Historical dig for LK Construction’s latest HX330AL
Thirty-three-tonne Hyundai excavator helps reveal lower levels on archaeological investigations
ARCHAEOLOGICAL investigation generally brings to mind a small trowel and a hand-held brush, or perhaps a compact mini-excavator at best. It usually does not conjure a picture of a 33-tonne crawler excavator loading an articulated dumptruck, but for LK Construction, bulk earthmoving, to reveal the lower levels of soil for teams of archaeologists, has become a major part of the company’s work.
The Cambridgeshire-based company has rapidly established itself as the go-to contractor for pre-construction site investigation by the archaeological community throughout the South East. Started in 2016 by former plant operator Lloyd White, LK Construction purchased their first used HD Hyundai HX210A in 2017. A year later they acquired a new HX220AL from Northamptonshire dealer Willowbrook Plant and have not looked back since. The business now operates five HD Hyundai HX220A crawler machines, along with two HX330ALs, two HX140As, and an HX130A.
‘It was a good price that first attracted us, but they’ve been very reliable. We just have very few issues with the Hyundai machines,’ said Mr White. ‘The user comfort as well for the operator is excellent. They are really comfortable with a spacious cab, something that I appreciate as someone who has operated machines. We get lots of feedback from our drivers saying how smooth they are to operate.’
The majority of the archaeological work is carried out prior to the start of major construction projects. LK Construction provide initial evaluation trenches, with archaeologists investigating once they have been excavated. If anything of interest is found, the company returns to open up larger sections of the site, removing and stockpiling topsoil and subsoil, to allow access to lower strata and potential areas of archaeological interest.
The business has become well established and has expanded its offer to supply additional equipment to these sites, with a growing fleet of 40 welfare units and tool stores, that can be supplied alongside the machinery.
The company is also expanding into other sectors, establishing a bulk earthmoving, site clearance, and demolition division, called LK Contracting. The HD Hyundai machines will work across both companies and the latest HX330AL excavator has been supplied Trimble-ready and with four-way hydraulic piping for a range of attachments with contracting in mind.
While growth has been rapid, Mr White has not simply been purchasing new machinery. The company spent much of 2023 putting a host of systems in place in the office, to support its expansion on site.
And with a number of major orders in the pipeline, the company is looking forward to another year of growth, as its reputation continues to build in the specialist contracting business. That will no doubt require additional machinery, along with further service support from local dealer Willowbrook.
‘We have had very rapid growth over our six years in business,’ said Mr White. ‘We will almost certainly be buying a couple more HX220AL excavators this year.’
