At the business end, Ben has chosen the two-piece boom option and the shorter 2.5m dipper arm to facilitate the fitting of an X20 Steelwrist tiltrotator. “Opting for the larger X20 on this size of machine was a gamble, but so far it’s paying off. It’s just a case of getting used to the little extra weight at the front end, but this is more than compensated by the awesome power of the gearbox on the X20 model over the smaller X18 that I had on the previous machine. It’s making a huge improvement to my daily productivity” says Ben.
Most of the additional physical alterations have been undertaken by Gifford-based Lammer Engineering, the proprietor of which happens to be Ben’s father.
The modifications include: ● Additional skid rails mounted under the centre of the chassis to protect from tree stumps
● Side impact protection rails ● A heavy duty roof guard and guarding at the bottom of the windscreen
● Boom cylinder guarding which sports Ben’s new BM Excavations logo
● Guarding to the hydraulic connections along the dipper arm and a guard mounted at the top of the dipper to protect from damage from tree branches
● The standard windscreen has been replaced by bullet-proof non-scratch glass to withstand debris being thrown at the cab when using a flail
● The machine’s grab rails and steps are also painted in high visibility green to facilitate safe access and egress in low light.
The combination of the 4.6m adjustable two-piece boom, 2.5m dipper arm and X20 tilrotator makes Ben Miller’s new acquisition a highly versatile piece of kit. Hose rupture valves are fitted as standard to the boom and dipper cylinders as are quick fit hydraulics and a hammer/shear service. In addition, Ben has opted for x3 rotation lines and a large bore return line to facilitate attachments such as a flail, requiring high flow on the return to tank line.
Other options specified by Ben Miller include: ● Additional LED work lights mounted on the cab ● Boom rams ● Hydraulic tank and counterweight ● A diesel-powered heater for the machine’s cooling system ● Proportional controls on the multi-faceted joysticks
Whilst Ben Miller is a pretty self-sufficient individual and quite capable of maintaining his new EC140ELM, this time around he has opted to take out a full repair and maintenance contract with SMT GB, which means the firm will take care of all the repairs and maintenance required for Ben’s length of ownership. “I thought long and hard about making this additional investment and decided it made sense to have the machine fully maintained and looked after by SMT, giving me that extra peace of mind” says Ben.
BM Excavations Ltd is a specialist contractor working mainly in the Borders and Lothian area of Scotland undertaking all manner of forestry contracts ranging from track and road building and maintenance, general contracting to tree mounding for new forestry plantations. ■ Mark Gunns
8 THE VOICE MAGAZINE No36 2019
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