All Round Package

Taking a look back at one of my previously published Earthmovers articles and bringing it to life here on the internet, with alternative photos and video.

It was 1989 when Hertfordshire based Robert Swann decided to set up on his own, initially as self-drive plant hire business. His very first machine was a 2.5 tonne Nissan mini excavator which proved to be rather unreliable and as Robert jokingly commented, “I spent more time fixing that thing, than I did actually operating it!”.

Undeterred by that experience Robert then invested in a well proven Kubota KH36 which was once again aimed at the self-drive sector. But as time went by, more and more of Robert’s customers were asking to hire the machine with him to operate it. Armed with this 1.2 tonne machine Robert found himself travelling around the county digging out driveways, excavating foundations and generally drifting into becoming a groundworks contractor.

He then, like so many before him, purchased a JCB 3CX backhoe loader and with this machine the groundworks side of the business snowballed and further expansion took place over the coming years including a move into the demolition sector.

Today the business provides work for around 22 employees including two full time mechanics in the yard who are responsible for the maintenance and servicing of the machines and vehicles.

Talking about the business today Robert said, “We operate a 60/40 split these days between demolition and groundworks. We started doing more demolition in the last few years, mainly due to the reason that were often following demo firms onto sites to start the groundworks phase, but increasingly we were being confronted with problems that they had left behind, so we figured it would make sense to take on the some demolition work ourselves and its really grown from there!”

“So now we can offer demolition and groundworks on a site, or stand-alone demolition or groundworks whichever suits our clients best really, it works well, making us a flexible and versatile one stop shop solution”.

The company have run a mixture of machines over the years, and Robert says that since that first 3CX backhoe loader, they have always had some representation of JCB machinery on the fleet, but they are always keen to look at the new kit form a variety of manufacturers.

The company’s relationship with local Hyundai dealer Ernest Doe goes back to around 1997/98 when Robert purchased his first Hyundai machine, which was an R55 model which were, somewhat bizarrely, painted in a bright green livery back in those days, Robert recalls how they were affectionately given the nickname of the “Kermits” a reference to Kermit the green puppet character in the Muppet Show.

Photo: An example of the affectionately known "Kermits" aka Hyundai's R 55-3.

Around that time the fleet was dominated by machines from the Komatsu stable, but they had been impressed with the small Hyundai’s and even more impressed with the competitive pricing of the Korean built kit back then.

At the time Ernest Doe’s salesman was the legendary Andy Parnham, who worked closely with Robert Swann to offer them a good deal on some larger Hyundai models. Robert takes up the story, “Initially we were always a bit worried about the potential resale value of the machines, but having said that, we were paying a lot less for them in those days. For example, a Hyundai 210 would have cost us around £70k then, whereas an equivalent Komatsu was in the region of £90k, which equated to a £15k to £20k difference, which when you sold them in 4-5 years’ time, very easily balanced itself out, we felt it was a bit of a no-brainer to be honest and the back up and support we get from Doe’s makes it an attractive package”.

Robert continued, “In all fairness we have very little issues with the Hyundai’s and find them very reliable overall, we did have one or two hose issues due to routing at one point, but it was an easy fix and was quickly sorted. We do all our own servicing and if we are not sure about something technical, Doe’s are always very helpful with advice, they have lots of experience with the product as they are one of, if not the longest serving Hyundai dealers in the UK which offers us peace of mind. With the work we do, we tend not to put massive hours on our machines, in fact we probably struggle to put 1,000 hours on them in a year.”

Talking further about today’s Hyundai machines Robert said, “Our operators really like them and we have all noted the vast improvements the Korean’s have made in quality as each new range comes out. They are now much more refined, smoother and more controllable to operate and features like Bluetooth functionality and heated seats make them a pleasure to spend time in, in addition servicing is now easier than ever, with all filters etc accessible from ground level. We felt the biggest leap forward came with the introduction of the HX range in 2016, which we feel puts them right up there with the perceived big brands”.

The company’s current Hyundai tally is 7 machines in total ranging from 6 tonne up to 30 tonnes. The latest arrival on the fleet is a brand new HX160L which features the full factory fit demolition specification, which in addition to the ROPS and FOPS cab structure also includes a FOG (Falling Object Guard) demo cage, the front part of this cage can be released and folds out forwards to facilitate cleaning of the front windscreen. Full rotation circuit pipework is fitted, and proportional joysticks are standard, perhaps unusually for a demo spec machine, no impact side skirts are fitted by Hyundai.

Talking about the new arrival Robert said, “We do like the 160 sized machines as they offer us great flexibility, due to the weight we can move them about ourselves using our tri-axle trailer towed behind one of our eight-wheeler trucks. We find them to be a great size for groundworks, offering us that bit extra reach, they can also pick up and use 21 tonne sized buckets and attachments on 80mm pins and handles them comfortably. We also find them good for demolition work too making good use of that extra weight and reach. Ultimately, we pay 16 tonne money for a machine that is nudging just shy of 19 tonnes, so as far as we are concerned, it’s a great buy!”.

Robert who coincidently is an internationally renowned and successful rally car driver, also has an excellent working relationship with Ernest Doe’s salesman Nigel Booley and the pair have been friends since school days, which is a nice position to be in.

According to the official Hyundai stats the HX160L tips the scales with an operating weight of 18,100kgs, however according to this examples ID plate its weight was rated at 18,240kgs.

Power comes from the Tier 4 Final emissions compliant 4-cylinder Perkins 1204F diesel engine which produces a power output rating of 96kw (128hp) @2050rpm. With bucket capacities ranging from 0.39 – 1.05m³ the machine has a maximum digging depth of 6560mm and a dumping height of 6390mm.

Sitting on 700mm track pads the HX160L has a footprint width of 2,690mm some 400mm narrower than Hyundai’s 20 tonne offerings, which allows the 16-tonner to access gateways where a 20 tonner might not be able too, another example of this size machines versatility.

Earthmovers caught up with man and machine on its first day on the job at the old site of Robert Dixon Crane Hire in Hertfordshire, which had later been rented out to Quinto Crane Hire, where the Swann demolition team had previously demolished the old buildings, taken up the concrete yard, processed and recycled the material for ready for re-use.

RA Swann are now undertaking all the groundworks for 12 bespoke large luxury houses in what is a highly sought rural area for properties on behalf of the developer Robert Dixon Developments.

Summarizing on the new addition Robert said, “We have been delighted with all our Hyundai’s so far and I’m confident this one will prove to be equally as good, for a compact 16 tonner it certainly packs a big punch!”