developed an operation that works in tandem
with its timber harvesting operation, retrieving
harvested trees’ lop and top for drying and then
chipping to create a biomass product.

In clearfell sites, the benefits of this operation
are even more significant since the need for
windrowing of brash for establishment of the
second rotation is eliminated. Furthermore,
the absence of windrows means the presence
of coarsely branched wolf trees along the
edge of brash windrows through the
occurrence of phototropism is eliminated, as
complete stocking levels for the new crop can
be maintained ensuring uniform stand density.
With an increasing level of chipping of
harvesting residues occurring over the past year,
this activity has experienced exceptional growth
within Worrell’s operation and the company is
clearly reaping the benefits of the versatility of the
truck-mounted chippers, especially in the handling
of such material by their most recently acquired
unit pictured here...

IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE
Purchased in 2018, the CBI ChipMax 484VR is
clearly a machine with an immense appetite for
work based on its capacity and overall versatility.
“When it comes to output, the CBI ChipMax 484VR
is in a different league to anything else,” explained
Colin Worrell, who heads up the company’s biomass
operation. “We looked at a full range of options, but
this machine seemed to be the best long term
option for our needs. Now, four years later, it has
lived up to all our expectations.”
The perfect host for the ChipMax was deemed to
be a Volvo FH13 500 8x4 rigid truck with rear
steering axle and fitted with a Kesla 2112T double
extension crane equipped with a fully enclosed
operator’s cabin. Every aspect of the CBI chipper is
designed to maximise output while preserving the
quality of material produced.
Unlike most other manufacturers’ machines, the
CBI ChipMax 484VR can be fed from either side of
the truck, made possible by the slewing base. Even
though this arrangement does create a degree of
tail-swing, as the engine protrudes to a certain
extent on the opposite side, there are no major
compromises with the system. “Every machine

Above inset: Colin Worrell is a
biomass/woodchip specialist.
Top: Interior of Kesla crane with
controls for chipper and trailers.

“PURCHASED
IN 2018, THE
CBI CHIPMAX
484VR IS
CLEARLY A
MACHINE WITH
AN IMMENSE
APPETITE FOR
WORK”
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

55

DE HO
LIV ME
ER
Y!

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TRUCK-MOUNTED CHIPPER | CBI CHIPMAX 484VR

Above: IQAN-based chipper control system linked to wireless unit.
has limiting factors and the design of this CBI
chipper means it has far fewer working limits than
most,” Colin confirmed. “It is a big positive to be
able to position the infeed at either side. The
engine tail-swing is a factor that needs to be
considered when stacking material in the forest in
preparation for the chipper, but then again there
needs to be careful planning in advance for any
chipper to work effectively, so this is no different.”

SCANIA POWER
Based in Newton, New Hampshire, USA, the CBI
company is part of the renowned Terex Group and
offers a comprehensive range of wood processing
solutions. The firm’s ChipMax 484VR is offered with
a Cat C18 engine in standard form, which did not

conform with the tighter, upcoming emissions
regulations back in 2018. “We already had a very
good working relationship with Westward Scania for
support for our Scania trucks, which made a Scania
engine seem like the best option to drive the
chipper,” Colin explained. “We selected a Scania V8
engine, which is rated at 900hp [the Cat C18 makes
765hp]. You need this kind of power to get the
maximum from a chipper like the 484VR, and the
engine has been very reliable for us over the first
four years, which proves it was the right choice.”
When it comes to the infeed, CBI offers two
options – a drag chain-type system or the apron-type
feed system chosen by Worrell Harvesting due to the
type of material the machine would be handling.
Ferrying material forward to the intake roller, the

Above: ChipMax’s dimensions
are sufficiently compact.

“BASED IN
NEWTON, NEW
HAMPSHIRE,
USA, THE CBI
COMPANY IS
PART OF THE
RENOWNED
TEREX GROUP”

SET-UP AND OPERATION
Set-up and operation of the CBI

system, the full range of machine

means the headboard can be

within the crane’s cabin, they

ChipMax 484VR is both fast and

settings can be adjusted through

moved forward as loading

effectively have full control over

user-friendly. From its compact

the system as well as providing

progresses from the rear.

the entire operation. Furthermore,

transport position, the machine

access to service information

Communicating with the trailers

the user-friendliness of the crane

can be up and running in minutes.

through the comprehensive menu

via a wireless Wi-Fi link, should

controls makes a valuable

Initially, the two pairs of stabilising

structure accessed through

this fail full cable connectivity is

contribution to the effectiveness

legs are lowered with the crane’s

touchscreen navigation. However,

provided as a backup.

of the complete feeding process.

cabin then elevated before the

for the purposes of normal

crane is raised clear of the chipper,

operation, all aspects of the

allowing it to rotate to the working

machine are controllable via the

operating capacity, make this

position. The discharge chute is

wireless control unit within the

crane’s selection by Worrell

then raised from its resting

crane cabin.

