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Digger Man Blog

by Nick Drew  |  Tue 14 May 2013

Sunshine, showers, and lots of kit on day one of Plantworx

A typically British mixed bag of weather greeted visitors to the opening day of Plantworx 2013. The new bi-annual show for the UK construction plant and machinery industries, has attracted 260 exhibitors, and features over 2,500 pieces of kit, many of which are new to the UK market.

Sunshine, showers, and lots of kit on day one of Plantworx
At the Kubota stand, the new KX080-4 that we reported on recently as part of my Bauma coverage, was certainly getting a lot of attention, and I was also delighted to bump into long term Kubota devotee Eddie Warrener. Eddie who is a trailblazing tiltrotator user, was accompanied at the show by Shaun Gratton, who is another recent tiltrotator convert. Both owner operators were expressing a lot of interest in the latest Kubota machines on show. Over at the Marubeni Komatsu stand, the HB215 Hybrid was the star attraction, these futuristic machines are definitely the way ahead if used in the correct applications, where there is plenty of slewing work involved. On the Volvo stand I spotted my first candidate for the demonstration operator’s award, which is being sponsored by Earthmovers Magazines. Using a Volvo EC140DL excavator equipped with a Steelwrist tiltrotator, he put on a stunning demonstration on the versatility a tiltrotator can give you, in a whole range of applications. Long term tiltrotator promoter Pat Bulcock, was on hand to offer expert analysis throughout the demonstration. On the Ammann Yanmar stand, another tiltrotator user, Ben Miller, was doing his stuff on a SV100-1 which is a 10 ton class machine, and is currently the biggest model in the Ammann Yanmar range. Ben, who hails from Edinburgh in Scotland, usually operates his own 13 ton class machine which is also tiltrotator equipped. Sadly the heavens opened up just after 2pm this afternoon and I made a calculated retreat to my hotel room. On the plus side, tomorrows forecast is for much improved conditions by mid-morning. So I hope to see more of you at the showground tomorrow.  

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