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New 40-metre high-reach for Wooldridge Demolition

17 Mar 21 Surrey-based Wooldridge Demolition has taken delivery of its largest high-reach demolition excavator – a Volvo EC750EL with Kokurek 40-metre telescopic boom.

Wooldridge's Volvo EC750EL with Kocurek modifications
Wooldridge's Volvo EC750EL with Kocurek modifications

The specially-adapted machine, supplied by Volvo dealer SMT GB, can operate a three-tonne attachment at full height.

It has gone straight to work at Woodberry Down in London, for phase three of an urban regeneration scheme. Wooldridge Demolition is clearing an old public house, high-rise blocks and a community centre to prepare the site for redevelopment.

Adding the high-reach EC750EL to the fleet gives the firm some spare capacity and the ability to take on bigger projects.

“Prior to the EC750EL, our highest reach came from a Volvo EC480DL with a Kokurek 24-metre boom,” said John Hickman, operations director of Wooldridge Demolition. “With the evolution of many urban regeneration projects, we needed to go higher.”

Wooldridge Demolition chose to use Volvo approved supplier Kocurek Excavators for the high-reach conversion, and in doing so, opted to build-in extra versatility with different front-end equipment.

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In addition to the 40-metre telescopic boom, the contractor specified an 18-metre TAB configuration to work with an eight-tonne shear for low-level processing. It also requested a short lifting arm with 25-tonne lift capacity, and a Prolec rated capacity indicator.

The six-month conversion process saw the EC750EL undergo a series of engineering changes. In addition to construction of the new boom assemblies, each track frame was lengthened by one metre, to improve stability. The undercarriage was also given a telescopic frame, allowing the transport gauge to be increased from 2.75 metres (centre-to-centre of the 750mm track pads) to 4.41 metres.

A tilting cab assembly was installed, along with safety walkways, and the dust suppression system gave rise to a built-in pressure washer with retractable hose reel to help with machine cleanliness. Activation of the dust suppression system has been integrated into the attachment’s jaw control function, to reduce water consumption by only spraying when crushing.

The result is a high-reach machine that tips the scales at 102 tonnes equipped with its 18-metre TAB, or 107 tonnes when carrying the 40-metre telescopic boom. The high-reach boom also gives a forward reach of 19 metres from the centreline of the slew ring to the attachment pin.

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MPU
MPU

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