Harvesting unsurprising, as Colin

position within the infeed table.
With the accompanying walking

As the operator has all the
necessary controllers to hand

To give complete control to

These features, combined with
the Kesla 2112T’s long reach and

concluded. “We looked at all the

the operator, controllers for both

different crane options and

floor trailer in position and its

Legras and Stas walking floor

considered the Kesla 2112T as the

headboard moved to the rear

trailers are within easy reach in

most suitable for feeding the CBI

position, chipping can begin with

the crane cabin, and this set-up

chipper. It has the reach needed

full control over the entire

to allow chipping of a complete

operation in the hands of the

trailer’s haul of woodchips without

operator within the crane’s cabin.

having to relocate.

While the main control panel is

“It also has the lifting capacity

housed in a lockable compartment
on the side of the chipper and is
easily accessible from ground
level, the full range of functions
are also activated by a wireless
radio controlled unit.
Based on an IQAN control

and durability to withstand this

Above inset: Chipper
held by locking pins;
airbags at the front.

work long term, as proven by the

Left: Rigid truck
chassis provides
good flexibility.

feeding. This fact influenced us at

number of Scandinavian operators
using this crane for chipper
the start of the purchase process,”
Colin added.

FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

57

CBI CHIPMAX 484VR | TRUCK-MOUNTED CHIPPER

Kesla crane is well-proven in markets
such as Scandinavia and this steered
Worrell’s purchasing decision.

Wear plates beneath the chipping
drum are replaced regularly to
ensure high chip quality.

“FROM ITS
COMPACT
TRANSPORT
POSITION, THE
MACHINE CAN
BE UP AND
RUNNING IN
MINUTES”

Below: The CBI ChipMax 484VR
has a maximum log intake
capacity of 24 inches.

intake apron features low side wall formation and
a sloped deck structure. Suitable for the intake of
brash and logs up to 24 inches in diameter, the
machine has displayed excellent material handling
properties, as Colin confirmed. “Once logs are
aligned on the infeed table, the design of the intake
takes a lot of the pressure off me as I can be getting
the next grab of material ready from the log stack.
“It is a big help that the infeed is so user-friendly,
as it is not necessary to keep the logs pushed in to
towards the infeed roller with the grab since the floor
keeps them moved in,” Colin continued. “Longer
lengths need a bit more attention, as well as brash,
but overall it does work very well.”
The ChipMax 484VR utilises a chipping drum
with either 2- or 4-pocket rotor designs. Based on
a number of factors, Worrell selected the 4-pocket
rotor option and it has proven highly effective in the
diverse material types handled by the machine.
Setting a particularly high standard for essential
durability in the rotor, chipper box and feed system,
the design also makes changing worn parts such as
the chipper blades and the wear plates of the anvil
very easy – good news for Worrell’s business. “There
are a number of factors which greatly influence the
output and quality of the woodchip produced, with
the most notable being ensuring the blades and anvil
are in top condition. Like any machine, maintenance
is key but to an even greater extent with a chipper like
this, as there is no room for error as it immediately
shows in the quality of the end product, so we really
do need to keep it running at its peak.”

both logs and brash on this clearfelled site, the initial
focus was chipping deadwood, which had been
stacked on the roadside to dry. Meanwhile, the
harvesting residues had been piled in the forest
awaiting extraction once they had dried sufficiently,
which is signalled by the shedding of their needles.
With the CBI chipper leading a convoy that
included three articulated trucks paired with walking
floor trailers, the high output of the chipper soon
delivered incredibly fast turnarounds for the trucks,
ensuring maximum utilisation was achieved over the
course of a working day.
On the second site, a large clearfell site just outside
the County Galway town of Ballinasloe provided a
further example of the benefits of the ‘whole tree’
harvesting approach to clearfelling adopted by the
company. Having harvested the site during early
summer 2021 and with all sawlog and pallet logs
extracted in the normal manner, all pulp material
and tree crowns remained intact and were extracted
and piled as one in large windrows on the site to dry
naturally. As material was chipped on the verge of a
forest road, stocks were replenished by a Ponsse
Buffalo forwarder with variable width bunk to
maximise carrying capacity.

WORKING APPLICATIONS
To fully appreciate typical working applications for
the machine and the working approach adopted, we
visited two sites with the Worrell Harvesting team as
they completed their chipping operations. As the
convoy descended on one of their many biomass sites
close to Enniskerry, County Wicklow, the operational
versatility of the fleet was soon evident. Chipping

58

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Above: Ponsse Buffalo forwarder with extended bunks, headboard.

