Capital Equipment News April 2017

COMPACT EXCAVATOR

BEATING SPACE CONSTRAINTS

A new Kubota 8 t compact excavator from local supplier Smith Power Equipment is available for South African contractors looking to keep a lid on operational costs and get the better of space- constrained working environments, writes Munesu Shoko.

S mith Power Equipment (SPE), the authorised distributor of the Kubota range of compact excavators in South Africa, has expanded its mini excavator range available for the local market with the launch of the new 8 t KX080-3 Super Series. The new model joins two smaller models – the 3 t U30 and the 5 t U50 – which made their debut locally back in 2014. The new KX080-3 comes at a time when the general sentiment across the local construction industry is that the compact excavator is the next big thing. While the market is still small in South Africa, predicted by Tom Bloom, SPE’s general manager for Construction Equipment, to be around 160 units per year, the compact excavator is fast growing as a tool of preference on South African sites. Bloom predicts this market to increase year-on-year by 20%moving forward. The first big driver of compact gear is urbanisation. As towns continue to grow, space is at a premium at many construction sites, hence the need for a smaller machine that can get the better of space constraints. The second driver is the change in application. Away from mining and infrastructure where you need big- sized excavators, there are more jobs in

applications such as landscaping, sewage, trenching and cabling. These applications are continuously growing and compact equipment becomes a big need. While South Africa has gone down the compact route further than most of its African peers, Bloom is of the view that is still lags behind the rest of the major users of compact excavators globally. However, he is upbeat about the prospects of growth for the smaller tool, and through education, he believes that local contractors are slowly, but surely grasping the potential benefits of the compact excavator. “Unfortunately, the ‘bigger is always better’ mentality still rules in South Africa. But, in challenging economic conditions, cost saving is very important. A compact excavator’s major benefits over most conventional solutions include fuel economy, lower capital outlay, ease of transportation compared with bigger options, as well as versatility,” reasons Bloom. “We also see a lot of urban construction going on locally, and often in confined working environments, and this is where the compact excavator excels.” Key features A key feature of the KX080-3S is its

compact size that allows it to work in very tight spaces, but offering high power performance to execute a range of jobs that normally call for larger conventional machines. The machine comes with Kubota’s pioneering 360 mm tight tail swing, and thanks to the contoured, tight tail design, the KX080-3S is said to be more stable and can work in areas where space is at a premium than conventional tail swing excavators. “With its compact size, the machine can still achieve a high level of industrial per- formance on space-constrained construc- tion sites, making it a unique proposition for local contractors seeking substantial power on space-restrained urban sites,” says Bloom. Its compact size also makes it easier to transport between sites. With its 2 200 mm

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