STRATHAVEN-based hire specialist Drumclog Plant has snapped up several new Kobelco excavators from Molson Young.
As well as specialising in wide track excavators, Drumclog has general plant hire, contracting, and haulage sides to the business.
The firm was established in 1972 by Dougie Turner and operates across the whole of Scotland.
Drumclog Plant has grown from a small hire firm into a diverse, multi-disciplined contractor specialising in infrastructure civil engineering works for clients including Scottish Water, Transport Scotland, British Waterways and the Forestry Commission. To serve a growing list of smaller customers requiring standard machine hire, the company has added the Kobelco diggers to its fleet.
One regular customer – WP Groundworks – was one of the first to receive one of the new machines on a project for a client at Craigton on the outskirts of Glasgow.
Site manager Kevin Hood and his team were tasked with removing several small areas of derelict land and returning them into hard standing for a recycling facility. Requiring the services of an excavator to strip and level the site before infilling with a stone capping material, Kevin’s company approached Drumclog for a suitable model and also to supply it with incoming stone and muckaway facilities.
A Kobelco SK75SR was put to work on the live and busy site, with the machine’s compact dimensions described as proving to be an ‘ideal choice’.
The model has an operating weight of just over eight tonnes in this particular specification, which includes bolt-on rubber pads and a dozer blade. The compact, short tail swing excavator is powered by a four-cylinder Yanmar diesel, which pushes out 72hp and 293Nm of torque. The peak levels of torque are achieved at just 1350rpm. Noise levels are reduced thanks to Kobelco’s iNDr system, which uses a high-density mesh filter to block dust entering the cooling system as air passes over it.
Designed with a series of ridges, the corrugated filter allows the air to pass through whilst the grooves collect the dust. This pre-screen can then be removed during periodical maintenance and cleaned out. Access to the entire engine, cooling pack and pumps is boosted by wide-opening doors on the upper structure.
The latest -7 model has received several upgrades from the -3, with the engine output increased by almost 28% and the entire digging cycle speed shortened by 15%. The cab boasts a new full colour monitor along with the jog dial, which allows operators to scroll through each part of the machine’s operating system ‘quickly and easily’.
The remaining switchgear has also been upgraded, as has the interior lighting, seating and air conditioning outlets to offer more efficient airflow. Both the rear view and standard side camera views are available on the new ten-inch monitor and there is an option for the EagleEye 270° camera system.
Digging equipment on the SK75SR comprises a 3.82m boom available with either a 1.71m or 2.13m stick. Drumclog has opted for the longer version, allowing the machine a potential dig depth of over 4.5m and has been finished with a Tefra hydraulic hitch.
With the majority of the works completed, the team was left with one single bay to excavate and stone up prior to leaving site. With Kevin in the hotseat, the remaining soils were graded off and stockpiled, awaiting the final delivery of stone. Once that arrived and was tipped, Kevin used the opportunity of an empty tipper to remove the spoil.
Whilst the SK75SR isn’t the largest excavator, Molson described it as ‘still more than capable’ of loading the material from ground level. The excavator has a maximum pin height of over 6m, allowing it to load over the side of the waiting truck and even level the spoil before it left. With the material loaded away, Kevin turned his attention to grading the stone out to form additional storage space.
“It’s a very responsive machine and seems to have plenty of power,” he said. “There seems to be plenty of feel too which helps when grading. I’d be happy if we added one to the fleet!”
