KEY DEALS

Suttles adds to piling capability

12 years ago

Suttle Projects, based in Dorset UK, has extended the company’s sheet piling capability with the purchase of a new Doosan DX140LC-3 14 tonne crawler excavator which is already being put to good use.

The new Doosan DX140LC-3 14 tonne crawler excavator which is already being put to good use

Equipped with a Movax SG-30 side-grip piling hammer and filled with biodegradable oil, the new Doosan DX140LC-3 excavator has just been used to complete maintenance and protection works on the sea defences bordering Baiter Park in Poole Harbour.

The works were necessary after storms stripped sand from the beach causing movement in the wall’s foundations and damage to the footpath and cycleway behind. After quickly repairing the footpath, the substantial volume of sand that had been deposited further down the beach was relocated to the bottom of the seawall to reduce the impact of further tidal action.

Suttles then reinforced the robustness of the sea wall with the excavator installing a line of sheet piles in front of the existing wall to protect the foundations from future damage caused by underscouring.

Joe Paine, managing director, Suttle Projects Ltd, said: “The new DX140LC-3 excavator complements the larger Doosan DX255LC-3 25 tonne machine we purchased from Kellands at the end of 2013 and provides an extension to our sheet-piling capability for projects such as that in Poole, where a smaller machine is required.”

The DX140LC-3 crawler excavator is powered by the Doosan DL06K ‘common rail’ 6-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine meeting Stage IIIB engine emission regulations through the use of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) after-treatment technologies.

Its engine has a displacement of 5890 cm³ and delivers 15% more power (82 kW (109 HP) @1850 RPM) than that in the previous Stage IIIA model. Field tests show a reduction of up to 17.5% in fuel consumption, depending on the operating mode selected and the work being undertaken.

Mr Paine pointed out that with the new 14 tonne excavator in the fleet, Suttles can carry out more of the intricate sheet piling jobs that are increasingly being required in and around small rivers across the UK.

With Suttles gaining over £1.5m of contracts of this type a year over the last two years, it was somewhat of a necessity. Suttles already has six jobs of this type booked in for summer 2015.

By Anne-Marie Causer