Excavator Based Attachments

There are numerous benefits in using an excavator as the carrier for ground improvement:

Excavators are less heavy than crawler cranes, needing a less stable work platform.
Excavators can be faster mobilized. On site assembly is minimal.
The space on some sites is very limited. Excavators require less space.
The excavator can push the vibroflot down to achieve faster penetration.
These advantages make the excavator the preferred carrier rig for many projects.

The maximum depth that can be reached using a 40 ton excavator is for bottom feed stone columns around 8 m and for top feed stone columns 10 m.

The BE4 has the following advantages:

Low capital investment requirement.
Additional push down force (activation) compared to rope suspended attachments.
Perfect verticality by design, thanks to optimal control via excavator arm.
Easy and economical mobilization to site.
High production rates
Stable operation, also on not optimal work platforms.
Quality Control includes: Energy consumption, depth, push down force, verticality, air pressure, and column diameter over depth.

The following shows a BE4 Bottom Feed stone column rig (also called “Vibro Stitcher) operating with a B27 vibroflot in South Carolina, USA.

Movie from site in Austria

The BR0 and BR1 are drill rig type carriers built on a patented adaption of an excavator base machine with a custom mast and outrigger support.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Four strong outriggers carry the full weight of the carrier, reducing stress on the undercarriage and increasing overall stability.
Only the mast and its attachment to the excavator body are custom made, the rest is a standard excavator.
The BR0 main rope is operated winch free in both directions, due to a rope and pulley setup with hydraulic cylinder inside the mast.
The BR1 main rope is operated by a reversible Zollern winch.
With a mast extension, the BR1 can install Stone columns up to a length of 17m.
The gravel bucket is synchronized with the main rope so that gravel can be filled while the vibroflot keeps moving up and down installing columns.
The electric generator for the vibroflot is mounted on the back to a patented device that allows lowering such generator to ground level for easier service.