Mastenbroek launches new trenching machinery with Volvo Penta engines

Specialist manufacturer, Mastenbroek, is launching a range of new trenching and auxiliary machines by harnessing the benefits of Volvo Penta engines. The company is drawing on Volvo Penta’s expertise in producing diesel engines of various power outputs that comply with EU Stage IV/US EPA Tier 4 Final emissions regulations.

UK-based Mastenbroek has extended its range of deep trenchers in creating the 40/20 model – the smallest in the series, which is designed to offer a compact machine for versatile uses. Using Volvo Penta’s TAD1371VE engine, the 40/20 is named in reference to the power output of just under 400hp and its trenching depth of just over 2 meters. The company has also overhauled some of its other trenchers and a crawler truck, using Volvo Penta engines.

Deep trenchers are used for cutting into agricultural ground to lay pipes for drainage solutions in areas that have a high water table and may have abrasive ground conditions. They are also used for engineering purposes where soil and binding materials are mixed to create sub-surface structures for terrain stabilisation and control of water movement. Due to the heavy duty nature of the work often occurring in harsh topographic environments or adverse weather, the trenchers need to be robust – and as such, the engines which power them need to perform at optimal levels.

Mastenbroek, based in the east of England, has been producing land and subsea trenchers, and auxiliary equipment such as backfilling machinery and control systems, for nearly 40 years. As a specialist manufacturer it tailors its machinery according each customer’s specifications. When the new EU Stage IV/US EPA Tier 4 Final emissions standards were introduced in 2014, the company began to overhaul its machines to comply with the latest regulations, and a collaboration with Volvo Penta was initiated.

Volvo Penta’s EU Stage IV/US EPA Tier 4 Final industrial diesel engines comply with emissions regulations by using a Selective Catalytic Reduction system (SCR) with Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF, known as AdBlue). Additional light Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system further optimises emissions control.

Of its upgraded machinery, Mastenbroek firstly overhauled its CT12 crawler truck and 20/15 and 30/20 drainage trenchers. The CT12 – used for backfilling after trenches have been dug and pipes laid – has been installed with a 5 litre Vovlo Penta TAD572VE; it now has a load capacity of 15 t.

The 20/15 drainage trencher is now equipped with an 8 litre TAD873VE. Originally the machine operated at 260hp with a digging depth of 2 m, but with the new Volvo Penta engine and an upgrade, it now operates at 320hp with up to a 2.5 m trenching depth.

And the larger 30/20 drainage trencher had previously been installed with an 11 litre engine, but has now been overhauled and is fitted with Volvo Penta’s 13 litre TAD1371VE (the same as for the 40/20 deep trencher). It provides increased power and more flexible usage.

GPS control systems are also incorporated into the trenchers to enable pinpoint accuracy when assessing where pipes should be laid for optimal water flow.

He adds that total cost of ownership in machinery which may operate for up to 20 000 hours over a lifetime of several decades, is paramount.

Riccardo Sardelli, Volvo Penta’s industrial sales manager for the UK and Ireland, oversaw the collaboration with Mastenbroek.

Adapted from press release by Joseph Green

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/product-news/15092016/mastenbroek-launches-trenching-machinery-volvo-penta-271/