Liberty Industrial commission world-class fleet of high reach demolition excavators
Liberty Industrial commission world-class fleet of high reach demolition excavators
Liberty Industrial have added a number of custom-built High Reach Demolition Excavators to their state of the art fleet of demolition plant and equipment. The newest addition is considered a game-changer for the Australian demolition industry.
This latest addition is a custom-built Kocurek modified Hitachi Ex1200 High Reach Demolition Excavator weighing in at 200-tonne. Affectionately dubbed the Swiss Army Knife of demolition excavators, the machine has been designed with versatility in mind, equipped with a range of working heights and attachment sizes.
The 200-tonne custom built high reach demolition excavator boasts a four-stage heavy demolition configuration that reaches 36 metres with a 7-tonne attachment, a three-stage configuration to reach 30 metres with a 13-tonne attachment and a 20-metre two-piece configuration with a 25-tonne attachment making it one of the world’s most versatile demolition excavators.
The machine also has a dedicated telescopic front, reaching an impressive 60 metres with a 3.5-tonne attachment, making it the highest reaching Demolition Excavator in Australia.
The converted EX1200 was shipped directly from Hitachi in Japan to Kocurek in the United Kingdom where it underwent a six-month conversion process. Approximately 4000 man-hours went into the conversion of this machine.
The modification comprised a new tilt cabin, tracks lengthened and widened, additional counterweight, a complete undercarriage modification to increase weight and stability, boom-mounted cameras and state of the art Prolec working range safety system.
The machine was designed and built specifically for undertaking work in Australia. It needed to be able to break down for transport to comply with all weight, height and width restrictions for Australian roads, and be economical to move.
The machine’s custom hydraulic jacking system allows the tracks to be removed and replaced without the need to lift the base machine. The base machine can then be lowered via the jacking system directly onto road transport negating the need to use large cranes. All components with the exception of the base machine fit into 40 foot and 20-foot containers, meaning they can be easily and economically shipped anywhere in the world.
A second Hitachi Ex1200, already within Liberty Industrial’s fleet of demolition excavators has been modified to carry a 10-tonne attachment at 20 metres reach and two new 48 tonne Volvo EC480 Excavators have been fitted with three-stage high reach booms that can be configured for 24 or 26 metres of reach.
These machines are fitted with a full range of demolition attachments including concrete crackers and shears for the demolition of concrete or steel structures, as well as the latest state of the art warning systems to ensure the machine remains stable and within its safe working range.
Liberty Industrial Director Simon Gill said that the machines have been purpose-built for demolition with safety at the heart of their design. “They are perfectly designed for the industrial environment with heavy steel at height such as mining process plants, power stations and oil and gas infrastructure.”
The introduction of the high reach fleet further reinforces Liberty Industrial’s risk minimisation strategy which is focused on the removal of personnel from the demolition workface.
“These machines enable us to demolish large and heavy structures without the need to preweaken them and reduce the need for our crews to work at height.”
The new machines have been deployed to demolish redundant mining process plants and refinery infrastructure in regional parts of Queensland and Victoria.