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We travel extensively throughout the UK Repairing,
Maintaining and Servicing Forestry Machines, Timber
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Website: markbeachforestry.co.uk
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

59

LIEBHERR L 556 XPOWER WHEEL LOADER | BIOMASS ENERGY

EFFICIENTLY
EXCELLENT
In need of a replacement for its five-year
old L 550 wheel loader, UK sawmiller A&J
Scott once again turned to Liebherr for
assistance and grabbed a punchy L 556
XPower, reports Paul Argent
IMAGES PAUL ARGENT

A

s the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels
dwindles, wind, solar and nuclear
power generation have stepped into
the breach. These power generation sources
have also been joined by biomass.
But what is biomass energy? Essentially, it
is the use of any organic material to generate
energy such as wood pellets, grass clippings
and even animal waste. Crops like sugarcane
and corn can also be used to create biofuels.
And because plant matter can be regrown,
it’s classed as a renewable source of energy.
Technically, biomass was discovered back in
our cave-dwellings days when we realised
that wood could burn, and we’ve been at it
ever since although not on the massively
commercial scale that it is today.
Whilst there are many suppliers
producing timber solely for the biomass
market, much of the UK sourced product
destined for the smaller power generators
comes in the form of sawmill residues.
The process of cutting trees into useable
timber sections has moved on from the
hand-fed cutting lines with many large
operations now having computer controlled
cutting milling lines where trees are
scanned and measured accurately to obtain
the best cutting pattern with the least waste.
Although the automated process provides a
greater yield of usable timber, there is still a
large amount of sawdust created from the
cutting as well as the bark which is trimmed
off before the log is processed.
The sawmill residuals of dust and bark
have always had their uses in the equestrian
and gardening industries, but recent times
have seen a greater requirement for these
products from power generators.
A&J Scott is one of the UK’s largest
sawmillers. Based in Alnwick on the Scottish
and English border, the company has a

60

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

requirement of over 1,000 tonnes of raw
material to enter its mill on a weekly basis.
Scott supplies sawn softwood timber for a wide
variety of uses, principally in the outdoor and
garden products, fencing, landscaping, DIY
and pallet and packaging sectors. The
company is also one of the country’s leading
hardwood round timber merchants,
providing hardwood logs of all species and
qualities to customers of varying sizes.
Established in 1960 and still operating
from the original site in Northumberland,
the company now employs over 100 people
and retains the family ownership with
Andrew and Robert Scott at the helm. A
strong team of long-term employees
provides the company’s vast knowledge of
timber and enviable, experienced skill base
provides top quality products supported by
high standards of service.

QUICK OFF THE MARK
The company’s continuing investment in
state-of-the-art production facilities supports
its ability to produce large volumes of
consistently high-quality products to an
increasingly diverse customer base.
The latest addition to the material
handling fleet at the Wooperton Sawmill is a
new Liebherr L 556 XPower wheeled loader
designed to handle the increasing amounts
of sawmill residue leaving the plant on a daily
basis. The company has a long history of
operating Liebherr equipment including
pick and carry machines on the incoming
side of the business. The new arrival replaces
a five-year old L 550 wheel loader, which had
given the company excellent service.
The procurement process behind the
wheeled loader involved a number of
leading players in the industry and whilst
some were interested in the deal,

Below: L 556 XPower
packs a 276hp Stage 5
engine from Liebherr.
Bottom: Industrial arm
package achieves 3.9m
load over height.

Right inset: Chris Scott (left)
and sawmill Site Manager
Robert ‘Fritz’ Frater.

“THE L 556 IS TASKED WITH HANDLING ALL OF THE RESIDUE
COMING OFF THE MULTIPLE LINES AND MANUFACTURING STATIONS”
Procurement Manager Adana Black believes
others weren’t as the deal was for a single
machine. “We are always looking for the best
overall deal for the company and wanted to
try as many manufacturers as we possibly
could,” Adana commented. “Some
manufacturers didn’t even respond to our
request for demonstration machines. We
think this was because they were very swift in
placing people on furlough as we were at
the start of the Covid-19 lockdown period.”
Liebherr responded quickly, delivering an
L 556 XPower complete with toe tip bucket
from its rental fleet – the perfect specification
for A&J Scott – and it was thanks to a positive
demonstration that a deal was struck.
Whilst the sawmill uses a variety of pick
and carry machines to handle the large
amounts of round timber entering the
production line on a daily basis, the L 556
XPower is tasked with handling all of the
residue coming off the multiple lines and
manufacturing stations around the mill.
Site Manager Robert ‘Fritz’ Frater has the

task of ensuring things on the ground go to
plan. “We have up to 25 bulkers per day
leaving the site with a variety of residue,” he
explained. “We need the Liebherr to be able
to both load the trucks quickly and safely,
and also to move material from various parts
of the mill back to the central loading area
when required. Reliability is key to the
operation running successfully. We need to
ensure timber goes in at one end, but just as
importantly we need the residues moving
quickly so that they don’t block up the
plant.”

INDUSTRIAL PACKAGE
The 24-tonne L 556 XPower has been fitted
with Liebherr’s industrial arm package
which at 2.9m in length allows for a 3.9m
load over height. The industrial arm linkage
is said to give far greater control and
performance over a parallel arm or Z-Bar
linkage in this type of application. The
machine has been fitted with the company’s
Viby high tip bucket, which was used on the

outgoing L 550. With a capacity of
7m3, the bucket is well within the
capabilities of the new machine and is
coupled to the loader with a Liebherr
industrial quick coupler.
“We don’t use the loader for anything
other than handling residue at the
moment.” Fritz explained. “This may
change in the future as the mill is constantly
expanding and increasing its capacity. We
like to think we have the loader somewhat
future-proofed with this set-up.” Carrying
approximately 4 tonnes of product at a time,
depending on the moisture content, the
Viby bucket is seen as a brilliant product and
was kept on for the new machine as the
manufacturer has stopped building them.
The step up to the larger machine has
impressed its regular operator Chris Scott.
“I’ve been driving for 25 years and the new
Liebherrs are excellent machines,” he said.
“It’s so comfortable and well laid out – it’s a
pleasure to operate. The site can be quite
congested and tight at some points but
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

