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The use of the Steelwrist tiltrotator on the Kubota mini
excavator has greatly speeded up the precision
placing of the chunks of gritstone on the rocky
descents.
Gritstone from Glossop
To produce a physically and technically challenging
new concept course in Essex for the 2012 Olympic
Mountain Bike competitors, Martin Seddon and his
team have been busy constructing rocky climbs
and descents, a tunnel cross-over, a zigzag climb
and an 'oak tree' drop. To construct the rocky features
5,000 tonnes of gritstone is being supplied
from a quarry at Glossop near Manchester.
Several M&L Seddon Compact Plant Hire
machines are being used to sculpt the course and
install the rocks. These include an agricultural specification 8.0m lift height Merlo P28-8 Panoramic compact
telescopic handler with a Strimech loader bucket and a 2.25 tonne Kubota U20-3_ with a Steelwrist X04 Direct
mounted tiltrotator and a S40 quick coupler.
Whilst tiltrotators on excavators are the norm in Scandinavia, they are still a rarity in the UK - especially on mini
excavators. However, winning the Olympic Mountain Bike contract provided Martin Seddon with the ideal opportunity
to purchase this versatile device and he says that it has proved invaluable to carry out the course construction work
more quickly and safely.
A tiltrotator allows a bucket or other attachment to be rotated and tilted from side and side at the end of the excavator's
dipper arm. At Hadleigh Farm, Martin Seddon has been mainly using his new Steelwrist with a 1.2m wide
grading bucket to sculpt the Mountain Bike track into the undulating landscape. The width of the track varies in width
from 8.0m to 1.0m to provide an exciting race.
Tiltrotator aids precision landscaping
For this sort of precision landscaping, Martin Seddon says that the use of the tiltrotator saves time and labour. He
reports that sculpting out a channel and positioning lumps of gritstone to create a rocky descent took only one day
with the Steelwrist device. He estimates that, on such applications, using the tiltrotator allows the task to be
completed in one third of the time compared to traditional methods.
He also considers that use of a tiltrotator provides a big safety bonus when working on sloping ground. The device
enables more work can be carried out from one position thereby cutting down the movements of the complete mini
excavator. He says, "It means you are not getting the machine into a dangerous location.
To assist with the excavation work at Hadleigh Farm, Martin Seddon hired in an 8.0 tonne Kubota KX080-3_ from
ZM Plant of Harlow. Run by Mark Cave, this business carries out plant hire and carries out earthworks in the
agricultural, conservation, forestry and construction sectors.
Good machine combination
The lumps of gritstone are moved in the bucket of the Merlo telehandler and placed in position on the new rocky features
of the Mountain Bike track using the grading bucket on the Steelwrist equipped Kubota. The two machines also
work together to remove surplus spoil when channels are dug to accommodate the track.
Other machinery deployed at Hadleigh Farm by Martin Seddon includes a 4WD New Holland TM175 130kW
(175hp) tractor and a Big Ab two-axle trailer on flotation tyres with a hooklift handling device. This combination is
used to move hooklift equipped low sided hooklift material skips and a hooklift welfare unit.
The project at Hadleigh Farm is creating the first Olympic Mountain Bike course in the world that has been
completely constructed from scratch. When
it is used during the last weekend of the
London 2012 Olympics, it is expected that
up to 20,000 people will attend each of the
two-day events with around 3,000 being
seated in temporary grandstands. After the
games the course should provide a lasting
legacy for mountain bikers in Essex. CP&E
To carry out heavy earthmoving, Martin Seddon
has supplemented his machines with a Kubota
midi excavator hired from ZM Plant of Harlow.
Page 24 CP&E Contractors Plant & Equipment Vol 1 No 8