S. Norton & Co. of Liverpool, Great Britain, a family-owned company that processes secondary metals and has a high level of export business, recently took delivery of the first Liebherr Type R 984 C Litronic High Rise material handling machine. Development of this new large-capacity machine benefited from close cooperation between Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH and this first customer, whose practical requirements were incorporated into the new machine in the form of numerous optional details.
The R 984 C Litronic High Rise is a sturdy, long-lasting, highly efficient material handling machine that can be used for rapid loading and unloading of scrap metal and for all other bulk materials occurring in dockside areas, such as coal, chemical fertilisers or grain. Powered by a Cummins QSK-19 C 750 six-cylinder engine rated at 504 kW (685 hp), the new R 984 C Litronic High Rise has a service weight of more than 210 metric tons. New design features include an exceptionally robust undercarriage of pyramid pattern and the optional increase in tower height, which raises the machine by 8.70 metres at the slewing ring. With this superstructure, the operator’s line of sight from the cabin is at a height of 12.90 metres. A video camera mounted on the dipper arm ensures the best possible view of the load when loading bulk-cargo freighters.
For high stability, the crawler tracks, with 750 mm wide flat-surface pads, have a ground contact area measuring approximately 8 x 9.50 m. Catwalks with guards and a platform surrounding the complete tower provide safe access to the superstructure. In addition to the standard 1,585-litre fuel tank, two additional 3,000-litre tanks are integrated into the tower. This complies with the customer’s request for the machine to be able to operate for up to 100 hours before refuelling.
The new large-capacity material handling is being operated at West Canada Docks in the port of Liverpool; its task is load scrap metal suitable for use in blast furnaces on to purpose-built freighters in the Handysize category. One of the main advantages of the R 984 C Litronic High Rise is sensitive hydraulic control for the “softload” handling of scrap metal. The first step is to deposit a shock-absorbing carpet of finely shredded scrap on the base of the ship’s hold by means of suitably smooth working movements. After this the hold can be filled rapidly in a series of fast working cycles. The “softload” layer prevents the damage to the vessel’s hull that could occur if scrap metal were to be dropped into the hold from an excessive height.
S. Norton and Co. has been a Liebherr customer for more than 25 years and has already placed an order for a second R 984 C Litronic High Rise machine.