61

LIEBHERR L 556 XPOWER WHEEL LOADER | BIOMASS ENERGY

“THE WAY IT JUST WANTS
TO PUSH INTO A PILE OF
MATERIAL WITH NO
WHEELSPIN IS EXCELLENT”
Left and far left: Viby
bucket; QC and
special arm linkage.

the view from the cab, even with the large
bucket in front, is excellent.”
During our visit to Wooperton, Chris was
tasked with loading bark and sawdust into a
number of vehicles around the plant. The
sawdust bin area where the majority of
material is accumulated is relatively tight for
operating a large wheeled loader, but Chris’
experience shone through. Skilfully
steering the machine into the bays to dig
out a bucket load of material, Chris quickly
loaded another 27 tonnes of material
onto the waiting truck.

period on site. This is down to the steady
operating nature of experienced driver
Chris and the XPower transmission. “It’s a
very smooth machine to operate,” Chris
commented. “The way it just wants to push
into a pile of material with no wheelspin is

NOT JUST POWERFUL
Whilst fuel efficiency ranks below
reliability on Scott’s list of plant
requirements, the L 556 XPower has
been extremely frugal during its initial

Below: Between six
and seven passes
to brim a bulker.

excellent. We do a lot of shuttle runs from
various parts of the plant with material and
the way the loader handles the load and
carry work is very good.”
It takes just six or seven passes to fill a
bulker to its maximum capacity with Chris
having to do this up to 25 times per day. Even
during lockdown, the company kept working
as it produces biomass for a number of
hospitals, as well as manufacturing a range of
vegetable boxes for the agricultural industry.
The arrival of the L 556 XPower has aided
the fast and efficient removal of residue
from the plant with an increase in
performance over the older machine.
Despite not having an increase in bucket
size, both Chris and Fritz have been very
happy with the initial performance and
productivity of the loader.

L 556
XPOWER

and reliable SCR system. Access

causes issues for the air

build-up of dust particles, which

to the engine compartment is

management system on any

not only lower the performance

simple thanks to an electrically

machine. Thankfully, Liebherr

of the machine but in extreme

Power comes from a Liebherr

operated engine canopy, which

designers have thought of this

circumstances can lead to fires.

6-cylinder diesel delivering 276hp

opens fully to provide safe access

and have positioned the radiators

To deal with any fires, a Fireward

and meeting Stage 5 emissions

around the whole engine bay.

in front of the engine and high up

suppression system has been

behind the cab. This reduces the

incorporated into the machine.

regulations through an updated

62

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Working in a dusty environment

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Hydraulic Attachments

Compactor Plates
For 1.5 to 40 ton
Excavators

Multi--Kit crushers
For 4 to 80 ton excavators

Tree Shears
For 12 to 30 ton excavators
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FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

63

FORESTRY GRABS | MARKET REVIEW

“SOME ARE AIMED
MORE AT PURE
LOADING OPERATIONS,
WHILE OTHERS CROSS
INTO SORTING AND
RECLAMATION AREAS”

64

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

Left: Austrian
Westtech 3-finger
WG grapple unit.

FISTFULS
OF WOOD
Ken Topham’s round-up for spring 2022 focuses
on energy grapples, attachments aimed at
sorting and clearing operations, as well as loading
grapples. There are plenty of options and many are
excavator-mounted. Used by biomass producers
not wishing to pick up debris that may make its
way into an expensive set of chipper blades, some
grapples may cross into clearance and we have
some offerings in that sector too
IMAGES MANUFACTURERS

F

or this issue of Forestry Machinery, we have
holding device, either for arboriculture or as a saw
looked at a range of finger grapples (or
bench grab, a fixed rotator may be better.
energy grapples as some manufacturers have
Many of the featured grapples are fabricated with
branded them) and there are all manor of
Hardox, at least in the tines which is an incredibly
features to consider when purchasing
hard-wearing material. Other
one of these units. Some are aimed
may use a high
SPECIFICATIONS manufacturers
more at pure loading operations, while
grade structural steel like 355
MANUFACTURER Westtech
others cross into sorting and
high tensile which, depending
MAX OPENING 1,270mm
reclamation areas. So, the spec will
on application of the grab,
CARRIER WEIGHT (excavator)
depend greatly on your workload and
maybe something to scratch the
3-15t, spec dependant
DEAD WEIGHT 180-280kg,
host carrier size; many of these grapples
surface of. Hard-wearing steel
spec dependant
come in sizes suitable for 1-tonne
and structural steel have their
excavators, and range in size up to
differences. If you intend to rake
50-tonne carriers.
out roots on clearance sites, Hardox might be a
The grapple geometry and tine type will have to
more important feature.
be decided for your workload and whether a rotator
is required. Those working on clearance may well
WESTTECH
choose a fixed option, whereas operators loading
First up and in no particular order, the Westtech
trailers and feeding chippers may find a swing link
WG 1270 is a versatile 3-finger grapple. The
and lighter rotator set up is best, for accurate
Austrian-built unit only comes in one size, but
loading and feeding. If the grapple is used as a
with multiple mounting options, from a fixed
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

