A Scottish forestry contractor is on the right track with Doosan
“The Doosan High Track excavators are well built, fit-for-purpose machines,” declares Simon Richardson, owner of Langholm in Dumfriesshire in Scotland-based S Richardson Contracting. “They have provided us with many advantages in the forestry work we do from preparing ground and mounding work to drainage and building forestry roads.”
It is just that experience that has led Simon to invest in eight new Doosan DX160LC-5 HT 16 tonne High Track Crawler Excavators for work on the company’s forestry contracts throughout Scotland and North England. The machines were supplied by James Gordon (Gordons), the Authorised Dealer for the Doosan Heavy range in the South West and Borders regions, as well as the central-belt of Scotland as far as Argyle and Bute and the county of Cumbria in Northern England.
The Doosan High Track models are designed to meet the needs of customers requiring a combination of higher ground clearance, a reinforced track frame and a strong traction system with reinforced upper rollers for work in harsh environments and on projects where larger travelling distances are involved.
The units are particularly suited for constructing roadways, mounding, earthmoving and other duties in the forestry industry, where the higher ground clearance, durable travelling system and the traction force allow them to move with ease over rough terrain, negotiate obstacles such as fallen tree trunks and to pull trailers loaded with wood.
Simon Continues: “We were introduced to the Doosan DX160LC-5 HT High Track Excavators by Darren Nicholson, Sales Manager Cumbria & Borders for Gordons Construction Equipment. The design allows us to easily negotiate tree stumps and other obstacles in forests, traversing sites much more easily and not having to move/remove the amount of material we had to in the past.”
The DX160LC-5 HT excavator combines the upper structure from the same manufacturer’s DX140LC-5 14 tonne model with a heavier-duty 18 tonne class high track undercarriage, increasing the ground clearance from 410mm in the DX140LC-5 to an impressive 615mm. In its standard configuration, the digging depth of the DX160LC-5 HT is 5,355mm, the digging height is 8,940 mm and the digging reach is 8,080 mm.
Simon Richardson added: “Unlike our previous excavators, which were specially modified, the Doosan DX160LC-5 HTs are purpose built machines for the forestry and rough terrain work we undertake. We initially tried out a DX160LC-5 HT from Gordons and it performed really well and our operators liked the machine. So it was an easy decision to purchase more of them, particularly when they are part of the excellent package offered by Gordons combining reliable service and maintenance with their fast response.”
S Richardson Contracting employs a team of highly skilled machine operators with great experience in the forestry industry. In addition to tree felling and thinning, the company undertakes road and track maintenance within Forestry Commission and private land, tree replanting projects, together with land ploughing contracts prior to replanting.
The company has been in the business since 2003 and has worked all over the Scottish mainland and islands, making ground ready for tree planting. Opening new land for planting trees is not easy but thanks to a strong fleet of equipment including the Doosan excavators, S Richardson Contracting can take on any job anywhere.
Doosan also offers the larger DX180LC-5 HT High Track model, which is an enhanced version of the company’s DX180LC-5 excavator, incorporating a reinforced structure and a carefully re-engineered, high performance braking system, offering the same ground clearance of 615 mm as the DX160LC-5 HT, compared to 460 mm in the standard DX180LC-5.
The DX160LC-5 HT and DX180LC-5 HT are powered by the Perkins 1204F engine, which combines reduced fuel consumption with the power and torque of larger engines with a smaller displacement. The Perkins 1204F engine provides an output of 81.6 kW (109 HP) and 94.9 kW (127 HP) at 2000 rpm, respectively, in the DX160LC-5 HT and DX180LC-5 HT.
Increased Comfort and Controllability
The features offered as standard in the operator’s cab include a novel system that enables attachments to be operated from either the joystick or a two-way pedal. Being able to switch control of the auxiliary lines between the joystick and the two-way pedal greatly lessens any discomfort that may be caused by extended or repetitive use of the joystick alone to control attachments (such as a mulcher or a breaker). It is also helpful when precision is required – as the operator can keep full control of the excavator via the joystick while using the two-way pedal for attachments.
For additional convenience, the controls for the auxiliary lines on the joysticks have been repositioned, with the rotation and shear rollers positioned for left/right movement. The joysticks have also been shortened to reduce the effort required to operate them and an additional pedal for straight travel has now been installed on the left of the main travel pedals, a very useful feature when travelling straight over longer distances.
Gordons – The Doosan Dealer for Central and Southern Scotland
Headquartered at Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, Gordons has six depots managing its territory for Doosan. As well as Doosan crawler excavators, Gordons is responsible for sales and servicing of the Doosan wheeled and mini/midi excavator, wheel loader, articulated dump truck and attachment ranges in the areas covered by the company.
Gordons’ customers benefit from superb on-site service networks, covering everything from emergency repairs to routine maintenance. The company’s factory-trained engineers have many years of hands-on experience of repairs and servicing of plant and machinery.
Founded in 1865, Gordons is a well-established and much respected agricultural machinery business in South West and Central Scotland, providing a fast, efficient local service for machinery supply and, most importantly, the best possible aftersales support with 35 service engineers, five of whom are mobile engineers dedicated to construction and Doosan trained.
As well as covering existing contracts, Gordons provides flexible service agreements, depending on the requirements of the customer. The company offers service and warranty work on all existing Doosan machines in its area, backed by a full selection of genuine accessories and parts. Gordons also holds a stock of new and used Doosan branded machines, to respond quickly to customers’ needs.
