The site if full of technical constraints but the MB R500 was chosen because of its compact size and ability to be mounted on a Bobcat E55 crawler excavator.
Access to work on the Aldilonda walkway is difficult, and hanging onto the cliffside has sometimes been called an acrobat’s job. Moreover, along the 450m, the rocks beneath the citadel’s walls are not homogeneous - operators don’t know what they will encounter.
The R500 is the smallest model of MB’s drum cutters but extremely versatile as it can be fully accessorised with add-ons such as a dust suppressor, drum cover and a cutting depth adjustment. It weighs only 300kg and can be installed on mini and midi excavators from 3-12tonnes as well as on skid steer loaders. Its powerful cutter head has a diameter of 500mm and grinds with extreme precision. Its drum can be replaced on site in less than an hour.
The MB R500 is exceeding all expectation and making 3m of linear progress every day on average, grinding away rock to make a clear and level path. The walkway is scheduled to be open in the first quarter of 2020.