65

FORESTRY GRABS | MARKET REVIEW
SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER
Koneosapalvelu

MAX OPENING 1,320-2,000mm,
model dependant

CARRIER WEIGHT Model
dependant

DEAD WEIGHT 146-450kg

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER Cranab
MAX OPENING 1,443-1,820mm,
model dependant
CARRIER WEIGHT Crane spec
required
DEAD WEIGHT 185-295kg

clearance aimed grapple, all of the Bear Claws can
be used fixed or with rotators depending on
application. They do come with 2-pin coupling and
2-way mounting, so the grapple can be used in two
orientations without a rotator. The size range sees
the smallest grapple at 98kg and the largest
weighing in at 847kg. The leg construction is
Hardox high wear steel and the legs also
feature an opening ram stop so reduce
“CRANAB USES EXPANDER PINS IN
hydraulic cylinder stress through
ITS GRAPPLES TO BOOST LONGEVITY” repeated dead ending.

KONEOSAPALVELU

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER JB Equipment
MAX OPENING 900-1,747mm,
model dependant
CARRIER WEIGHT 1-16t
DEAD WEIGHT 98-847kg

Top: Cranab’s CE grapples make light
work of loading off the ground.
Right: The JB Equipment Bear Claw
grabs feature seven tines.
excavator mount, through to a continuous
rotator and a telescopic arm. The Westtech can be
mounted to a crane, but with their optional
telescopic arm, tricky extractions may well be its
strength. There is also an optional saw unit which
could turn the WG 1270 into a pruning or felling
tool. The unit is constructed with Hardox and
features Glycodur low maintenance bushes, the
finish is powder coated.

CRANAB

LASCO
Austrian-built Lasco grapples are more of a loading
and brash handling grapple, and its tine offering
comes in three sizes, from 150 to 270kg. Lasco
grapples are built to accept most attachment methods.
They also offer a wide range of approved endless

SPECIFICATIONS

MANUFACTURER Lasco
Cranab offers four grapples in the
MAX OPENING 1,200-1,700mm
wood fuel designation. They are the
CARRIER WEIGHT
CE range of grapples, more aimed at
Model dependant
those users mounting on a crane. The
DEAD WEIGHT 150-270kg
smallest unit weighs in at 185kg, up to
the largest at 295kg. Cranab has developed its
grapples around the operator, with geometry that
smoothly gathers logs up to the base plate, either
single logs or multiple stems. The CE grapples will
load effectively off the floor, or out of pile or load,
with the finger shape designed to be able to easily
penetrate stacked timber. Cranab uses expander
pins in its grapples to boost longevity and ensure
the wear takes place on the components designed
to be serviced.

JB EQUIPMENT
Right: Lasco uses Hardox tines; 2x
parallel bar clamping link available.

66

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

An excavator pitched grapple, the Bear Claw grabs
all come in a 7-tine configuration, and models can
suit carriers from 1 through to 16 tonnes. A more

KONEOSAPALVELU IMAGE MARSHALL AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Above right inset: Koneosapalvelu
has developed a Vahva range.

Koneosapalvelu offers the Vahva range of energy
grapples. The Finnish company makes a range of
forestry equipment including cranes. The
company’s grapples naturally suit forwarder
applications, and also excavator mounting. They
range from 146 to 450kg and occupy a mid-weight
sector. The model designation followed by the
number of tines, goes from 4 up to 9. The 4-tine
iteration is more loading focused, with the 9-tine
version a more clearance oriented grapple. The
Vahva features a symmetrical linkage to give equal
pressure on the tines to extend the wear and
produce smooth operation. Construction is Hardox
400 high-wear steel.

QUALITY
NEW & USED
MACHINERY SALES & HIRE
We are a forestry machinery and plant dealership with expertise
in excavator attachments and woodchippers. We deliver specialist
equipment to clients in the UK operating within a range of different sectors.
Field and Forest Machinery Ltd pride ourselves on supplying the highest
quality equipment supported by our industry knowledge and a customer
first approach. Our business is based on our strong relationships with our
customers and suppliers.

GRAPPLE SAWS
TREE SHEARS
WOOD CHIPPERS
MULCHERS
GRABS AND GRAPPLES
FIREWOOD PROCESSORS
KINDLING MACHINERY
CONE SPLITTERS
STUMP GRINDERS AND SHEARS
BRASH RAKES
GRAB AND ROTATOR PACKAGES
HYDRAULIC HAMMERS/COMPACTORS
HYDRAULIC PULVERISERS AND SCRAP SHEARS
GROUNDS MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT
REMOTE OPERATED FLAIL AND BANK MOWERS
CUSTOM SADDLE AND HITCH FABRICATION
BEAVERTAIL WITH HIAB HIRE

Tel: 01506 862 371
Web: www.fieldandforestltd.co.uk
Email: sales@fieldandforestltd.co.uk
Unit 1, Brock House, Dunnet Way, East Mains Industrial Estate, Broxburn, EH52 5AD

ROBUST | HIGH QUALITY | USER-FRIENDLY

EXPERTS IN
MODERN FOREST
TECHNOLOGY

THE PERFECT SOLUTION THAT ADAPTS
TO YOUR EXACT REQUIREMENTS.

