A Takeuchi TB257FR has assisted with some impressive groundwork in the creation of the giant thistle and maze design at Balmoral.
When the King’s Garden at Balmoral was scheduled for a redesign incorporating two new garden mazes, Aberdeenshire-based civil engineering specialist Nicol of Skene was tasked with delivering the groundworks.
The company has many Takeuchi excavators in its fleet and the six-tonne FR with STS boom was identified as the machine for this special project. The FR, fitted with a Trimble machine control system by Sitech, translated the CAD landscape design drawings into the site dig-plan. The Takeuchi FR’s boom configuration is unique and patented with the STS side-to-side offset boom, giving operators an ‘unrivalled’ ability to work in the most difficult spaces and at different angles.
In the maze, the machine was programmed to use GPS to accurately create 1.2m curved paths and 0.8m-wide beds, all ready for planting. The TB257FR provided the offset boom versatility for the complex series of beds, which will grow to become 6ft high walls of the maze once fully grown.
Without moving the tracks and having to reposition the machine, the STS boom can parallel trench to the left, right, and anywhere along the full front of the machine. Takeuchi said this flexibility proved invaluable during the work.
Each maze had to have original groundworks ready for the landscaping shrubs and the whole maze design and future growth relied upon the accuracy and foundation of the excavation.
The FR machines were fitted with Trimble Earthworks that had pre-programmed the ground works design template. The job was completed within 12 weeks and was soon followed by the second maze design, again completed using Trimble Earthworks and the Takeuchi FR.
Derek Nicol, director at Nicol of Skene Ltd, said, “The complexity of the dig required some new technology and we were keen to try something new. The STS boom over a fixed boom provides unrivalled angles. So, a combination of Trimble Earthworks GPS and Takeuchi made for perfect collaboration. The Takeuchi FR is a really special machine and we are happy to have it in the fleet.”
Chris Bushell, Takeuchi UK sales manager, added, “The FR machines – available in both 5.7 and eight-tonne – are very unique excavators. Specialist contractors and experienced operators immediately recognise the operating advantage an FR machine can give. Ideal where space is limited and when the unique STS side-to-side boom functionality, they can give a great productivity advantage.”
For more information about this project, visit https://www.nicolofskene.com/work/balmoral-thistle-maze
