Digger Man does the Royal Cornwall Show (Part One)

Mon 10 Jun 2013

Digger Man does the Royal Cornwall Show (Part One)

My first port of call was to the CBL Plant Hire & Sales stand, where I was given a warm welcome from Regional Director John Elliott and his team. The guys were keen to introduce me to the new Takeuchi TB215R, R standing for reduced tail swing, which is expected to be as successful as the TB016, which has been a phenomenal seller for Takeuchi over the years, and has without doubt been the utility sectors favourite excavator of choice.

The TB215R weighs in at 1,500kg, and features a rear mounted boom lift ram, which aids in protecting the ram from accidental damage especially from less experienced operators in the self-drive market. It also features an all new cast dipper arm assembly and improved access to the engine components under the seat.

Although these machines will not be available here in the UK until the end of the summer, advance orders are already good. South Hams Tool and Equipment Hire, based in Ivybridge, Devon, have already placed an order for the new model.

Also on stand, were four Thwaites 9 ton dumpers, sporting the liveries of four of the largest players in the South West plant and machinery game, including MJL Contractors, WH Bond, Champion Groundworks, and the now customary Steve Hoskins Construction, in their familiar blue and white colours.

Also on show were a couple of Italian built Messersi tracked Hi-Tip dumpers, like this CH 2-N model, which are an ideal companion for the smaller Takeuchi mini excavators when working on narrow access jobs. Also in this shot, is the new Dash 5 Bomag BW120 AD-5 double drum vibratory roller, which has been purchased by Helston & Exeter based MJL Contractors.

Two of the South West’s biggest groundwork’s company’s always dominate the M&M Plant Sales stand at the Royal Cornwall Show, and this year was no different, with Steve Hoskin Construction and Champion Groundwork’s, both displaying new Case CX210C model excavators at either side of the stand.

Regular blog readers may recall I spent a very brief period operating the first new Case CX210C machine that was delivered to Champion Groundwork’s, just before Christmas last year, and I have to say the machine was an excellent piece of kit. The machine on display at the show is now their 3^rd C Series 210 to join the fleet, and I feel there is definitely potential for an upcoming article in the magazine about these machines.

Other kit spotted on the M&M stand included a selection of the impressive Rammer hydraulic breaker range, and a new Case CX18B mini excavator, which has been purchased by John Oliver.

Also displayed was this Wacker Neuson ET20 VDS machine, this 2,025 kg machine features the unique Wacker Neuson Vertical Digging System, which enables operators to work on slopes and still dig vertical trenches. It’s also a tool for grading of cambers on roads or when performing landscaping duties; a good, solid, piece of kit which can be towed with ease behind a 4x4 or commercial truck.

Our good friend and regular reader of the blog Luke Harris, who is an Area Sales Manager for M&M Plant Sales, was also keen to show us the company’s new hydraulic hammer range from Bretec, which has recently been introduced into the company’ product portfolio, as a competitively priced alternative to the Rammer range. The model shown here is the M15, which has a working weight of 920kg, an impact rate of 450-750 BPM and is suitable for fitment to excavators from 11 – 16 tons.

Newly appointed Cat Compact Dealership for the South West, WH Bond, put on an impressive stand for their first appearance at the show as the official Cat Dealership. The WH bond team invited visitors to sample just what the company has to offer both on the construction product front, and from the agricultural side of the Cat Compact franchise.

The stand included numerous examples from the range, including two models of the bestselling 8 ton class 308E midi excavator, which were displayed sporting the livery’s of Champion Groundwork’s (who currently run 8 of these models) and up and coming machinery business Tony Wagner Plant Hire. Mr Wagner, also purchased a new Cat 305E 5 ton mini excavator for his ever expanding fleet, on the stand during the last day of the show.

A Cat 305E model similar to the one purchased by Tony Wagner Plant Hire, was also displayed on the stand, which has been sold to Steve Rule who own's Castleford Engineering.

Some of the Cat equipment on display will be joining the WH bond hire fleet, including this 279C High Flow XPS Compact Tracked Skid Steer loader, which would be joining the hire fleet straight after the show had finished. The UK is not a big market for skid steers per se, but the new tracked versions are growing on end users and I see a big future for them in our market.

One of the biggest draws to the stand was the amazing opportunity for one lucky person to win this Cat 300.9D mini excavator, in a free to enter competition. During my time on the stand, there was a constant stream of visitors filling out the entry forms and popping them in the box, and yes before you ask, I did have a go! I understand the draw was made on Saturday evening, which was the last day of the show, and the winner was the Helston Footbal Club. Maybe the Digger Man Blog can pay them a visit in the future for a digger versus goalie penalty shootout competition!

No show would be complete without the obligatory backhoe loader, and the latest Caterpillar 432F made a welcome appearance at the Royal Cornwall Show. Built here in the UK at Caterpillar’s superb Desford facility in Leicester, this latest model has been attracting a fair bit of attention from die hard backhoe loader fans up and down the country. It is fitted with the full servo controls to give it that 360 degree excavator feel and whilst I’m no big fan of backhoe loaders as an operator in general, I found the machine to be a real pleasure to operate during my recent test drive for the It’s Plant Time website.

Reflecting WH Bond’s recent additional appointment as Cat agricultural dealers, the company displayed one of Caterpillars mid-range telescopic telehandlers. The TH414 has a rated load capacity of 3,700kg and a maximum lift height of 14,000mm. These models are available in construction or agricultural specification.

In Part Two of this post, I will continue my tour around the machinery stands and also pay a visit to the vintage road building part of the show.

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