CPA Bulletin

TAIL PIECE www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > August 2018 59 GREEN LIGHT STOPPAGES In the last Bulletin I questioned the use of green coloured flashing beacons on plant to show that the operators were safely wearing their seat belts. I highlighted the fact that, on the public highway, green beacons can only be legally be used by doctors travelling to an emergency. Subsequent feedback indicates that police have been enforcing the law. On one motorway job. police pulled off the carriageway onto the works area and instructed plant operators to switch off the green beacons. This official response now seems to be becoming more common. As I indicated in the last Bulletin, a logical solution would be to indicate seat belt secured with a non-flashing green light. So I was pleased to see that one CPA member has taken this sensible approach. At the recent Hillhead quarry show, Clee Hill Plant was proudly exhibiting a new Bomag BW161-5 vibrating roller complete with four solid green LED lights (two on each side of the cab roof) to indicate seat belt in use. Other useful safety features included a Brigade Electronics Backeye 360° camera system (with mobile digital recording) and ultra-violet blur lights to mark out the edge of the safe working zone on the ground around the machine. Site safety officers should be impressed. ELECTRIC EVOLUTION In the last Bulletin I also mentioned the unveiling by JCB of the prototype of its first all electric mini excavator. The subsequent Intermat exhibition in Paris and the Hillhead quarry show at Buxton then revealed a significant number of other new electric compact machines that are being developed by other manufacturers. Amongst the new electric kit at Intermat was a 1.0 capacity high tip compact site dumper from Ausa (which has already found favour with the municipal authorities in Paris), and mini excavators from Eurocomach (1.3 tonnes) and Wacker Neuson (1.7 tonnes). Hillhead then sawWacker Neuson take the wraps off its new 1.5 tonne payload DW15e high tip wheeled site dumper. Clearly the move towards many more electric compact machines is really starting to gather pace in response to the plans of London, Paris and other cities to introduce ultra-low emission zones. However, in the desire to clean up air quality, the work done to make diesel engines much less polluting and more fuel efficient, should not be overlooked. THE CASE FOR DIESEL When JCB launched its 1.9 tonne all-electric mini excavator in March, the company (which has become a very significant diesel engine maker) brought in David Bell (the Honorary President of the Construction Equipment Association) to also state the case for keeping faith with diesel. He highlighted the fact that the new generation of diesel engines are much cleaner than ever before. He cited the efficiency advantages of diesel engines compared to their petrol counterparts and pointed out that diesel fuel is not explosive (unlike some batteries?). Another significant point is the amount of CO2 that has to be generated to make a suitable battery to power sizeable construction plant. David Bell’s message is that electric is not the all-embracing answer to a clean-power future across the board. Given the concerns about the current feasibility of universally embracing full powertrain electrification on bigger machines, the use of hybrid drives ought to become much more popular. So the few pioneering excavators at Hillhead seen complete with hybrid technology could well be the start of something big. However, hire companies seeking to embrace the new technologies will need to persuade their customers to pay a higher rate for these cleaner, more sophisticated (and therefore more expensive) machines. A NATIONAL EMERGENCY As well as air quality, another problem getting a lot of attention these days is potholes. Our roads are clearly in a sorry state and the situation has been described in the national media as a “national emergency” due to the number of cars being damaged and cyclists seriously injured. In March the Government announced that a further £100 million would be given to local councils to help repair potholes. As my Waze app in the car nowmore frequently proclaims “Pothole reported ahead”, I trust that this extra money will be well spent. Perhaps some of it could ultimately fund the deployment of a new British invention that I spotted at Hillhead? Developed by Preston-based BG Pavers, the new Pot Hole Demon is a self-contained pothole repair machine built onto a three axle truck chassis. At the rear there is a rotary cutter that creates a stepped circular hole around a pothole into which can be inserted a pre-formed asphalt-mix plug. The self-contained Pot Hole Demon also carries the equipment and materials to enable more irregular sized potholes to be milled out, filled with new material and compacted. Development tests continue and, if the technique proves successful, the machine could well become an item that could be contract hired to local authorities by pioneering plant hire companies. If you have any comments on this article please forward them to: the editor, CPA Bulletin. Nick Johnson’s tail piece Plant Journalist Nick Johnson gives his opinion on some current issues