Site Conditions
The production goal for the contractor was to lay five 20 ft length sections of pipe per five-day work week.
The site required a trench to be dug through very dense limestone rated between 16,000 and 22,000psi. The contractor tried many other conventional trenching methods, but none of them were able to keep up with production goals and keep project costs in line with the budget. For example, while using a hydraulic breaker, they struggled to lay one 20 ft length of 36 in diameter pipe in a week, far short of the five sections goal required.
Antraquip Site Analysis and Proposal
The contractor reached out to Antraquip’s local dealer in Tennessee in search of a better solution for their trenching challenge.
After a site inspection by local dealer and Antraquip factory personnel, a production and cost proposal were presented to the contractor. The proposal was made to do a trial with an AQ4XL hydraulic rock cutter mounted on a Kobelco SK350 LC excavator. The proposal included guaranteed production of no less than 200+ ft of 20’ pipe (10 sections) in five-day work week (double the contractor’s initial production goal).
Results
The contractor reported that during the trial of the Antraquip AQ4XL on the Kobelco SK350 LC excavator, the production rates have exceeded the guaranteed production quote listed above. In hourly terms this equated to an average of 13 cu. yards per hour achieved by the AQ-4XL (compared to 1-2 yards per hour for the hydraulic hammer)!
The AQ4XL’s 215 hp motor provides up to 28,120 ft lbs of torque and up to 24,068 lbs of cutting force to cut the very dense and hard limestone. Even so, the pick/bit consumption has been reported to be very low - due to the low abrasion nature of the limestone.
Conclusion
Since the trial period began, the AQ4XL has allowed the contractor to exceed his production goals and is helping to bring the project back within budget. Contact Antraquip today to see how AQ attachments can speed up your production.
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