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Hammerstone Canada adds third Liebherr R 9150

Hammerstone Infrastructure Materials has taken delivery of a third Liebherr R 9150 excavator at its Muskeg Quarry in Alberta, Canada.

Liebherr-Canada delivered the 150-tonne-class excavator on 19 June, bringing the number of R 9150s in Hammerstone’s fleet to three. All three machines are working at Muskeg Quarry, one of Western Canada’s largest limestone quarries and an important source of aggregates for the oil sands industry.

Hammerstone has operated R 9150s at the site since 2018, with the machines working around the clock to load material for processing and transport.

“Over the past eight years, we’ve been impressed by the R 9150’s high production capacity, excellent digging power and fast cycle times. In fact, the machine has delivered the reliability and consistency needed to keep material moving. So, adding an additional unit to our fleet was an easy decision,” says Bryan George, vice president and general manager, Hammerstone.

Arctic specification

With temperatures at Muskeg Quarry falling as low as −35°C during winter, all three R 9150s are equipped with Liebherr’s optional Arctic Kits.

The kits include Arctic-rated fluids, heated mirrors and an Arctic-rated greasing system, along with a preheating system designed to help prevent hydraulic fluids from solidifying and other cold-weather issues affecting machine operation.

Liebherr-Canada’s Fort McKay branch also provides technical support for the three excavators, helping Hammerstone maintain machine availability during year-round operation.

“Liebherr has a reputation for building robust machines that provide optimal performance regardless of the conditions they’re in,” says Francis O'Flaherty, divisional director, mining, Liebherr-Canada. “But even the most durable of machines need servicing and repair every now and then. Having experienced personnel on hand to look after Hammerstone’s R 9150s when needed means we can keep operational disruptions to a minimum.”