Buoyancy aid

ST-Tekniikka in Finland have developed and patented a self-propelled crawler-pontoon system for hydraulic excavators. The first unit, 26-tonne ‘Big Float’, is based around a Hyundai R210LC-7 and is being used for dredging and weed clearance on some of Finland’s more inaccessible lakes and waterways.

With hydraulically powered tracks built into the floats, the machine is able operate completely independently on land or water, making use of its 16m boom and bucket to pull itself along when afloat. The crawler-pontoons are 10m long and 1.5m wide, and can be extended sideways from an overall width of 3.5m in the retracted/transport position, to 5.5m when fully extended for maximum stability when floating and digging.

For more information contact Hyundai on tel: +32 14 56 22 00.