CPA Bulletin

54 CPA Bulletin > May 2018 www.cpa.uk.net Leibherr: ? UK Scrapers won the contract for levelling an area of c54,000m2 on theWoodford Aerodrome site near Manchester for a large housing development. For this project Nigel Thompson, who runs UK Scrapers, has been using his fleet of towed scrapers pulled by Liebherr crawler tractors: a pair of new Liebherr PR 736 crawler tractors alongside a single Liebherr PR 734 crawler tractor with over 8500 hours on the clock which is partnered with a Bell 1810E scraper pan. The newest arrival on the fleet, another PR 736, is currently without a box and is being used to trimmaterial and assist with push loading the two other outfits. ‘The tractors we now operate give us the ability to work in almost any conditions and offer us far better traction in poorer ground,’ commented Nigel. Nigel’s PR 736 is coupled to a Caterpillar TS180 box, which like the Bell carries 30 tonnes. A second model is due soon and will be pulled by the newer dozer. Although the Liebherr machines are currently running with a single box, Nigel believes they are capable of taking a pair of boxes behind them in the right conditions. The combinations with the fully-hydraulic Bell and Caterpillar towed scrapers have been averaging almost 1000 tonnes per hour on a usual cut and fill operation. Once loaded, a 6 MPH travel speed could easily be achieved but Nigel really rates the Liebherr for the strength of the pull from the hydrostatic transmission: ‘It is extremely powerful and whilst we do have the third tractor here to give us a shove if we need it, we can actually fill the scrapers without it.’ With over 312 kN of pull available, the large cutting edges of the boxes have had no problem penetrating through the material on site. Nigel has equipped his dozer with the Leica iCON gps system, which allows his unit to undertake precision finishing work. With the plug- and-play set-up on the new Liebherr dozers, the system can also be easily transferred between the machines should the need arise. In terms of running costs, Nigel commented: ‘The Liebherrs are by far the most fuel efficient tractors I have operated, even when we work them hard’.’ To minimise track wear costs, the company uses rotational Berco bushes on the undercarriage and is getting well over 4000 hours on a set of chains. Nigel is complimentary about the back-up from Liebherr, which he experienced when the first machine came with the AdBlue pump: ‘It did cause us a few issues but, in all fairness, Liebherr recognised this and was on the case immediately. Since the issue was fixed, it’s been plain sailing.’ Nigel is impressed with the new PR 736: ‘There’s a world of difference in the cab. The view from the seat either to the front or back is far better and the pull from the new engine is phenomenal. They really have got this tractor right. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best out there.’ UK Scrapers level best with Liebherr dozers