Hitachi Elephant:Layout 1

22/3/13

13:10

s a specialist in modifying excavators for a life

of working in water, Belgian Hitachi dealer
Luyckx is no stranger to the pages of
EARTHMOVERS with its Starfish range of special
adaptations (see panel). Now the friendly, familyowned company has taken its techniques to the
next level using a 112-tonne Hitachi EX1200-6 as a
starting point.
Nearing completion at company headquarters at
Brecht, midway between Antwerp and the Dutch
border, it stands in the same secluded spot where
all the other Luyckx conversions were conceived.
First impressions are indeed lasting. Standing over
7.5 metres to the top of the cab, when this excavator
raises its bucket to full height it nudges the 17m
mark, towering above the solar-panelled roof of the
factory.
The development work started following a request
from a joint venture between Besix (Belgiums largest
earthworks contractor) and the Leighton Holdings
subsidiary Thiess Australian Mining. Operating as Best
Joint Venture, the two partners have won a US$275m
contract to develop the breakwater and materials
offloading facility of the Chevron-operated Wheatstone
Project (see panel).
The customer wanted a machine that, in addition
to keeping its upper-structure dry when excavating
in five metres of water, could also be quickly
converted to a long-reach machine for on-land
work. To complicate matters even further, they also
wanted to be able to use the excavator with the
standard mass excavation equipment a sort of
three-in-one combination.
Luyckx accepted the challenge and, it has to be
said, the modular design they have come up with for
the brand new EX1200-6 is cunningly simple. The
design breaks with their tradition as the digging
equipment remains fixed to the standard position on
the upper-structure, whereas on the Starfish line of
modified excavators the boom foot was transferred
to the undercarriage.
Leaving the boom and stick in situ results in a
much simpler solution when changing from the pylon
undercarriage to a standard X frame undercarriage
for long-reach or mass excavation use, but meant a
new name was needed. It is easy to see why it is
dubbed the Elephant. From the side, and with a bit of
imagination, the upper-structure does indeed roughly
resemble the body of an elephant, with the boom and
stick providing the trunk.

Page 1

Special adaptations

WORLD
EXCLUSIVE

Luyckx has converted a Hitachi EX1200 to

a pylon excavator for use in five metres of
water, which can also be easily used as a
long-reach or mass excavation machine.

3-IN-1 JUMBO
EXCAVATOR
A huge Hitachi EX1200 excavator forms the basis of a conversion that can work
in five metres of water. Steven Vale enjoys a sneak preview of the one-of-a-kind
machine before it starts its long journey to Australia.

MAY 2013 EARTHMOVERS 1

Hitachi Elephant:Layout 1

22/3/13

13:11

Page 2

Left and Above: The standard 17.5t counterweight is used in pylon configuration, with an additional
15t ballast block added when in long-reach configuration.

A three-metre pylon raises the height of the slew

ring to 5.2m from the ground, while the hollow interior
of the structure affords access to connect all the
hydraulic hoses to the undercarriage. Surrounding its
waist, the pylons access platform is covered with
anti-slip and saltwater resistant floor plates.
Working with a team of 10, the project was led
by Kris Meeus and Louis Vinck, who explain that
extra stability for working in up to 5m of water comes
in the form of a newly-developed wider undercarriage.
The outer track width has been increased to a

With a bit of imagination it is

possible to envisage the bottom
half of the machine submerged
under water when the bucket
teeth will dig at 6m.

2 EARTHMOVERS MAY 2013

massive 6.5m and the excavators standard 65cmwide track shoes have been swapped for wider
90cm versions.
Previous Starfish creations have used hydraulically
extending track frames. However, experience revealed
this reduced ground clearance, so this time around the
engineers set to work to make a new design. The
dedicated wider undercarriage design ensures the
new X-frame now rides over underwater obstacles.
For working in water the excavator retains its
standard 9m boom and 3.6m stick. It also holds on to
its standard 17.5t ballast block and engine, albeit the
latter with salt water protection. In pylon configuration,
the excavator weighs approximately 130 tonnes.

Moving to the hydraulic system, as well as

stainless steel connectors, additional plumbing
allows an external power pack to be fitted to
operate the boom and move the machine in the
event of a main engine failure.
The tracks, pylon and newly-developed X-frame
feature something else you would not normally find
on an excavator: marine paint and a series of zinc
plates. Just as the underwater metal parts of a boat
need protection from corrosive electrolytic action,
so too does the Elephant. An activated alloy anode
(zinc) provides an easy chemical target for the
saltwaters corrosive properties, helping to protect
the rest of the excavator.

