8 mins
Standardisation: A growing trend?
D&Ri explores the latest excavator attachments and looks at the breaker that may herald an evolution in the construction equipment market.
STANDARDISING ATTACHMENT TOOLS
In recent years, and perhaps in part fuelled by the supply chain crisis, more and more dismantling, demolition and recycling companies have started to rethink the composition of their equipment fleets in terms of brands.
One such contractor is Canada-based Priestly Demolition Inc, which just prior to publishing this issue revealed that it was going also going to limit its attachment tools by sticking to just a few manufacturers.
Ryan Priestly, CEO at Priestly Demolition Inc, says: “We are standardising our attachments. We are going to pick a brand very shortly, for everything we want to use.
“It might be different brands for different attachments. We might pick this sheer company, this grapple company, or we might pick two of each, but no more than that.”
And the motivation for this shift in how Priestly manages its attachments?
Currently the contractor has around 150 carrier machines – predominantly excavators – in almost all sizes in its fleet, and “we have three to four attachments for each machine, that’s 300 to 400 attachments,” says Ryan.
“If you look at our yard, you’ll see a full menu; brands from A to Z. It’s just too much to maintain and too much to keep on top of.
“Eventually you just have to pick one and start standardising, and the first people that said that to me were the guys at Despe.”
“And I very quickly realised that it was something we should have done 10 years ago’.”
Of course, picking just two or three brands to stick with is not an easy decision, especially at a time when manufacturers are driving ahead with new and innovative attachments.
BREAKERS/HAMMERS
For example, Finnish technology company Lekatech recently revealed what is thought to be the world’s first electric hammer attachment.
The Lekatech Electric Hammer is powered by the company’s patented linear electric motor technology and is designed for use with electrically powered excavators.
Lekatech Electric Hammer.
PHOTOS: LEKATECH
The BF120.4 Jaw Crusher Bucket from MB Crusher.
PHOTO: MB CRUSHER
According to the manufacturer, which began developing the product in 2016, the hammer is 70% more energy efficient that conventional breakers, thanks to its “seamless integration” with the carrier machine.
The Lekatech hammer is also said to provide double the impact energy of that offered by traditional hydraulic hammers, measured at 1,300 to 1,500 joules, as well a 98% reduction in oil consumption.
Although Lekatech’s hammer will not hit the market for some time, a pilot model for use with carriers weighing seven to 16 t is currently being tested by other companies. On the whole, feedback from machine operators and equipment owners has so far been positive.
Antti Anttila, CEO at Lekatech, says: “We are working with OEMs, with mining companies and contractors, as well as other ends users. Different partners pay attention to different aspects.
“The operators, they noticed the difference in the driving experience. They say it’s like jumping from a diesel car to an electric car. The power is instantly there - they don’t need to accelerate, they just press the button and its there.”
“The owners and the machine suppliers; they are really interested in the energy consumption, which is obviously in a different scale than hydraulic attachments,” says Antti.
“With them, the discussion very often then progresses to serviceability and durability. The serviceability of the electric hammer is quite easy to do, with very limited special tools and the wear parts are very limited in number compared to the conventional technology.”
Though this feedback has been positive, Antti explains: “This is the instant feedback we’re getting. What we’re not able to see yet is what users will find in the long term, and what the practical impact will be over the long term.
“For example, how will this impact the industry? Because now we can connect to the surrounding world in a totally new way. We can do a lot of things on the software side to optimise the work and to build in interactive elements and learning features.”
While the creation of the Lekatech Electric Hammer – not to mention the associated technology required to integrate it into an excavator’s onboard computer systems – may be evidence of an impending evolution in the excavator attachments sector, it is likely to remain in the precommercial stage for some time yet.
The Cat RC30.
PHOTO: CATERPILLAR
PHOTO: SHEARCORE
Demo market hesitant, but Shearcore remains optimistic
Just prior to going to print with this issue, D&Ri spoke with Shearcore’s Director of Global Accounts, Ian Lewandowski, to find out what the current state of the attachments market can tell us about activity in the demolition sector.
“There is some hesitancy there,” says Ian, commenting on the attachments market in the United States.
“On the demolition and industrial recycling side, it slowed down quite a bit in the fourth quarter of last year."
Ian says that much of the hesitancy being seen in the United States can be attributed to the upcoming presidential election.
However, the global decline in attachment sales is partly thought be part of the expected ebb and flow of the market, following the surge in global infrastructure spending after the Covid-19 pandemic.
