Apreference for buying crushing equip- ment to crush materials on site instead of renting or sourcing materials for projects from suppliers is an emerging trend among some construction companies, says capital equipment provider High Power Equipment (HPE) Africa.

The company offers time and cost savings to such companies through the McCloskey International range of capital equipment and Hyundai 9-Series wheel loaders, which were launched on February 28 at its offices in Jet Park, Johannesburg.

The company extended its product offer- ing to the Southern African market in January when it was officially named as the sole Southern African distributor for Canada-based McCloskey International – a global manufacturer of crushing, screening and recycling equipment.

The new range of crushing equipment enables construction companies to buy their own machines and crush material on site for their construction needs, such as aggregate for road building, and load the crushed material onto machines for transportation to the next construction site, explains HPE technical specialist Werner Bruwer.

A crushing plant takes about two months to construct; however, the McCloskey Inter- national range and Hyundai 9-Series wheel loaders enable companies to establish crushing sites and have them fully operational in half a day, he adds.

McCloskey VP of sales John O’Neill notes that Africa is a key target market for the company.

“To date, McCloskey has only had a small presence in Africa. Owing to its comprehensive product range, the decision was made to have full dealer support from HPE Africa, ensuring that local customers have access to a full value-added service.”

HPE Africa McCloskey sales manager Alan Straw points out that HPE Africa will stock and distribute the entire range of McCloskey International equipment, which is divided into four main product groups – stockpiling conveyors, crushers and trommel screens for the organic and recycling markets, and vibratory screeners for the aggregates market.

“The McCloskey International range of equipment augments HPE Africa’s current offering to all of its existing markets. The company will provide the support required by companies to properly maintain the McCloskey International range of equipment and its customer relationships.

“HPE Africa will also keep a complete stock of backup components to service all the machines in the range. McCloskey Africa has committed to provide in-depth and comprehensive training for all HPE Africa technicians, which will ensure that they are fully certified to service the entire range,” he explains.

The McCloskey equipment and Hyundai 9-Series wheel loaders require servicing every 250 operating hours and hydraulics components require servicing every 1 000 operating hours, Bruwer tells Engineering News.

In addition, all the machine parts in the McCloskey range are interchangeable to increase operational efficiency and decrease shutdown periods on construction sites, he adds.

Further, the machines are automatically operated, as skills shortages are a problem in Africa. While a computer system is integrated into a McCloskey crusher, the machine can be overriden and operated manually, which saves time and costs in case of machine failure.

In addition, a Caterpillar engine management system is integrated into the McCloskey equipment range, which includes Caterpillar safety parameters. HPE also has an agreement with Caterpillar’s engine accessories division for the supply of engine parts, services and maintenance, Bruwer explains.

These machines are suitable for mining and quarrying, owing to their mobility, and for demolishing materials such as concrete.

Straw believes that the McCloskey range is ideally suited to the African market because of its user-friendly and rugged features. “McCloskey International was established in Canada, where machines are expected to withstand extreme temperatures in vastly remote areas.

“As a result, they have been designed to be reliable, operator friendly and easy to maintain. These are the features that Africa-based operations will look for in their machinery,” he says.

Hyundai 9-Series

HPE Africa is the sole distributor of Hyundai earthmoving equipment in Southern Africa. Its “new and improved” range of Hyundai 9-Series wheel loaders, which was launched in South Africa in February, includes the HL730-9, HL740-9, HL757-9, HL760-9 and HL780-9.

The HL730-9 is the smallest in the range and has an operating weight of 9.8 t, a bucket capacity of 1.9 m3 and a digging force of 89.7 kN, while the 12 t HL740-9 has a bucket capacity of 2.3 m3 and a digging force of 116.5 kN.

Meanwhile, the HL757 has an operating weight of 14.5 t and a bucket capacity of 2.7 m3 and is ideal for stockpiling and truck loading.

With an operating weight of 17.9 t, a bucket capacity of 4.1 m3 and a digging force of 159 kN, the HL760-9 is suited to truck-loading applications in the coal mining, quarrying and municipal sectors.

The larger 30 t HL780-9 wheel loader has a bucket capacity of 6.8 m³ and a digging force of 233 kN, and will be aimed at earthmoving contractors operating at larger mining projects across Southern Africa.

HPE Africa GM Neil Sauls points out that one of the most important features on the 9-Series is the new transmission system. “The latest advancement from Hyundai Heavy Industries is the inclusion of variable operating modes in the transmission, which ensures that the vehicle is not fully automatic, but instead, offers the operator four driving modes.”

These include a manual, an auto light, an auto normal and an auto heavy mode, which are each suited to varying terrains and loads for improved performance.

“A variable transmission ensures that the correct amount of power is supplied for a particular application, thereby offering substantial fuel savings,” notes Sauls.

He highlights that all the Hyundai 9-Series wheel loaders also boast a variable-clutch cutoff system with a low, medium and high mode.

“This system includes an automatic clutch inside the transmission, which ensures improved cycle times and further savings on diesel. The 9-Series wheel loaders also have a full four-point loading system on the loading tower, which is bolted directly onto the chassis to ensure heavy-duty capabilities.”

Meanwhile, the Hyundai 9-Series wheel loader operator cabs come standard with an advanced 5.7 inch eye-level display monitor for increased operator comfort.

“An eye-level display monitor prevents an operator from ever having to look down to read gauges, which is ideal for safety and accuracy.

“This monitor contains all the readings that the operator requires and stores all the relevant data in a central processing unit. This data can be down- loaded onto a universal serial bus device, which enables the fleet manager or owner to analyse any necessary information,” Sauls concludes.