BREAKING THE CAT 6015B MOULD

It’s normally found in large quarries or mines, but when Finning News got the call to visit the latest Cat 6015B, we ended up at White Hart Lane, the home of Premier League Football team, Tottenham Hotspur, to see a striker of a totally different calibre.

The bespoke Cat® 6015B is the latest and greatest player to join demolition specialist DSM’s line up, thanks to an industry first collaboration between DSM, Finning UK & Ireland, Cat OEM Solutions and bespoke excavator specialist Kocurek. This has literally broken the original Cat 6015B mould.

The stats speak for themselves, as this machine weighs in at 225 tonnes, including an attachment weighing up to 2,500kg’s in its 70 metre configuration, delivering unrivalled tool carrying capacity and versatility that allows it to be transformed into three very different machines.

As we discovered when we met the DSM team onsite demolishing one end of White Hart Lane for a major redevelopment, by reducing the boom size, the Cat 6015B can operate a 7,000kg attachment at up to 38 metres, at the same weight. Equally impressive was its final 32 metre configuration that allows the 230 tonne unit to use a huge 12,000kg attachment, making light work of even the most challenging of demolition projects.

Speaking to DSM Director Des Kelly about the major investment in time and resources required to make the project happen, he explained: “This project is what true industry collaboration is all about. What we really wanted was to create a step change for the industry. Our vision was to invest in a much more versatile machine that could cope with both high-reach demolition, and very heavy duty hammer or processor work to speed up the clearance of a site for our customers.“In practical terms, what we now have is a machine that has safety and versatility built into its design. This allows us to sit one unit on a project that can take down a high structure, reconfigure itself once the high-rise work is done to speed up the demolition process, and reconfigure itself again to complete the below the ground works using heavy duty hammers.

“It was definitely not a simple task as many hours were put into delivering the final product, but now we have tested the unit out demolishing the White Hart Lane stadium, we can see just what a difference it will make to the business and our customers.” To transform the Cat 6015B into its demolition spec, extensive design changes and bespoke engineered components were required. These included lengthened track frames, the addition of a hydraulically extending undercarriage and the modification to four hoist cylinders.

To turn the machine into a typical demolition specification, a tilting cab with complete FOPS guarding was added with full machine walkways for access and safety. The addition of a counterweight, including a bespoke removal mechanism to allow it to be stored onto the trailer, completed the main machine changes.

But in order to carry out its operations, bespoke booms were designed to support the three different configurations. By having an interchangeable combination, including intermediate booms, dippers and triple articulating booms, each configuration could be setup onsite by the team from the trailer.

Des: “Commercially the whole project really stacked up for us. As we co-ordinated and agreed a project cost and timeline with Finning, we could engage with Cat OEM solutions and Kocurek to make the vision a reality.

“With the backup and service capabilities of both Finning and Kocurek supporting us, I am confident we will be able to safely speed up the demolition process for projects up and down the country. All with the end goal of getting our customers onsite faster.”