JC Balls & Sons, a family owned, and managed business founded in 1963, has built an enviable reputation in the Midlands as a bulk excavations and earthmoving contractor. The company has just taken delivery of a new Tier 4 final BOMAG BW 213DH fitted with the BOMAG Terrameter and a Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System. The new machine was put to work immediately on the A50 phase 1 corridor scheme on the outskirts of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. After installation by a BOMAG engineer and Trimble agents Sitech the BOMAG was tasked with completing the compaction of a 1 metre lift of pulverised fuel ash (PFA) adjacent to the new bridge over the A50. In total over 250,000 tons of PFA, sourced from nearby Rugeley power station, will be used on the job, so the new BOMAG will be kept busy for a few weeks.
The ‘dash-5’ BW 213 DH, bought by JC Balls & Sons, is powered by a 115kW Deutz engine with a diesel particulate filter (DPF), a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR), an advanced active emissions control system to meet Tier 4 final emissions regulations. The twin-pump DH model has a maximum travel speed of 12km/h and maximum gradeability, with vibration of 57%. The load-sensing ECOMODE engine management, fitted as standard on all dash-5 SDRs saves up to 30 percent fuel, reduces emissions and provides a quieter working environment.
The BOMAG dash-5 series of single drum rollers are designed and built to work in the toughest applications on large road, rail and major infrastructure jobs. Increasingly contractors are using GPS and grade control systems to save time and money and increase quality assurance on large and complex projects. BOMAG offer their own integrated continuous compaction control (CCC) systems providing display, control and documentation and the option to integrate BOMAG compaction data with leading grade control systems, as in this case where the BW213 is fitted with a Trimble GCS900 grade control system. The Trimble system provides a display and mapping of the site integrated with real-time compaction data from the BOMAG Terrameter. In-machine documentation of compaction results is also available. The optional BOMAG Terrameter, fitted to this machine, supports the driver in an important way. The system measures the level of material stiffness under the machine as it rolls, in real-time, and the indicated stiffness, shown digitally and as bar graph, correlates directly to the EV1 and EV2 values of the plate load test. It also indicates when optimum compaction is reached. This helps to avoid unnecessary passes, saving time and significantly increasing productivity and quality assurance. JC Balls & Sons already have positive experiences of using grade control on this project and they are in no doubt that the system saves time and money. The new BOMAG fitted with the Trimble is another step into the future.
