A world first in Great Britain: delivery of Liebherr’s first hydraulic excavator with a factory-fitted Leica Geosystems machine control system

The partnership between Liebherr and Leica Geosystems allows Liebherr customers to purchase generation 6 and 8 crawler excavators and wheeled excavators with a factory-fitted 2D and 3D machine control system as an option. The first customer to benefit from this arrangement is a British company, Brad-Pave.

The generation 8 R 934 crawler excavator comes with the Leica 3D passive system and will be soon updatedd with a semi-automatic system featuring an automatic inclination/rotation function. According to the company’s director Paul Bradshaw, the machine control system is critical. It's the key to accurate and effective work.

Choosing a Liebherr machine for quality and service

It was the quality and expertise of Liebherr that persuaded Paul Bradshaw to opt for a Liebherr machine. Other factors tipping the balance in Liebherr’s favour were excellent service and several possible adaptation with the machine. These are the most important considerations for this British company. On its first construction site job, the R 934 was mainly used to dig a large drainage trench across a field. The machine’s power and responsiveness were entirely to the operator’s satisfaction.

The 7.1 tonne counterweight and 800 mm pads ensure good stability in all conditions. The machine has run up 350 hours on the clock since delivery. The director declares that he will definitely be coming back to Liebherr for his next purchase. This is our reward for high-performance customer service and for the advice and support provided with previous purchases of machinery and equipment.

The Leica 3D machine control system

The R 934 crawler excavator is the first Liebherr machine with a factory-fitted Leica Geosystems control system. The entry into partnership between Liebherr and Leica Geosystems announced in March 2020 enables us to offer our customers the expertise of both companies, allowing to deliver more advanced and reliable solutions. This meant that Brad-Pave was able to purchase an excavator fitted with a Leica Geosystems semi-automatic 3D machine control system featuring an inclination/rotation function. According to Paul Bradshaw, the machine control system is the key to accurate and effective work. Factory installation has the advantage of ensuring high system reliability thanks to the expertise of the staff doing the installation work, in addition to reducing down-time on site. The company expects to increase its productivity with the help of this new built-in system.