Burlington Stone put Case duo on the slate

Case CX470B excavator and 921E wheel loader added to fleet at Kirkby-in-Furness Quarry

LAKELAND slate and stone producers Burlington Stone have added a Case CX470B crawler excavator and a 921E wheel loader to their equipment fleet at Kirkby-in-Furness Quarry, in Cumbria.

The 921E replaces an older Case loader, while the heavy-duty excavator is a new addition to the firm’s quarrying and earthmoving fleet.

Both machines are used at the quarry face, where the slate is drilled, cut into blocks by wire saws and removed for transportation to secondary cutting facilities on site.

All of the wheel loaders at the Kirkby-in-Furness site – one of seven working quarries that the company operates within the Lake District National Park – have been supplied by local Case dealers Dennis Barnfield.

Burlington say they rely on the dealer for initial service work during the warranty period and for spare parts supply throughout the machines’ working life. The company’s own maintenance crew handles service and repair work within the quarries.

‘We buy Case equipment for its reliability and for the good service that we get from Barnfield,’ commented managing director, Rob Irwin. ‘We generally tend to run our machines for about 10 years, so we get the best of the first life out of the equipment. The machines are easy to operate and to service, and they represent good value for money.’

Both new machines have been supplied in standard specification, although the CX470B is equipped with a full FOPS protective structure to provide maximum safety for the operator at the quarry face.

Weighing just over 47 tonnes and powered by a 362hp (270kW) engine, in standard trim the high-performance CX470B excavator offers a bucket breakout force of 247kN and a swing torque of 150kN.

With a 274hp (204kW) engine, the 921E loading shovel weighs just under 30 tonnes, has a straight tipping load of 19,420kg and a lift capacity of 13,450kg, while limited-slip differentials in both axles ensure maximum digging power and high productivity in all conditions.