Quick change artist

An OilQuick coupler supplied and installed to its machine by Warrington based attachments specialist ECY Haulmark is allowing Erith Group to make up to 25 attachments per day on a contract to dismantle a redundant gas storage holder at Garston in Liverpool, UK. Erith is using a Hitachi ZX470LCH, one of 19 machines in its fleet fitted with this brand of coupler (in its case an OQ80), to make up to 25 attachment changes a day between a steel shear, a selector grab and a standard bucket.

According to Erith site manager Matthew Balson: “With limited access around the gas holder being an issue, we designed a methodology to dismantle it from the inside. We first had to remove a section of the crown to allow access for the excavator to get inside. The central area of the chamber was made up of a series of brick pillars with a cast iron stanchion which was supporting the crown. A selector grab and LaBounty MSD2000R steel shear were able to simultaneously demolish through the brick pillars and steel in sections at a very quick rate, thanks to the OilQuick being fitted. We then removed the outer steel walls which were 12.5 m (41 ft) deep but unfortunately due to space constraints our machine operator Paul Best could only reach to a depth of 10-11 m (33-36 ft) with the shear. We overcame this by Paul lowering a man cage into the annulus with a burner working along and upwards to 6 m (20 ft) height and this then allowed Paul to reach in with the shear and remove sections at a time all around the inside of the container. The inner brick wall is to be retained to allow the remaining annulus to be infilled. Once this section of the project is complete, granular infill will be used to create an access within the central container to allow a telescopic crane to enter and begin dismantling the surrounding circular steel structure working to a height of around 45 m (148 ft).”

Erith Group Managing director David Darsey commented “We initially took the OilQuick system on a two month trial demonstration in 2013 on one of our Hitachi 280 excavators and then subsequently purchased the system. On that machine I’m pleased to say, since the OilQuick system has been on we have been totally satisfied with its performance to date carrying out heavy demolition activities using various attachments."