For more information contact:

Simon Rudyard: 07585 118136
simon.rudyard@chandlersfe.co.uk

SALES | PARTS | SERVICE
www.chandlers.co.uk

MARKET REVIEW | FORESTRY GRABS
Left: The Prodem has a protected and
compact rotator arrangement.

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER Prodem
MAX OPENING 1,100-2,850mm,
model dependant
CARRIER WEIGHT 1.2-50t
DEAD WEIGHT 150-2900kg

“COMING FROM
A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT
ANGLE, ALBUTT
OFFERS A
CLEARANCE
GRAPPLE FOR
LOADERS”
SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER Albutt
MAX OPENING N/A
CARRIER WEIGHT
Model dependant
DEAD WEIGHT 670-820kg

rotators. Like many of its rivals, the Lasco is
constructed using Hardox for the tines. Their double
parallel bar clamping linkage (model dependant) is
designed for smooth operation and even gathering of
logs. Lasco’s approach seems to be to over-engineer
with oversized grapple pins, well-protected greasing
points and a powder coating finish.

PRODEM
Prodems offerings are amongst the excavator
clearance end of our list and cover carriers of 1.2
tonnes to a whopping 50 tonnes. They come in
either a 5- or 7-tine format, which only impacts
carrier size at the smallest end of the range. The
Prodem features a compact rotator, which is
protected within the upper section of the grab
giving endless hydraulic rotation with integrated
pressure limitation. Another feature is built-in ram
over-stroke protection – useful to those operating
larger more powerful carriers and operating in
clearance settings where unpredictable loads may
be put on the grapple.

AGRIFOREST IMAGE WASTE WOOD CO

AGRIFOREST
North Yorkshire firm Robustrack offers five models
of Agriforest finger grapples. Aimed at loading and
sorting, the GMR range works with carriers of 1.8 to
8 tonnes, suiting many applications from cranes to
small loaders. They can be supplied bare or with a
range of couplings to suit the carrier, and rotators
come in three sizes to suit the host machine’s
weight. An option for the GMR range is a ‘Multy’ kit
which adds more fingers – ideal for small pieces of
wood or handling brash and bulky loose material,
further extending the versatility of a 4-tine grab.

ALBUTT
Coming from a slightly different angle, Albutt offers
a clearance grapple for loaders. The Site Pro HD

comes in four sizes, from 5ft to 8ft
wide, and can be mounted on
anything from a tractor to an
articulated wheel loader. The
grapples will appeal to users who
may work in land reclamation,
where clearing undergrowth and
transporting brash over long
distances are important, with the
ability to get hold of larger logs in
lengths. The Site Pro can also be used to
rake out roots and rocks. The Hardox
construction should see a hard-wearing grapple
that is even suitable for raking.

KESLA
Kesla offers a wide range of grapples and its energy
product comes in five flavours. The proG range

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER Agriforest
MAX OPENING 1,150-1,760mm
CARRIER WEIGHT 1.8-8t
DEAD WEIGHT 76-303kg

Above inset: Albutt clearance
grapple suitable for loaders.
Left: Agriforest’s Robustrack
Multi-One Log Grab system.
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

69

FORESTRY GRABS | MARKET REVIEW

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER Kesla
MAX OPENING 1,630-1,980mm
CARRIER WEIGHT N/A
DEAD WEIGHT 140-450kg

INTERMERCATO

“THE JCB BRUSH
GRAPPLE HAS
FIVE MODELS IN
THE RANGE AND
IS COMPATIBLE
WITH ALL ITS
SKID-STEERS”

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER Intermercato
MAX OPENING 950-2,425mm
CARRIER WEIGHT 1-18t
DEAD WEIGHT 67-873kg

Another Swedish offering comes from
Intermercato. Its TG SR range crosses from loading
into sorting and comes in 4- or 5-tine forms.
Intermercato also offers a weigh cell swing link if
measuring is crucial to your operation. The range
has a wide appeal, from 1- to 18-tonne carriers, and
compatible with cranes for forwarders and chippers.
Construction is reinforced body so they can be rigid
mounted for heavier carriers (on the TG 28
upwards including Pro models), with Hardox tines
and optimised roll in/out for smooth operation.
The hydraulic cylinders are double sealed to deal
with high pressures.

POWERHAND
Powerhand has a wide range of grapples. We’ve
looked at the GB Series, which is similar to the
heavier and more excavator-oriented EX grapple.
The GB crosses over from swing link crane
mounting to fixed excavator attachment. The GB
comes in two sizes: the 28 for 10- to 14-tonne
excavators, and the 36 for 12- to 18-tonne
machines. Both grapples are of similar

SPECIFICATIONS
Above: Reinforced body of the
Intermercato for rigid mounting.

