Land & Water offer new bespoke machine
Plant hire firm unveils latest modified amphibious excavator designed to offer transportation cost savings for customers
SPECIALIST plant hire company Land & Water Plant have added a newly modified amphibious excavator to their fleet of machines. The company’s previous Hitachi MA125 amphibious excavator had been in operation for five years, but being a particularly large unit it had to be assembled by crane on each job site, which made it expensive to move.
Recognizing this drawback, Land & Water sourced a supplier to build a retractable amphibious undercarriage to their specifications, so that it could operate on a 10m long-reach Hitachi ZX70 excavator. The bespoke machine has a 30% smaller bucket and 2m less reach than the MA125 excavator, but with its retractable undercarriage it is far easier to move at just 3.5m wide when retracted (4.5m when working). The means it can be shipped all over the UK for the same cost as a standard 30-tonne excavator.
The new amphibious unit has the ability to wade in 1.2m of water before it begins to float and, as with all machines in Land & Water’s fleet, is filled with biodegradable oil. The excavator is also fitted with additional low and high flow circuits to allow the use of various attachments.
With its ability to work on soft terrain, Land & Water say the machine is suitable for a wide variety applications, including: the dredging of silt and settlement lagoons in quarries; site investigations; and managing vegetation, clearing ditches or dredging in wetland habitats.
Fiona Moore, contracts manager for Land & Water Services, said: ‘The new machine removes the slow and risky process associated with working on soft ground conditions with timber mats and can cross rivers and marshy terrain with ease. It is so efficient and versatile – it is changing the way we approach these specialist works and allowing us to pass savings on to our customers.’
SPECIALIST plant hire company Land & Water Plant have added a newly modified amphibious excavator to their fleet of machines. The company’s previous Hitachi MA125 amphibious excavator had been in operation for five years, but being a particularly large unit it had to be assembled by crane on each job site, which made it expensive to move.
Recognizing this drawback, Land & Water sourced a supplier to build a retractable amphibious undercarriage to their specifications, so that it could operate on a 10m long-reach Hitachi ZX70 excavator. The bespoke machine has a 30% smaller bucket and 2m less reach than the MA125 excavator, but with its retractable undercarriage it is far easier to move at just 3.5m wide when retracted (4.5m when working). The means it can be shipped all over the UK for the same cost as a standard 30-tonne excavator.
The new amphibious unit has the ability to wade in 1.2m of water before it begins to float and, as with all machines in Land & Water’s fleet, is filled with biodegradable oil. The excavator is also fitted with additional low and high flow circuits to allow the use of various attachments.
With its ability to work on soft terrain, Land & Water say the machine is suitable for a wide variety applications, including: the dredging of silt and settlement lagoons in quarries; site investigations; and managing vegetation, clearing ditches or dredging in wetland habitats.
Fiona Moore, contracts manager for Land & Water Services, said: ‘The new machine removes the slow and risky process associated with working on soft ground conditions with timber mats and can cross rivers and marshy terrain with ease. It is so efficient and versatile – it is changing the way we approach these specialist works and allowing us to pass savings on to our customers.’
