Sutton Services purchase JCB crawler excavator
New machine replaces JS220 model and features a triple articulating boom for added versatility
DEMOLITION and recycling contractors Sutton Services have added a JCB JS260XD crawler excavator to their growing fleet of specialist equipment. The machine replaces a JS220 and has been purchased to meet a growing requirement for heavier equipment and an increasing workload for the business.
The Suffolk-based firm has ordered the machine, its largest JCB excavator to date, with a triple articulating boom (TAB), adding to the versatility and flexibility of the JS260XD.
With a length of 6.24m, the TAB boom is longer than the standard 5.85m mono-boom, providing an increased digging depth of up to 12.12m with a 3.53m dipper arm and a digging reach at ground level offering as much as 11.13m. This additional length also provides improved access for high-reach work with a range of demolition attachments.
The ability to vary the excavator’s working envelope using the articulating boom, provides the operator with increased versatility and flexibility, particularly when working in confined operating conditions. The JS260XD excavator is equipped with a full array of auxiliary piping, providing Sutton with a machine that can be used with hydraulic breakers, pulverizers, shears and grapples.
The excavator’s quick hitch has been converted to work with the firm’s existing buckets and attachments and the additional weight of the XD machine, up to more than 27 tonnes, delivers a stable base for a range of demolition and recycling attachments. The TAB boom retains the powerful breakout forces of the standard machine, with dipper tearout of up to 18,272kgf and a bucket tearout of 19,574kgf.
The JS260XD unit is currently working at the RAF Mildenhall air base, where it is being used to demolish an accommodation block known as Building 479, for base facilities management providers Vinci Facilities. Sutton have a number of ongoing demolition projects for Vinci and on this particular scheme, they have found the JS260XD to be better equipped to handle the two and three-storey buildings.
At full height, the TAB boom gives operators 28% more forward reach than a traditional boom. ‘The JS260XD with the TAB boom gives us better reach,’ said plant operator Robert Saunders. ‘We have been using JCB excavators for a long time and we thought we would try the TAB boom to see how it performs in demolition. Not only does it give me more reach, but I can work right in by the tracks if I need to, which means there is less need to move the machine.’
The JS260XD is powered by a Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB compliant four-cylinder diesel engine, delivering 188hp (140kW). This drives through a proven twin pump, variable flow, load-sensing hydraulic system, with flow on demand and variable output. JCB’s Smart Control system provides easy access to variable working modes with manual selection of High Plus mode for 100% productivity.
By matching engine and hydraulic output to demand, the system is said to deliver minimum fuel consumption and maximum productivity.