While other factors, such as the war in Ukraine, rising interest rates and now a fresh wave of conflict in Gaza and the West Bank, are lending themselves to caution in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the past two weeks have shown some signs of improvement for North America.
Ian says: “In last couple of weeks, when it comes to the interest and employment rage, the indicators have been very positive.
“I’ve been out this week talking to demolition contractors and industrial recyclers. Both of those industries are seeing a comeback in the early part of 2024.”
He adds: “Most of us that are out in the trenches, hunting for opportunities, are feeling pretty good about the opportunities we have been getting over the last couple of weeks.”
In fact, Shearcore is still operating at its maximum manufacturing capacity.
“We have not been able to make enough shears according to the demand. It’s a good problem to have”.
Perhaps one reason the company’s products continue to be in demand is due to a shift in the type of demolition methods being employed around the world.
Ian says: “We’re seeing more and more of these controlled demolitions, with high reaches and attachments like ours”.
In fact, recently Australia-based contractor Liberty Industrial asked Shearcore to make what has now become the largest shear the company has ever made.
“That shear weighs 23 metric tons,” Ian reveals, adding that Liberty Industrial “will be making their first cuts with it this quarter” with the shear working at height of about 60 ft (20 m).
ROTARY CUTTERS
So, for now at least, contractors only have to think about the tools that are already widely available.
For example, Caterpillar’s latest rotary cutters, the Cat RC20 and RC30, can be used with pin-on, S-type, Cat pin grabber or CW couplers.
According to the manufacturer, both models have a direct drive motor that “offers high torque, production and performance to help operators get the job done faster”.
Cat says: “With less space between the drums, operators can build narrower trenches while also burning less fuel.”
While the RC20 is suitable for use with excavators in the 20 to 34 t class, the larger RC30 has been designed to be mounted on carriers weighing 28 to 50 t.
As well as cutter picks that can be easily replaced, the rotary cutters can also be manually turned either 90 or 270 degrees.
Additionally, the RC20 and RC30 are available with an optional hydraulic lines kit that enables the unit to be turned up to 180 degrees for cleaning narrow trenches.
Similarly, Epiroc recently expanded its drum cutter product portfolio with the introduction of the new VC 3000 model to its V Cutter range.
Said to provide energy savings of around 40% when compared to similar products, the VC 3000 weighs 3,200 kg and can be used with 35 to 55 t excavators.
The DP 1820 Pulverizer.
PHOTO: EPIROC
Like its sister models, the VC 3000 is fitted with the manufacturers Hexagonal Picks and its V-shaped designed enables it to cut a flat based trench.
According to Epiroc: “Where a regular drum cutter must move side to side to create an even trench, an approach that causes extra wear on the carrier arm, the VC Cutters can reach the same result by just going straight.”
PULVERSIZERS
The company, which last year celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Solid Body (SB) concept hydraulic breakers, also recently added a new product to its line of pulverizers.
The Performance Booster for the DP 1820 Demolition Pulverizer, which can also be retrofitted onto existing attachments, is said to provide “substantially higher performance compared to standard versions” of the pulverizer.
The DP 1820 can be used for both demolition tasks and the secondary breaking of debris, with the unit suitable for excavators weighing between 15 and 22 t.
With the addition of the Performance Booster, Epiroc says contractors can see three key benefits.
These include a 20% increase in performance, a 25% reduction in jaw cycle time and up to 35% lower fuel consumption when it comes to the carrier machine.
SCREENING BUCKETS
Moving into crushing and screening, Allu’s Transformer D-Series screening buckets for excavators weighing from 10 to 45 t and wheeled loaders from four to 30 t.
They are designed for larger material handling jobs, such as those involving construction waste.
A hydraulic attachment, the D-Series buckets can screen, crush, aerate, mix and separate materials – including wet materials – in “a one-step operation”, says the manufacturer.
Key features of the product line include a ‘plug and play’ installation method, changeable blades that enable the bucket to be used for different applications, and to produce fragments of different sizes. ■
Steelwrist’s biggest ever product launch
Steelwrist, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of quick couplers and tiltrotators for excavators, has announced the largest ever product launch in its history.
At the opening of the group’s new facility in Hamburg, Germany, in March, the Sweden-based company will unveil its new third generation tiltrotator, grapples and hydraulic compactors - which the company says offer an “unparalleled low oil flow to compaction power ratio”.
Steelwrist will also launch an entirely new product category that will target excavator efficiency. While further details about the product category have not yet been revealed, all of the company’s new products will also be shown at the upcoming Intermat exhibition, due to take place in Paris, France, from 24 to 27 April, 2024.
PHOTO: STEEL WRIST