Notizie: Chunnel Group adds Hyundai 50 tonner to its fleet
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Kent-based earthworks contractor and plant hirer Chunnel Group has taken delivery of its first Hyundai excavator – a 50-tonne 520LC-9. In mass-ex configuration, the machine is currently working on a landfill site, preparing a landfill cell one of Chunnel’s clients.
“We needed a second 50 tonner in our fleet to handle some heavy muck-shifting,” explains Simon Huggins, general manager of the family-run business Chunnel Group. “And supplied with the largest bucket available on its shortest, 2.4m arm, we can maximise productivity and take full advantage of the fuel efficiency available.”
Mr Huggins says that when loading 30 tonne ADT’s, the 520LC-9 is effortless – and with the minimum of passes, is proving itself as a very economical machine.
“We keep a very close eye on fuel consumption, and being able to load dump trucks in fewer passes means the fuel use from its Cummins QSM11 engine is comparable to one of our smaller, 35 tonne excavators,” he says. “Yet its productivity is streets ahead and is everything you’d expect from such a large excavator. It is very impressive.”
Bought in July 2011, the machine has so far clocked up 350 hours of trouble-free service and has already gained several fans in the Chunnel Group, as plant manager Paul Huggins confirms.
“The spacious cab has everything that our operators seek,” explains Paul Huggins. “The cab gets an air suspended seat, hands-free operation for mobile phone, climate control and built-in reversing camera, which all helps to declutter the cab.”
Supplied by Avonmouth-based Hyundai dealer Molson Group, the 362hp excavator features 700m tracks, 7m boom, 2.4m arm and 4.11 cubic metre bucket. The machine is also piped for a hammer, but has yet to assume a role other than bulk muck-shifter.
“The machine is also very powerful, smooth on the controls and is more than capable of handling the 4.11 cubic metre bucket and Geith quick hitch,” he says.
Chunnel has considerable praise for the Hyundai’s raised track frame, giving increased ground clearance that affords better protection for the upper structure and provides additional benefits when loading dumptrucks.
“With the long undercarriage and additional counterweight, we are now considering having a safe working load indicator fitted,” he says. “With weight nudging 55 tonnes, it is very stable and sits solidly on its tracks, and this will make it an excellent machine for lifting operations.”
With machine transport in mind, Chunnel Group specified a quick hitch that allows the bucket to be quickly removed and placed on the bridge deck of the firm’s Nooteboom low-loader trailer.
“We need the ability to move our kit quickly and effortlessly between job sites, and removing the bucket in seconds allows us to keep a low overall transport height,” says Mr Huggins.
Chunnel Group runs a mixed fleet of excavators that extends from 5.5 up to 70 tonnes, including models with long reach booms. A range of dozers from 6 to 40 tonnes, plus a fleet of 15 articulated dump trucks makes up the bulk of the fleet.
And with no fixed replacement policy, the Kent contractor finds itself getting the best out of its plant and equipment with an enviable focus on attention to detail.
“We buy all our kit and take machine ownership very seriously,” says Simon Huggins, adding that every machine bearing the Chunnel brand name is considered an advertisement for the company.
“We do make an effort to look after our equipment and so we don’t tend to sell or replace within any fixed term, but assess kit individually on performance and reliability.”
“It’s a fact of business that you’re always going to lose money when you buy new and sell secondhand, but if we can keep our losses to a minimum, then that’s great news for our business,” he says.
Importantly for Chunnel, the Hyundai excavator is viewed as a global product and is comprehensively backed by a two-year, 3,000-hour warranty.
“It says a lot to me when a manufacturer is prepared to put its money where it mouth is, and show this level of faith in its equipment without asking for extra money to provide additional warranty cover,” he says. “And I would consider another Hyundai for our fleet when the time comes to buy more plant.”
