Exclusively rental

22 April 2008

Our informal survey at the show produced positive results, and there is no doubting sponsor Robert Aplin's opinion. He told IRN, "The success of the show proves what can be achieved when innovative suppliers and passionate hirers work together for the benefit of the industry."

"Our task now is to expand the show within the Ricoh arena, to find more space." He's got some time to do that before next year's event on 4 and 5 February 2009.

Moving earth

JCB's main earthmoving attraction was the 2.1 t model 8020, which falls between the 8018 and 8025 models in the 801 mini excavator series. It is the largest JCB model that is towable by a 4 by 4 vehicle.

The 8020 offers 2621 mm maximum digging depth, and a 15 kW Perkins engine powers the 14.3 kN of bucket tear-out force the machine generates.

Hanix launched in the UK its zero tail swing, the H55DR mini excavator, previously seen in prototype at SED. A Kubota 32 kW engine powers the 5.5 t machine, which can dig to a depth of 3880 m.

The 2.5 t, zero tail swing TC25 from Terex also made its UK debut. It can dig out to 4700 mm from its slew axis and is powered by a 17.4 kW Mitsubishi engine.

New from Cormidi is the 26.000 swivel skip dumper, whose capacity is 481 l of water (1/2 t of concrete) and has electro-hydraulic controls. A 25 kW Yanmar engine powers the machine.

On Takeuchi's stand was has an expansion to its product line, the 2650 kg TR260 compact roller. Built by another company and branded Takeuchi, the 1200 mm wide machine provides single- or dual-roller dynamic compaction.

Top tools

Pride of place at Hilti's stand was its new TE 80 combihammer, the first tool to combine Hilti's ATC (active torque control) and active vibration reduction (AVR) technologies. The combination, plus a 1.7 kW motor, means, "...a worker to do a day's work while staying below the action values (of UK vibration guidelines)," said Richard Blain, product manager - power tools.

The 10.2 kg tool drills at 360 rpm with 11 J of impact energy, giving it 40% greater performance and 40% less vibration than the TE76 ATC, which it replaces. The TE 80 can drill 715 20 mm diameter, 100 mm deep holes in concrete before reaching the action value.

Also exploiting vibration damping are new tools from Makita. Its 8.4 kg, 1.35 kW 4511C rotary demolition hammer is rated at 7.5 m/s2, 50% less than its predecessor. It delivers 13 J of impact energy at up to 2759 times per minute.

Makita also exhibited a new 5 kg, 850 W, 6.5 J rotary hammer drill, the S-MAK, with a vibration rating of 7.5 m/s2. Also on the stand was the 3.3 kg HK1820 hammer-action scraper, which delivers 3.9 J of energy 3200 blows per minute.

GenSet Green

"Just about every product on our stand has a positive environmental effect," Paul Hay, marketing manager at GenSet told IRN. Included was a solar-powered tower light, developed with Milan University as part of a EU grant. It sheds 10.8 lux of light, satisfactory for ‘general movement' on site. The model can operate for six days after full charging, and costs about €4650.

Entering production in mid-March is its GP 360 mobile groundhog welfare unit, which draws 12 VDC from batteries for its LED lighting. A 2.5 kVA generator boosts the batteries when needed, and the company says its service interval is about 200 hours.

Also on the GenSet stand was the PAC 80 (22 kg) breaker and (80 kg) compressor, manufactured by Sullair (for which GenSet is now a UK dealer). The set operates at 1.4 bar but delivers the same performance as 7 bar compressors and breakers. It sells for about €4300.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

The 400 DS/VS is the first single-head, direct -drive floor grinder for floor preparation from HTC in Sweden. It was designed to "...quickly knock off the high spots, even 5 to 10 mm of epoxy", said Mitchell Comer, UK managing director. The 83 kg machine is powered by a 3 kW motor, provides 43 kg of grinding pressure across its 400 mm grinding diameter, and grinds with 43 kg of pressure.

Dustless Tools in Utah of the US is introducing into Europe its dust extraction system for saws, grinders, drill, and breakers. The wet/dry model has a 60 l capacity machine and draws up 1930 mm of vacuum at 119 CFM, says the company. Price of the base unit is €265; attachments cost up to €75. The Hire Supply Company in Nottingham, UK is the rental distributor in Europe.

An electronic control panel providing engine and generator operation information features in Sandhurst Manufacturing Company's new 40 kVA generator, one of its Powermaster range. A fully-bunded, soundproofed canopy houses a turbocharged Yanmar engine and a Stamford/BCI 184J four-pole alternator.

The Bavtrack 025 mini crusher from Digbits in Rugely, Staffordshire has a class leading 630 x 330 mm jaw feed area, says the company, which makes it "less susceptible to jamming". An air cooled 24.4 kW Hatz engine powers the 2950 kg machine, which is 1200 mm wide by 4550 mm long. Price is €48000.

Concrete tools specialist Wacker has expanded into a new product area with its range of rebar cutters, the RBC 16, 20, 25, which cut and bend steel up to 16, 20, and 25 mm in diameter, respectively. Also on its stand was the 600 mm diameter CT24 4a power trowel, powered by Honda, which features a rotary ring on the bottom of its cage for better trowelling along walls.

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