BCT Services (South) LTD based near Southampton have over 20 years’ experience of delivering a range of groundworks and civil engineering projects for both residential and commercial customers right across the South Coast and Home Counties. Not one to put all their eggs in one basket, BCT actively seek work from both of private individuals and multi-national concerns with values ranging from £200k to over £5million in value.
With such a diverse range of projects being undertaken at any one time, BCT Services requires a fleet of equipment, including excavators, that is capable of being versatile and adaptable to any situation.
Partnership with Molson Equipment
One of the latest additions to their large plant fleet has come from Molson Equipment.
‘We have purchased a variety of machines from Molson, mainly Kobelco, and find them to be a very reliable and productive excavator.’ Managing Director Brian Turner commented. ‘We wanted a machine with a smaller footprint than our usual 13/14 tonners for working in and around plots when it comes to completion works. We didn’t want to compromise of the ability of the machine either and when we saw the SK85 excavator from Kobelco, we knew that would fit the bill perfectly.’
Introducing the Kobelco SK85MSR Excavator
The SK85MSR excavator is one of the latest dash 7 machines in the Japanese manufacturer’s midi excavatormachine line up. With an operating weight ranging from 8.4-9.7 tonnes depending on the detailed specification, the Kobelco SK85 is an ideal bridge machine between the company’s compact range and full size excavatorsmachines.
Undercarriage and Track Configuration
There are two undercarriage options available on the SK85 excavator. Both are the same in length, 2.83m, but there are two width options, wide at 2.3m and narrow at 2.15m. For the UK market Molson keeps it simple by specifying the standard 2.3m option. Like many excavatorsmachines of this size, rubber track pads are seen as an ideal choice, but BCT have opted for a 600mm metal pad. One noticeable difference for a metal tracked version is a slight increase in the gap between track and upper carriage allowing for better material dispersion. Both undercarriage options come with a dozer blade as standard.
Operator Comfort and Cab Features
The upper structure of the excavator is dominated by the huge cab. Not that this is to the detriment of the rest of the body work as the Kobelco designers have managed to squeeze all of the components into a compact and flowing body design. The cab however is of utmost importance to most operators and regular operator Ryan Burn is very pleased with the new machine. ‘The cab is almost the same size as we have on the standard SK130 excavator.’ He comments. ‘For an excavator machine of this size, Kobelco have smashed it with the size of the cab. There’s masses of room in there and with a huge range of movement on the seat and joysticks, you can easily get everything set up so that you are very comfortable. The finish is also very good inside the cab with some very nice touches like the back lit dash.’ The latest dash 7 upgrades have seen Kobelco improve the cab finish in line with other excavators by including the previously mentioned LED backlighting to the dash and switchgear, improving the outlets for the air conditioning and incorporating their latest touchscreen design enabling quicker and easier access to a range of machine settings and functions. The screen also hosts the view from the standard side and rear cameras.
Engine Power and Maintenance Access
Under the skin of the excavator’s upper carriage sits a 3.3 litre Yanmar diesel engine delivering 72hp with a peak torque level of 296Nm coming at just 1365rpm. Despite the curved and compact upper structure, there is still room for even the largest fitter’s hands to get in and undertake regular servicing without too much of an issue thanks to a fully removable bonnet on the offside of the machine. The cooling pack on the SK85 feature’s Kobelco’s integrated noise and dust reduction system (iNDr) which uses a high-density mesh filter to block dust entering the air intakes. This prevents the radiator and the air cleaner from clogging with dust and maintains their performance of the machine. The ridges of the corrugated filter allow the air to pass through, and the grooves collect the dust, which prevents the filter from clogging.
Integrated Noise and Dust Reduction
The Kobelco excavator’s standard configuration includes a knuckle mounting for the boom. The sturdy casting allows the boom to be offset by 67° to the offside of the body and 62° to the nearside and allows the excavator to dig parallel to the tracks or up against obstructions. This has been aided with the addition of an ST10 SMP tiltrotator. It is the first tiltrotator added to the fleet and according to Ryan has really allowed him to undertake work with a new view on how to achieve a finish. ‘It’s an eyeopener as to what you can achieve with the tiltrotator fitted as opposed to a straight bucket. You find you’re not moving the machine as often.’
Real-World Application: Drainage Swale Finishing
At the time of our visit Ryan and his team were working on a variety of finishing works around the newly built houses. One of the tasks was completing the sides of a drainage swale and it was this task which showed off the versatility of the excavator. With just enough reach to get to the far side of the swale from the road Ryan was able to use the SMP to grade the bank without too much material falling into the water. A standard machine just wouldn’t have been able to manipulate the material sufficiently. With the far side of the swale completed, Ryan turned his attention to the edge closest to the road. Sitting on the base layer of tarmac he quickly graded the material to a finished level to await seeding, all of this was completed without the machine having to unnecessarily track around causing damage to the road surface.
Exceptional Support and Machine Performance
‘Over our time dealing with the Molson team, we have found them to be very proactive if there is any issue which needs dealing with.’ Brian explained. ‘They are always on the end of the phone and always willing to help. Our operators like the machines. They’re comfortable, fuel efficient and productive and that’s a great start. When they are backed up with a good service team as they are with Molson, we couldn’t ask for more.’