MANUFACTURER JCB
MAX OPENING 1,016mm
CARRIER WEIGHT All JCB

Right: JCB’s loader option with
a pair of independent grapples.

DEAD WEIGHT 324-478kg

70

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

skid-steers from 135 up

Powerhand with five
Hardox tines and fast
action linkage.

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER Powerhand
MAX OPENING 1,500mm

layout: five Hardox
tines and fast action
linkage for those
operators utilising a
Powerhand grapple on a crane for loading and
repetitive handling.
(GB28) & 1,820mm (GB36)
CARRIER WEIGHT 10-14t &12-18t
DEAD WEIGHT 296-370kg

JCB
Another loader-mounted option, aimed at the
skid-steer sector. The JCB brush grapple has five
models in the range, and can suit all of the JCB
skid-steer range up to the larger tracked machines.
The attachment features a pair of independent
grapples which can better hold irregular shaped
loads and they are check valve protected. The rams
and vulnerable components are guarded to prevent
damage, too. The JCB offering would suit smaller
clearance sites or difficult extraction sites. The tines
will let soil and stones drop out if working on loose
surfaces. The unit would probably suit shallow
raking – a bar across the tines will limit depth.

INTERMACATO IMAGE FIELD AND FOREST

Above: Manufacturer Kesla offers
customers plenty of choice...

has four sizes, the smallest is 140kg and
the largest 450kg. The larger
versions are available with a 3- or
4-tine proG 40E, or the large
proG 50E as a 4- or 6-tine
model. The smaller grapples
are aimed at loading trucks
and chipper cranes, whiles
the larger models can be
used in heavier
applications like sorting
piled timber and brash.
Kesla uses StrenX
structural steel in its
manufacture, which keeps the
bulk of the grapple down while
maintaining strength.

The Bruunett Mini 578F was
responsible for introducing
many new features to the
forwarder concept, many
of which feature on the
modern machines of today.

“LARS WAS NEVER ONE TO ACCEPT ANYTHING
AS BEING THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION”

Above inset: Swede Lars
Bruun passed away last
December at 87 years old.
Right: The Bruunett Mini
587F was a huge sales
success for its maker.
Far right: Irish contractor
Mick Cleare’s Bruunett 678F
Mini of the 1990s in a Coillte
forest; son Liam operating.

72

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

TRIBUTE | LARS BRUUN
Bruunett Mini 578F with
7.5-tonne load capacity;
unladen weight was 7 tonnes
meaning a gentle footprint
on the forest floor.

SETTING THE STANDARD
Sweden of the 1960s was, like other nations,
reliant on primitive working methods to
conduct harvesting, with horse extraction
still widely practiced and some agricultural
tractors employed as skidders and
sometimes paired with timber trailers.
However, the forward-thinking Lars Bruun
believed there was a better way.
Born in Västra Götaland in west Sweden in
1934, the young engineer first came to
prominence during the early 60s when working
with Värmlands skogsarbetsstudier (VSA). He
developed the first articulated frame timber
forwarder and set a new standard for
manoeuvrability and functionality. Utilising a
BM 350 Boxer tractor, which was married to a
rear trailer via the articulation joint, the
tractor’s front axle had been removed with
steering now fulfilled by the centre joint.
Called Bruunett, the name translated from
Swedish as ‘Bruun one’. It had a 41kW power
rating, all-wheel drive and
employed a Hiab 177 crane
with log grapple more
commonly used on trucks of
the time. A prototype of the
machine was demonstrated
in 1962 and the Bruunett
went on to be quite successful
with 350 machines
manufactured.
A change to Ford-based
machines in 1965 led to the
development of the Bruunett
5000 using a Ford 5000
tractor base, plus the larger
Bruunett 9000 based on a
Ford County. It is reported
that between 1966 and 1968
production of these
machines reached 200 units
per year. This period of his
career also saw the
development of harvesters with what is
claimed to be the first timber harvester in the
world built in 1966. As an 8-wheel drive
machine, it was offered with optional bogie lift
which, like the gear driven bogies it employed,
were subsequently copied by many other
manufacturers in the industry.

MECHANISATION

PIONEER

Few in the industry have made such a significant
contribution to the mechanisation of timber harvesting
as the late Lars Bruun. Eoghan Daly chronicles the
achievements of this devoted Swedish innovator
IMAGES EOGHAN DALY & BRUUN

