Case CX300D product profile
With a contract in hand to work at a wind farm across the Irish Sea in Scotland, Campbell Contracts needed another excavator to ensure deadlines are met.
The Northern Ireland-based civil engineering company, currently headed by director Brendan Campbell, was established almost 50 years ago and continues to diversify and expand its operations across the UK and Ireland.
Campbell Contracts’ fleet Campbell Contracts from Tempo in County Fermanagh operates a predominantly Case fleet of machinery and so the brand was an obvious choice when a new machine was required.
The new Case CX300D was purchased from the Cowan Bros Case dealership in Mallusk, just outside Belfast, and was transported across the water to the Afton Windfarm site near New Cumnock in Ayrshire.
Brendan and his crew of 12 are digging out and constructing roads into the mountain sites for the turbines, as well as preparatory work for the turbine bases.
It’s quite an arduous task as the current roads into the site are very narrow, making it time-consuming, as excavators and dump trucks have to move in to the side to let each other pass by. The area is proving to be a beneficial area for wind farms as another one is currently in operation on the adjoining mountainside just over the border in Dumfries and Galloway.
This new Afton site, when completed, will be home to 25 50MW turbines, which will sit 80m off the ground or 120m to the blade tips.
Campbell Contracts have six Case excavators working on the site just off the Afton Road under a subcontract agreement with Farrans.
The Scottish job for Campbell Contracts has been ongoing for the past six months and is likely to last beyond the summer time this year.
The team is working as many hours as they can each day to get the job done, as the turbines coming from Spain are due to be erected in a few weeks’ time.
On the job
The new Case CX300D at Campbell Contracts is tasked with making access
roads wider and is being operated by Paul McDermott.
Paul used to operate a Case 210D but notices a huge difference with the more powerful Case CX300D.
"The biggest difference by far is the power of the 300D," Paul says. "The six-cylinder engine does give this bigger machine a lot more power over the smaller Case 210D that I was used to.
"Even though the 300 is a lot bigger and has that bigger engine, it is quiet to operate.
"Visibility from the cab is superb, especially with the rear-view camera. I also notice the swing is extremely smooth and the machine is very stable," Paul adds.
Case CX300D features
The Case CX300D has an operating weight of a little more than 30 tonnes and
is powered by an Isuzu AQ-6HK1X Tier 4 six-cylinder engine rated at 207hp. Case D Series excavators have a new electronically controlled hydraulic pump, a larger control valve, and new solenoid valves.
The manufacturer says these upgrades help boost breakout force, increases lifting strength, and improves responsiveness, which enables the machine to work faster throughout the work cycle.
By using an SCR Tier 4 Final engine, Case says it provides up to 14% increased fuel efficiency without sacrificing power. As an after-treatment system, SCR lets the engine run at peak performance to provide full throttle response throughout the work cycle.
The boom on the Case CX300D measures 6.15m and the arm 3.18m. There is a long undercarriage on 31.5 inches (800 mm) steel shoes.
Operator safety and comfort is paramount in the Case CX300D as the new cab has increased entry room and foot space. A seven-inch widescreen colour monitor provides the operator with a constant rear camera view to increase safety and awareness.
Brendan says Case offered excellent reliability, boosted by a good backup service, should it be required.
"We operated Case machines in the past but strayed off the brand letting in a few Hyundai and Liebherr machines into the fleet.
"However, I went back to Case for recent purchases and am very well pleased with the Case CX300D so far.
"We have another Case 300 working on the site alongside some Case 210D models and a Case CX130C with 1300mm wide tracks on it, which we call the ‘bog master.’
"That excavator is sent up into the hills to work on the softer moss ground where
the wider tracks sure do come in useful."
Campbell Contracts operates its own quarry in Letterbailey and plant-hire business from its premises near Tempo.
The company also offers a heavy haulage service for customers.
Case Construction machinery is sold in New Zealand by Advancequip. For more details, visit advancequip.co.nz.
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