Transverse drum cutter – now also with wood cutting option – impresses as a real multi-talent

During sewer digging work close to Hamburg, for example: Tree stumps also had to be removed when clearing the embankment. Epiroc´s German Product Manager Ralf Schumann recognised the problem and saw this as the perfect opportunity to present a new development from Erkat. “We have developed a new cutting head for our drum cutters, which is specifically designed for chopping up wood”, states Ralf Schumann. “There has been no development like it to date. It was a real gap in the market!”

Although it may seem really simple from the outside, it is actually quite a complicated process. In this specific area, the embankment also acts as a dam and the roots of the cut down trees are spread far and wide. Simply tearing out the roots could damage the dam significantly. This would result in erosion. 

In cooperation with Liebherr Mietpartner, Epiroc therefore provided a type ER 250 Erkat drum cutter. The attachment was tested extensively with the new wood cutting head – and proved to be a massive success: “The tree stumps in the embankment could be milled out easily and without risk. That’s exactly what the customer wanted!.”

The transverse drum cutters from the ER series are offered for excavator classes from 1t to 125t and are ideally suited for trenching, tunnelling, special foundation work, demolition and for mixing different materials in the ground. The low-vibration and quiet operation of the Erkat special milling machines also enables it to be used in sensitive areas.

Erkat special drum cutters with cutting head for milling tree stumps are offered in the excavator classes from 8 tons to 28 tons, e.g. ER 250 W for the classes 8t to 15t, ER 600 W in the 10t to 18t range and the ER 650 W from 15t to 28t.

Erkat transverse drum cutters can be converted for different applications by easily switching the cutting head, for example with:

·         Profiling cutting heads for profiling and cleaning surfaces

·         Tunnel cuttings heads for reworking tunnel profiles,

·         Cutting heads for milling tree stumps

·         Mixing cutting heads for mixing materials for soil treatment

·         Extraction cutting heads for increased performance in soft stone

In another project, a type ER 250 milling machine managed to impress Eurostone GmbH completely. In the Werra-Meissner district in Hessen, close to the city of Sontra, the A44 motorway between Kassel and Herleshausen is currently be expanded. The building of a tunnel under the Boyneburg is a sub-project here. In order to protect the opening to the tunnel portals from landslides, the embankment was stabilized and will now be lined with gigantic blocks made from natural stone.

Firstly, the required standstone blocks – 8000 in total - were delivered to the construction site as untreated raw material from the nearby quarry. The surface of the sandstone blocks was processed by hand onsite as the first step. Only when an even rectangular shape has been achieved can they be used as building material for securing the embankment.

Ralf Schumann saw what needed to be done once again here: “This is extremely hard work for the workers. It's real manual labour. By hand, they can just about manage 4-8 stone blocks per day. But this is child’s play with the drum cutter!”  A type ER 250 milling machine was handed over to the responsible construction company on a trial basis and the success followed quickly. “The work was much faster with the machine. One stone block can now often be completed in 30 minutes and is ready to use for the construction work.”

The customer was extremely grateful at the end of the trial and decided to keep the ER 250. Using the machine not only saves the customer time and money - but also relieves the strain on the personnel.