O

ften, it is only when an
individual has passed on that
we truly appreciate their
achievements. However, this
was not the case with the late
Lars Bruun, with forestry
professionals across the world hailing his
immense contributions to the development
of forestry equipment during his long career
and 87 years. Lars remained actively engaged
in his design work up to his sudden death on
December 3 2021, and was poised to
introduce another revolutionary timber
extraction solution. Although as yet unseen,
details of this new machine have circulated in
recent years.
Despite reaching the pinnacle of forest
machine development early in his career
through the designing of the first articulated
frame timber forwarder, Lars was never one to
accept anything as being the ultimate solution
and always strived for more productive and

terrain-friendly timber extraction. Having
designed early machines that respected these
values, Lars believed the modern forest
machine had deviated from his original
concept, which was light and compact, and
capable of conducting timber extraction with
minimal ground disturbance.
With regards to Lars’ new concept, one of
the rumoured design aspects is a departure
from bogies. It is reported that Lars
considered bogies a chief contributor to
terrain damage and this belief inspired him to
create an electrically-powered forwarder with
a 10-tonne load capacity and wheels
suspended on pendulum arms that kept the
load bunk level irrespective of terrain, while
improving the machine’s centre of gravity and
reducing the potential for ground damage. It
remains to be seen whether this ambitious
design comes to fruition, but we certainly
hope it does. What a sign-off it would be from
the great man…

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME
Fast developing a name for himself, Lars
Bruun started Bruun System AB in 1969 and
collaborated with Volvo BM until 1976, at
which point Volvo BM withdrew from the
forest machine business. During this
partnership, machines such as the 880 and
980 harvesters were developed, as well as the
Bruunett Maxi forwarder. What came next
though, was even more impressive.
Through his company Bruun System AB,
Lars launched the Bruunett Mini 578F –
a machine that revolutionised timber
extraction and sold extremely well
FORESTRY MACHINERY SPRING 2022

73

LARS BRUUN | TRIBUTE
alongside a
Right: Lars Bruun never
stopped innovating.
larger Maxi 858F
model.
Below right inset: 1996
Bruun System
AB was sold to OSA brochure for one of Lars’
last machines.
in 1980, but
production of the
Bruunett Mini 578F
continued and evolved
into the more recent
upgraded model – the
Bruunett Mini 678F which,
together with its earlier
variant, collectively
represents one of the most
produced timber forwarders
ever, sending mechanisation
mainstream in the process.
Production of the 678F
continued up to the early 1990s
and at this point OSA had
become part of the FMG Group
and later renamed Timberjack, which is now
John Deere with the 678F finally giving way to
a successor called the 810A.

FORD IS BACK
Refocusing on the career of Lars Bruun,
following the sale of his company he formed
a new operation called Firma Lars Bruun
and continued on his path of innovation.
With a modest 15 employees, the operation
produced up to 30 machines per year and
most of these were exported.
New product development efforts of the
time brought mixed fortunes and while some
ventures were graced with his Midas touch,
some others proved less successful. Among
the few failures was an attempt to develop a
forwarder utilising wheel-encased band tracks
known as the Bruun TwOO. Other machine

The Worrell Brothers ran
one of the latest 678F
forwarders among Irish
contractors in the form of
this tidy 1992 model, seen
here extracting sawlog
lengths from a clearfell site
in County Limerick in 1996.

74

SPRING 2022 FORESTRY MACHINERY

“ANOTHER IMPORTANT
MILESTONE WAS THE
SECOND COLLABORATION
WITH FORD”
developments included the Bruun King,
which was available as a forwarder and also in
harvester configuration. Differing greatly
from the earlier concepts, the Bruun King saw
the cabin attain a frontal position with the
engine bay positioned to the rear of the front
section immediately forward of the
articulation joint.
Another important milestone was the
second collaboration with Ford, which ran
from 1986 to 1992 and resulted in a forwarder
range complemented by two harvester
models. These units comprised the
7610F (6WD or 8WD) and the

larger, 8WD 7620F. Harvesters comprised the
7610H and 7620H both of which were
available in 6WD or 8WD and like the
forwarders were sold to markets such as
Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden,
the Netherlands and Portugal. Based on
Series 10 Ford tractors, the range was
offered until 1992 when Ford withdrew
from the forest machine sector.
At that point, Lars began a new
chapter of machine design and
manufacture, developing a new range
of forwarders in 1994 (F10, F12 and
F14) before adding two harvesters to
the line-up (H10 and H14) two years
later. As 8-wheeled machines they were
powered by Iveco engines and utilised an
electronically-controlled hydrostatic
transmission coupled with an effective load
sensing hydraulic system, while a range of
Loglift parallel cranes and Keto harvesting
head options were presented.
The forwarders also had a few noteworthy
features. The F12 model was hailed as the only
forwarder with a narrow width of 2.62m while
running on 800mm-wide, 26.5-high clearance
tyres. The machine offered a 12-tonne
payload and a massive tractive effort of 17
tonnes. Like all this later range of machines,
the F12 was offered with the R-Mate levelling
seat system and S-Mate grapple damping
system as standard.
As patented systems developed personally
by Lars Bruun, these features were yet more
proof of his appetite for progression.
Efficiency-boosting concepts such as the 1995
Eco-Mate energy recovery system further
demonstrated the brilliant and unique ability
of this true innovator, whose influence on
forest machine development will live
on long into the future.

Land clearing/wood processing tools

Root stock clearing device

Cutting head

Clearing rake

Wood splitting grapple

Tlearn more about the efficient Woodcracker® forest machines Ħwww.westtech.at