Manchester-based civil engineering contractor Bethell Group had been happily operating a hired Liebherr excavator with shaft sinking equipment for 18 months. But with an increase in contracts calling for the specialist machines, it realise dit was time was time to go to market and get its own machine.
The company knew exactly what it needed and as other manufacturers and specialist conversion companies came up short, just one supplier remained.
After two years of negotiation and fine-tuning the specifications, a deal was signed for two shaft diggers and a telescopic crawler crane. Rónan Kilroe, Bethell’s plant operations manager, explains: “The package Liebherr put together impressed us immensely with its quality. Nothing was too much of an issue. And having the entire package manufactured, supplied and warranted by one company gives us peace of mind.”
Joining a substantial plant fleet including all the usual standard excavating equipment, the new shaft sinkers are built around the German manufacturer’s R 930 G8 excavator template and the specification sees each machine tip the scales at nearly 40 tonnes – standard R 930s weigh from 30.4 to 36.3 tonnes. Sitting on a standard long undercarriage, the upper structure is fitted with Liebherr’s hydraulically elevating cabin that raises the operator’s eye-level to five metres above ground for clearer views into excavations or tipper bodies.
Front-end equipment includes Liebherr’s standard two-piece boom and an extending dipper stick for additional reach. Safety standards are met by a full high-visibility boxing ring, halo lighting to define the working radius and a full 360° camera system. An additional camera gives a clear view into the excavation for applications when the machine is digging under water. Bethell also opted for a slew and height restrictor.
The shaft sinkers were not the only new Liebherrs to join to the fleet, with an LTR 1060 telescopic crawler crane also coming on board. With a maximum lifting capacity of 60 tonnes, the compact unit has a maximum hoist height of 55 metres and a maximum working radius of 50 metres and adds a further level of versatility to Bethell’s operations.
The crane’s compact dimensions are well suited to the tight spaces where Bethell can often be found working. “If we encounter harder material as we dig deeper, we will have to lower a mini excavator with a rock wheel attachment,” Kilroe says. “The Liebherr will be able to handle this task safely and is also the ideal machine for feeding in our pipe-jacking equipment as a tunnel progresses.”
The machine will also be a useful tool on shaft sinking contracts, where it will handle large concrete ring segments as a shaft is developed.
Delivery of the three machines came after detailed discussions over two years with Liebherr-GB. “It has been a long process to get here,’ says Kilroe, “but it’s one that we feel has worked out well for us. We have three excellent products which will give us a good few years of service. While the crane is relatively standard, the bespoke nature of the two shaft diggers has impressed us with Liebherr’s can-do attitude of happily building something different.”
Bethell was established in Manchester in 1865 to meet the infrastructure demands of the rapidly growing city. It was acquired in 1991 by tunnelling and shaft sinking specialists Kilroe Group. Originally founded in 1967 by Tim Kilroe Sr, the group is now headed by second and third generations of the family.
