Skip to main content

Doosan's UK & Ireland first

Loughran Rock Industries in Armagh, Northern Ireland, has become the first company in Great Britain and Ireland to purchase a Doosan DX700LC 70tonne crawler excavator. The purchase from Doosan dealer Northern Excavators, based at Hillsborough in Northern Ireland, is said to have allowed Loughran Rock to replace two 50tonne excavators while, at the same time, increase production levels. Loughran Rock supplies a wide range of products including concrete aggregates, high PSV materials, rail ballast, drainage m
November 12, 2012 Read time: 4 mins
Loughran Rock Industries in Armagh, Northern Ireland, has become the first company in Great Britain and Ireland to purchase a 695 Doosan DX700LC 70tonne crawler excavator.

The purchase from Doosan dealer Northern Excavators, based at Hillsborough in Northern Ireland, is said to have allowed Loughran Rock to replace two 50tonne excavators while, at the same time, increase production levels.

Loughran Rock supplies a wide range of products including concrete aggregates, high PSV materials, rail ballast, drainage materials, sub bases, rock armour and surface dressing chippings.  

The DX700LC crawler excavators, the largest in the Doosan crawler excavator range, are also being used to excavate deep beds of shale at the Loughran Rock quarry.
  
“The gritstone we produce is a quality product that is pretty abrasive to deal with, so you need a machine with the power and durability offered by the DX700LC to load the stone day in, day out to meet productivity targets,” said Loughran Rock owner Patrick Loughran.

“Once we’ve drilled and blasted out the rock, the DX700LC excavator continuously loads the gritstone into two 60 tonne rigid dump trucks which take it to our crusher plant for use mainly in the production of concrete and asphalt.” 

Loughran Concrete, part of Loughran Rock Industries, specialise in the delivery of ready mixed concrete to DIY and trade contractors carrying out small and medium sized jobs, mainly foundations, slabs, bases, driveways and garage bases throughout Armagh and the surrounding areas.

The new DX700LC crawler excavator is the latest in a long line of Doosan machines purchased by Loughran Rock since 1995. Purchased models have included Solar range excavators, Mega range wheeled loaders, DX140LC excavators and DL400 wheeled loaders.      

The DX700LC crawler excavator is said by Doosan to provide optimum value for money to the end-user thanks to its outstanding productivity, superior comfort for the operator, enhanced reliability, durability and maximum uptime. The machine’s long carriage design, in combination with the undercarriage expanded to its maximum working width of 4,000mm, is said to ensure maximum stability and safety in all kinds of digging, lifting and loading applications. 

Equipped with the EU-approved 2,900mm arm, the DX700LC has a maximum digging depth of 7,765mm, a digging height of up to 12,080mm, a top digging reach of 12,715mm and a dump height of up to 8,180mm. The minimum swing radius is 4,090mm.  Digging forces over the bucket and over the arm are 33.3tonnes and 27tonnes respectively. The power boost feature is said by Doosan to increase both forces by about 9%. Due to the DX700LC’s high swing torque (21,940kgf/m), the excavator can also work efficiently on slopes.  It has a maximum swing speed of 7.1 RPM.

Together with the engine, the hydraulic system of the DX700LC is said to have been designed to provide exceptional performance with economic fuel consumption. A new mode control system is said to provide optimum power and efficiency for all operating conditions.

The DX700LC’s load sensing piston pump and closed centre valve is claimed to enable fine metering of hydraulic flow for smooth, precise control of machine functions. Flow regeneration is said to conserve energy and create increased boom and arm cycle times. Both the boom and arm cylinders are cushioned to provide a smooth, end-of-stroke operation while the holding system is said to prevent attachments from falling when the controls are in the neutral position.

The crawler excavator has two travel speed ranges with a maximum speed in low range of 2.9 km/h and a maximum speed of 4.6 km/h in high range. Drawbar pull is 48.9tonnes.

Meanwhile 6853 Kilsaran Concrete, part of The Kilsaran Group, has purchased a new Doosan MT31 articulated dump truck (ADT) from Philip McCormack Plant Ltd for the company’s Gallstown Quarry at Grangebellew in County Louth, Ireland.  
 
The Gallstown Quarry was acquired in the early nineties as a greenfield site and has since been developed into a complete installation of crushing and screening, washing, blacktop, block making and readymix concrete facilities. 

Formerly branded Moxy before the range was acquired by Doosan in 2008, this line of trucks has been purchased by The Kilsaran Group since the early 1990s.  The first to be bought was the MT30 model in 1992, since when the company has purchased different generations of the MT31 model, with the latest machine at Gallstown Quarry being the third generation of the MT31 truck to be run by Kilsaran.

Peter Ryan, location manager at the Gallstown Quarry, said: “The trucks have been great performers over the years and I’m sure this will continue under the Doosan brand if the performance of the new MT31 ADT is anything to go by.”               

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • SANY Mining is expanding its rigid truck presence
    October 14, 2013
    SANY Mining is gearing up to expand sales of its rigid haul truck range, as well as developing new models - Mike Woof writes. The global rigid dump truck market is at present dominated by a small number of manufacturers, but SANY Mining intends to challenge its main rivals internationally, having developed its presence in its home market. SANY Mining is continuing to expand its SRT range of off-highway dump trucks, as well as boosting its sales of these machines in China and for export.
  • Soil compaction innovations abound
    October 26, 2012
    Manufacturers continue to innovate with sophisticated new soil compaction machines - Mike Woof reports This year has seen the introduction of a series of new soil compaction machines, as manufacturers develop their product ranges. Meeting emission legislation requirements in Europe and North America has helped drive firms to install the latest engine designs. Meanwhile machines have also evolved as companies further refine operating features. The global market for compaction machines has been dominated by
  • Rock Hawg shows cutting edge
    February 28, 2012
    A new machine described as an excavator, trencher and crusher is the first of its type operating in the UK and Europe. Westquay Trading, the exclusive distributors for Tesmec products, has introduced the first 126tonne Rock Hawg, which has been sold to contractor A J Gammond of Malvern, England, pioneers of the use of the machines in the UK and Ireland.
  • Hitachi presents new mini excavators
    February 5, 2015
    Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) has recently introduced a trio of impressive mini excavators – the ZX17U-5, ZX19U-5, and the ZX26U-5. Said to be user-friendly, offering high levels of performance, comfort and durability, the new Zaxis-5 models are ideal for working in narrow or confined spaces. The ZX17U-5 and ZX19U-5 are claimed by Hitachi to be more productive than other brands of mini excavators of this size. Due to their greater hydraulic efficiency, they are also said to be more producti