EXECUTIVE REPORT
The Twinca Contractor ES800 micro
dumper is a good hire companion for the Takeuchi TB216 Hybrid mini.
Green Diamonds
Farnborough-based Diamond Hire & Sales is expanding its specialist fleet to include more environmentally friendly hybrid and electric machines. Nick Johnson reports.
As its name suggests, Diamond Hire & Sales supplies specialist diamond cutting and drilling equipment. However, the company’s interesting fleet also includes machines for floor preparation, demolition and material movement with an increasing array of compact excavators, power barrows/dumpers and demolition robots with hybrid or electric power.
Based in Farnborough, the business was established 15 years ago as the rental arm of specialist contractor, Castle & Pryor. This contracting business was created in 1991 by co-owners Mark Castle and Graham Pryor and it has become very experienced in carrying out diamond drilling, cutting and all forms of masonry and concrete drilling services including remote demolition. Amongst its specialities is airfield infrastructure work (for both commercial and military clients) which includes the installation of aircraft runway lights, as well as runway and taxiway sealing and patch repairs.
Specialist focus
Castle & Pryor now generally uses its own dedicated equipment. So Diamond Hire & Sales has steadily built up its own specialist rental fleet to serve the external market. Such has been its growth that Diamond now has an annual turnover of some £2m and it supplies customers right across Great Britain. Smaller items are regularly stacked onto pallets to allow cost-effective shipment around the country.
General Manager Richard Fielding is quick to emphasise that Diamond Hire & Sales is definitely not a general plant hirer. “We focus on specialist equipment and environmentally friendly machines that minimise noise, fumes, HAV and dust.”
It is logical to be able to supply not only equipment to cut and break concrete and other materials indoors, but also the means to move it around on site, so the business has been investing in small electric power barrows/dumpers. The company sees a big future for
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compact electric materials movers and, in recent years, it has bought examples of the 1,000kg-capacity high tip Ecovolve ED1000 electric mini dumper and the 400kg-capacity standard tip MUV electric wheelbarrow. Both are three-wheeled machines.
Subsequently, Diamond discovered the Twinca Contractor ES800 micro dumper from Denmark and, after carefully evaluation, the company became the UK dealer. This machine is a battery powered, pedestrian controlled small high tip dumper with a capacity of 800kg. Using a scissor lift-style mechanism, maximum discharge height is 1.4m. The quiet, fume-free unit has two drive wheels at the front and two non-powered wheels at the back that are steered by means of a control handle. It is powered by four 6V deep cycle batteries providing up to 14 hours running time (depending on application) after a six hour recharge.
The four-wheel design of the ES800 maximises stability when discharging at height.
The ES800 provides good stability and ease of steering. The rear steering column is like that used on pallet trucks. It usefully incorporates a prominent anti-crush safety button which, when depressed, automatically reverses the direction of travel to prevent the pedestrian operator from backing the machine into himself. The machine
had its UK exhibition launch at the Executive Hire Show in February and, subsequently, demand has increased for both direct hires to customers and re-hires. The number of units in the hire fleet is rising and machines have recently been at work in many parts of Britain including four on re-hire in Glasgow.
Takeuchi hybrid mini
Another growth area for Diamond has been the 1,905kg Takeuchi TB216 Hybrid mini excavator. Richard Fielding says it can work well indoors with the ES800 micro dumpers. Supplied by local dealer CBL, the machine has both an 11.1kW (14.9hp) Yanmar 3TNV diesel engine (like the standard TB216) and a 10.6kW (14.21hp) electric motor. The latter is housed in its own compartment at the rear of the diesel engine and this arrangement increases tail swing by 260mm.
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