Construction World February 2019

“The E10z mini-excavator in particular is selling really well,” he says. “This year we have already shipped well over 70 units. We find that the E10z is especially popular in gardening and landscaping. For many years, the standard equipment of a gardener was a lawnmower. But because it is becoming more and more difficult to find personnel, companies are able to do a large part of the manual work quickly and efficiently, thanks to a mini-excavator like the E10z and its wide range of attachments. The E10z is operated with a servo joystick. This is really very comfortable, so employees can work with the machine eight hours a day without any problems.” Amazingly compact The second smallest model in the Bobcat excavator range, the E10z is easy to transport. In addition to the access provided by its retractable undercarriage reducing its width to only 710 mm, the integrated foldable TOPS (Tip Over Protective Structure) facilitates passage through openings with low headroom, for work inside buildings and in basements. Once the excavator is positioned and ready for work, the undercarriage on the E10z can be expanded to 1100 mm, for maximum stability in all working conditions. The E10z’s minimal width enables excellent manoeuvrability in confined spaces, while the zero tail swing design is an additional advantage when working in tight areas. Thanks to a standard second speed range, the E10z is also able to move quickly around job sites, to complete projects faster and work more efficiently.

Increased safety and comfort In this category of machine, the E10z offers several important safety features for operators. A grab bar provides assistance for getting onto and off the machine. Entry and exit from the excavator is also made easier thanks to the completely open, flat area for the feet in the operator station. This design makes it easier to clean the area for the feet. The design of the E10z ensures that the boom offset cannot reach the feet, providing maximum protection in this area. Operator safety and comfort is further enhanced by the completely retractable seat belt on the E10z. Both the left and right consoles on the E10z, which serve as comfortable arm rests, need to be lowered and locked in order to operate the machine. The position of the joystick controls on the E10z can also be adjusted to suit different operators. 

LOCAL REMANUFACTURE OF GAS ENGINE COMPONENTS

As South Africa looks to make greater use of natural gas – and even landfill gas – in the generation of electricity, the good news is that the country has world-class engine component remanufacturing capacity to optimise the lifespan and reliability of these generating sets. A t Metric Automotive Engineering in Germiston near Johannesburg,

that the engine will require between maintenance interventions. “The relatively poor quality of gas requires advanced ignition monitoring systems in the engine, but the wear rates remain high due to the highly abrasive post-combustion residue, despite filtering of the gas,” he says. “With natural gas, for example, cylinder heads will need to be replaced every 20 000 to 30 000 hours. With engines burning landfill gas, however, they could require attention as early as every 5 000 hours.” Metric Automotive Engineering has already been conducting work for customers in the both the natural gas and landfill gas segments, where the generating capacity of the engines is usually between 1 MW and 10 MW. The company also provides customers with service exchange units, to enhance efficiency in the maintenance process and reduce downtime. “Service exchange units allow customers to have remanufactured components like cylinder head assemblies readily available to take to site when worn components need replacement,” he says. “These engines are designed to have certain major components replaced in the field, so it makes no sense to be procuring these services from abroad where most of the original equipment comes from.” Yorke highlighted the vital importance of high quality workmanship in conjunction with a disciplined and well-resourced maintenance schedule to optimise the performance and lifespan of these engines, while delivering lowest cost of ownership to the operator and reliable energy supply to the end- customer. Other items that the company remanufactures include valve-train components, connecting rods, crankshafts and cylinder blocks. 

skilled staff and cutting edge facilities have been hard at work for decades, remanufacturing diesel and gas engine components to meet the exacting original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards, says operations director Andrew Yorke. “Making more use of gas as a power source is an exciting prospect for South Africa, both in terms of its reasonable cost and its lower

Machinists preparing head.

environmental impact,” says Yorke. “However, equally positive is the fact that the expertise and state-of-the-art equipment to remanufacture these engine components is already here, and doing this work locally supports the economy, reduces turn-around times and cuts costs.” He notes that while natural gas is generally a clean burning fuel, landfill creates a much harsher environment for an engine, as it is difficult to control the level of contaminants in gas that emanates from any particular landfill. This significantly reduces the intervals

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD FEBRUARY 2019