27 May Civil and Landfill Construction – Ticking All the Boxes
There’s nothing quite like commissioning a new machine. From checking out the different options available, to testing out the latest technologies, and then kitting it out with all the bells and whistles. Civil and Landfill Construction, or CLC enjoyed this experience recently with the addition of the latest Volvo ECR235EL fitted with a Robur tilt coupler and bucket.
The CLC team can be found working across a wide range of projects, from residential subdivisions and roading through to waste landfills. We managed to catch up with them on a couple of their current jobs around south Auckland and check out their new digger in action.
We met Russell Green, managing director of CLC, working onsite on the rehabilitation of Puketutu Island which is a long-term project working with Watercare. Puketutu Island is in the Manukau Harbour and was once the site of a large quarry where tonnes of scoria and basalt rock were removed for several construction projects, including the expansion of nearby Auckland Airport. The rehabilitation project will see the former quarry filled with biosolids from the nearby Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant, the volcanic cone shapes will be restored, and it will eventually become an inner-city regional park to be enjoyed by all.
Russell selected the new Volvo 235 from TransDiesel to join the CLC fleet and they’ve been impressed with the Volvo excavator – it’s a powerful 24-ton machine with a compact size and ideal for the work CLC carry out.
When it came to attachments, Russell was keen on the Robur Double Lock Tilt Coupler. Having had Robur Tilt Couplers previously, he knew they were tough and up to the job. “The new Volvo is a cool machine to put this new hitch and bucket on, it has a lot of great features like the boom float which works really well with the Robur bucket for trimming”.
When it comes to selecting attachments, it’s a pretty competitive market out there. For Russell, it comes down to things like dimensions, reliability and strength of the attachments, and the aesthetics also help when buying for a new machine – the Robur range of attachments tick all these boxes.
CLC have tried a few different tilting hitches and their preference is for the twin ram-type coupler from Robur. “They’re so much stronger, and you can see everything. In terms of maintenance, it makes it a whole lot easier and simpler for the guys to keep on top of”.
The hitch fits well and the double lock ensures the attachments are connected safely and securely. The hoses are tucked away securely to minimise damage which is another benefit of this set up over a tilt bucket.
The Robur wide bucket pairs well with the tilt coupler, and like all Robur attachments, it’s built tough! “I just had to rebuild an old bucket and it cost more than expected so you don’t want to be doing that often. Any strength that’s in the bucket to start with is a good thing, all the steel that’s in this new bucket is pretty meaty, and there are plenty of wear strips on the bucket which is going to help prevent you having to rebuild the bucket any time soon.”
Further south, some of the CLC team have been working on a new landfill pit for New Zealand Steel, creating carefully controlled and structured landfill cells for the disposal of non-hazardous waste from the steel mill.
The new Volvo was looking impressive with its new Robur hitch and bucket combo, and a great outlook over the surrounding farmland and the harbour. Site Manager Mitch Cartwright has been happy with the new machine set up and it was awesome to see the hitch and bucket being put through their paces.
Mitch says he was most impressed with the size and strength of the rams in the coupler, which provide excellent hold while tilting, and the shape of the bucket allows it to hold an impressive amount of soil when bulking out.
Reflecting on the new excavator set up, it’s delivering on what it promises with benefits for trimming, bulk loading, working in clay and sticky materials, strength to handle to toughest jobs, and it looks great while getting the job done.
Regarding the purchasing process, Russell noted the support from Robur and TransDiesel has been great. It was a nice addition to be able to get the bucket painted to match the rest of the digger.
Russell’s final thoughts on the attachments – “It is a very strong bucket and hitch, you want the bucket to do as many hours as the digger. Robur has grown since we first started dealing with them, they have more capacity to supply product with a good lead time, the prices have always been pretty competitive, and this set up we’ve got looks really sharp.”
