expert opinion: - OPERC - Off-highway Plant and Equipment ...

SPECIAL REPoRT
simplifying mini excavator stability with
transporting issues
How many times have you seen a mini
excavator bouncing around as it’s being
loaded or unloaded from a trailer or
worse still, witnessed one toppling over
the edge of the trailer? These incidents
are surprisingly common and yet very
rarely reported, possibly because being
a smaller machine, mini excavators are
often viewed more as equipment than
mobile and potentially fatal machines.
There are several typical issues which
may be involved in the poor securing of
a mini excavator to a trailer, including
inadequate edge protection, a lack
of (or inappropriate) load secure,
poor operator training / competence
and ramps onto trailers that are far
too steep. However, a new system -
entitled the Track Lock System - has
been developed by Worcester based
hire company WHC Hire Services
which claims to have the answer to this
persistent problem.
16
June 2011
how the system works
The Track Lock system consists of a
set of guide bars which are fixed to the
trailer bed for correct positioning of the
excavator on the trailer. The excavator
is loaded with blade facing forwards
and the Track Lock system bars are
then placed across the tracks and
clipped into place using a lynch pin.
The tracks cannot move and the
excavator is not only completely
locked down, but also positioned
correctly and balanced on the trailer
to allow for safe transportation.
Furthermore, the ditching bucket is
retained in a front cradle which stops
any movement from the boom.
The bars are easily put in place
and easily removed making this an
efficient, operator friendly and time
saving system. It can be altered to fit
any make of mini excavator.
track lock
how the system came about
The original idea for the innovative
new trailer came about following a fatal
accident during the 1990s involving a
contractor in the North Midlands. A 1.5
tonne mini excavator that had not been
strapped down correctly by the operator
onto its trailer toppled over
and killed an elderly lady. However,
rather than simply blaming the operator,
the original designer and inventor, Mr
James Clutterbuck decided to look to
engineer out the risk of loading and
unloading a machine incorrectly.
He said: “When we looked into it and
considered what we had seen over the
years regards strapping of machines,
we realised that pretty much the
majority of straps were being incorrectly
fitted. So we took it upon ourselves to
design and make a better system and
hence, the Track Lock system was
conceived.”