Machine that ticks all boxes.

Text and photos by Barry Walsh

Location: Ireland
Customer: Barry Walsh Civil Engineering Ltd
Machine: Kobelco SK140SRLC-5
Operation role: Civil engineering and groundworks
Operator: Barry Walsh

Barry Walsh Civil Engineering Ltd is a small to medium sized civil engineering and groundworks family run contracting business. We are in business since 2005 and the works we carry out are:

– Site Excavations (Foundations & Reduce Level Excavation)
– Storm & Foul Line Drainage
– Utility excavations (power, fibre & watermains)
– Landscaping

I am an owner operator and take great pride in our machinery. For me, the products we run have to be hard wearing, reliable, built for the task, engineered well, comfortable to spend a long shift operating it, good residual values and I must have confidence in the product along and its support network.

In the past we had been operating some alternative machinery but were always disappointed with the overall package, maybe a few of the above boxes were ticked but not everyone.

When we looked at changing our excavators in the past the “true blue” Kobelco was not available, but after a visit to Bauma with the intent to review all short radius excavators at the show the Kobelco SK140SRLC-5 was streets ahead of the rest.

We have been operating the machine now for a few weeks and it has blown my mind away.

– It is so smooth when grading ground our tolerances have dramatically decreased saving on material cost and therefore our overall job cost.
– Fuel & Adblue consumption is minimal.
– The operator station is finished to an exceptional high standard.
– Komexs very easy to navigate & find day to day data on the machine along but how efficiently we are operating the machine.
– On the first day operating I had to ask the guys on the ground was the machine turned on it was so quiet at maximum rpms.
– All filters are close to the ground for easy maintenance.
– The short radius is so well balanced even at full reach which is a great confidence boost when working on drainage excavation.
– The machine is compact for tight job sites but has the fell & digging capacity of a much larger excavator.

I can’t complement Kobelco enough in my mind the SK140SRLC-5 ticks all the boxes.

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