Portsmouth based LiuGong main dealer Construction Plant and Machinery Sales have recently supplied the first LiuGong high reach excavator sold into the UK market, which has been purchased by multi-faceted London firm the Keltbray Group.
Keltbray takes the first high reach LiuGong in the UK
The machine, which is based on the popular 25 tonne class LiuGong 925E model, features a bespoke three piece demolition rig and an additional 2,450kg counterweight, which was designed and manufactured by excavator modification specialists Kocurek of Ipswich.
The machine, which has a reach of 16 metres, was put straight to work on an environmentally sensitive project in the upmarket area of Hampstead in the Borough of Camden. The job involved the demolition of an old nurse’s home, which has laid derelict for over 10 years and which once razed to the ground, will become the site for the development of 17 luxury flats, ranging in price from £1.7 to £27m for the penthouse suite.
The machine has been well received on site with Keltbray Site Manager Sean Gorham keen to heap praise on the new addition. Sean said, “I can’t find any fault with it whatsoever, we run a few conventional LiuGong excavators on the Keltbray fleet and they have all been very good, at the end of the day they are using the same running gear as most, same hydraulic pumps and well proven Cummins engines, so we know what we are getting. Demolition is a tough game on machines so run them hard for a good 3 years and change them out for new, especially when they are so competitively priced”.
Sean continued, “The high reach conversion, which has been done by Kocurek, is fantastic, the machine is exceptionally well balanced and it’s as steady as a rock in operation even when working over the side carriage. The young lad we have operating the machine is very steady and quite particular with his tidiness around the jobsite, there is no rush and tear with him, he’s a proper operator, which is nice to see for a young lad”.
The man in question who has been charged with the UK’s first LiuGong high reach machine is Andy Darvell. Andy has been operating machines for over 15 years, the past 2 years of which have been served on high reach machines solely, asked for his thoughts on his new mount Andy said, “I wasn’t sure what to expect from the 925E, but within hours of starting out on it I loved it! It’s really smooth and precise in operation and extremely stable throughout the entire range of movement of the machine, I really cannot fault it”.
The machine, which is exceptionally quiet even when working at full throttle, takes it power from a Tier 4/Stage IV emissions compliant, Cummins QSB6.7 6-cylinder, 4-stroke, in line, water-cooled, VGT, diesel engine, which offers a power output rating of 142kw (193hp) @2000rpm.
The machine has been supplied in full demolition specification with certified front screen and roof guard, bucket ram guard, 10mm Heavy Duty under panel guards, Heavy Duty under turret guards, separate Heavy Duty bolt on side sill protection with integrated impact foam gap, additional LED work lights, green seat belt beacon, and fall from height (boxing ring) protection and an all-around vision camera system offering the operator a full 360 degree view around the machine via the full colour monitor fitted in the cab.
