What a high reach excavator is for

Height. A standard 30 tonne excavator reaches perhaps 10 metres. A high reach machine gets to 22 or 28 metres, which means a building of eight or nine storeys can be taken down from ground level, in a controlled sequence, with nobody working at height and nobody inside the structure.

That is the safety argument and it is also the commercial one. The alternative on a tall structure is scaffold, hand demolition floor by floor, and a program measured in months rather than weeks.

The machines and attachments

• 28m high reach. The largest in the fleet. Eight to nine storeys, heavy concrete and structural steel.
• 22m high reach. Six to seven storeys. Lighter on the ground and easier to site on constrained blocks.
• Demolition shears. For cutting structural steel, columns, beams and portal frames. Fast, and it cuts rather than tears, so the steel comes out in recoverable lengths.
• Concrete pulverisers. Crush reinforced concrete and separate the reinforcement for recycling as you go.
• Grapples and hammers. Sorting, loading and heavy breaking at the base.

Why the operator matters more than the machine

A high reach excavator at full extension is a very unforgiving piece of plant. The load chart narrows sharply with reach, the machine has to be set on ground that has been assessed, and the sequence has to keep the structure stable as material comes off it. An operator who has taken buildings down knows which element is holding what up. One who has not is a serious risk to everybody on site.

We wet hire only, with our own demolition operators, because the machine and the person are not separable on this kind of work.

What we need to quote it

• Height of the structure, and what it is built from. Steel frame, reinforced concrete, masonry or a mix.
• Standoff distance available. How close can the machine get, and what is on the other side.
• What is next door. Boundaries, live buildings, rail or road corridors, overhead services.
• Ground conditions and access, including whether a float can get in and turn.
• Whether you want the steel recovered, which changes the attachment and often the price in your favour.

Where we work

Sydney and NSW routinely. Queensland, the ACT and South Australia for larger structures and shutdown work. High reach machines travel further than most plant because the jobs that need them are worth mobilising for.

Common questions

Can we dry hire the machine?

No. High reach demolition is wet hire only, with our operator. It is not a restriction we apply to the rest of our fleet, and it is not negotiable on these machines.

How tall can you go?

Around 28 metres with the largest machine. Above that the answer is usually a different method rather than a bigger excavator, and we will tell you that early.

Can you do the whole demolition, not just supply the machine?

Yes, and most clients end up there. We are a demolition contractor first. Machine hire is one way of engaging us.

Do you recover the steel?

Yes, and it often changes the commercial picture materially. Shear-cut steel comes out in recoverable lengths rather than as mangled scrap.