With an increasing workload, Derby Specialist Contractor Cawarden has recently added a second high-reach to its fleet.

Already operating a 2018 Komatsu PC490-10, the company has returned to the Japanese manufacturer for their latest acquisition, a top-of-the-range PC490-11 HRD with K100 quick coupling system.

The new machine not only adds to the company’s considerable armoury but also adds a huge amount of productivity thanks to its ability to change boom configurations in minutes.

Komatsu is the parent company of German manufacturer Lehnhoff who were the designers of the Lehmatic hydraulic coupling system which allowed operators to change hydraulic attachments in seconds without getting out of the cab. The Lehnhoff coupling system has been utilised in the design of the K100 boom system and allows a fool-proof connection between boom sections to be made without any of the issues usually associated with changing booms over. There is no requirement for any working at height and the possibility of environmentally troublesome oil leaks is also reduced thanks to the system’s excellent connection system. 

The keys for the new machine, supplied by Marubeni Komatsu, have been handed over to Colin Williams who has operated both of the company’s previous Komatsu high-reach machines.

The first job for the new machine was in the heart of Birmingham where Cawarden had been tasked with the demolition and ground clearance of a series of heavily reinforced concrete structures that once formed a waste transfer station.

Continue reading this article HERE – Published in the NFDC’s Demolition & Dismantling Magazine – October issue.