Saltwater is so corrosive that within a year the

zinc blocks will need replacing, adds Louis.
Most of the work on the upper-structure concerns
ways to meet the strict Australian safety rules and
regulations. The climb up to the deck of the modified
Hitachi excavator reveals a few of these safety aids,
including three life buoys and a foldable escape/
rescue ladder. The health and safety rules are taken
seriously, and the Thiess/Besix team have travelled
from Australia to Belgium to ensure the machine
meets all the requirements. Luyckx is currently awaiting
feedback on the question of the necessity of fitting a
second escape ladder.
New anti-slip plates adorn the floor of the
upper-structure. I can confirm you would not want
to be walking around the top of the 7m-high platform
without anti-slip flooring and a safety rail, which will
soon be finished in a bright yellow livery.
A sophisticated surveying system will also be
added to ensure the tracks of the excavator do not
get close to one of the underwater trenches, or any
other hidden indentations in the seabed.
Changes to the cab include additional work lights
and flashing beacons, all operated from new rocker
switches. Before the giant excavator is pulled apart
and prepared for the long journey to the other side
of the world, the glazing will be given a tinted
treatment. Working under water, operators will rely
100% on a computer screen (just like on a dedicated
backhoe dredger), so the cab will need to be kept as
dark as possible.
In addition to using the machine to dig trenches
and dredge in shallow areas, the customer also wants
to be able to quickly transform the machine for
profiling work with a long-reach arm. At the time
of my visit, the long-reach 15m boom and 12.4m
stick were nearing completion in the workshop. The
bucket cylinders on the long-reach digging kit for
the Elephant are from a ZX470.
In long-reach configuration, the modified excavator
complete with bucket will weigh approximately 133
tonnes. Fully raised, the boom and stick will nudge a
lofty height of over 25m! All this extra weight up front
means an extra 15t of counterweight needs adding to
the rear for long-reach work.
During the past decade, Luyckx has amassed
plenty of experience fabricating long-reach booms,
many of them for marine dredging specialist Jan de Nul.
Recent creations include a 28m boom for an EX1200
and an even longer 34m version for an EX1900. Its
a rapidly growing area of the company and Luyckx

is keen to step in when Hitachi is unable to fulfil a

requirement.
The Belgian companys workshop is well prepared
to handle these huge parts. With a pair of cutting
machines capable of handling 40mm-thick steel,
they also have an 800t bending machine.
At this stage, it is worth highlighting the
Elephants digging weapons, although the bucket
currently on the excavator is not one of them. The
three buckets for the EX1200 lie close to the

Top (Two Pictures): For long-reach or mass

excavation duties the tracks are transferred to
the standard X frame and the upper-structure
swapped over with the help of a 150t capacity
crane.
Above: While the upper-structure is relatively
standard, Luyckx has added emergency access
valves to be able to tap in with an external
power pack in the event of an engine failure.

Wheatstone Project
Chevron Australia began construction of the US$29 billion Wheatstone Project, located on the Pilbara coast
of Western Australia, in late 2011. The name Wheatstone comes from the Wheatstone Channel in the Montebello
Islands, an archipelago 130km off the Pilbara coast, and 95km south of the Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG)
field.
Providing as many as 6500 jobs half of which are in construction the project includes a natural gas
processing platform in 73m of water, 140 miles (225km) from the coast. An underwater trunk line will transport
gas and liquids from the platform to the onshore processing facility on the mainland at Ashburton North.
The project also includes two LNG processing trains with a combined capacity of 8.9 million tonnes a year,
which are due to come on line in 2016.
Output could eventually expand to 25 million tonnes per year, helping propel Chevron into the position of
one of the worlds largest LNG producers.

MAY 2013 EARTHMOVERS 3

Hitachi Elephant:Layout 1

22/3/13

13:11

Page 4

The long-reach 15m boom and 12.4m stick

will soon be ready for painting. The bucket
cylinder comes from a Hitachi ZX460.

Right: Made in the UK by HSM, the set of buckets comprises a 2.28cu.m

attachment for long-reach work, a 5.58cu.m mass excavation bucket
and a 4.09cu.m version for working in water.

Starfish background

machine. All were made by the British firm Hi Spec Manufacturing (HSM). They
include a 4.09cu.m 5.7t version for work over water, a 2.28cu.m bucket for longreach work and a 5.58cu.m bucket for mass excavation duties.
Luyckx has come up with a cunning way to crane off the upper-structure and
transform the machine from a pylon-mounted water-based excavator to a longreach or mass excavation excavator in one long day. The standard boom attachment
point provides the hoist point at the front.
At the rear, their engineers have developed a nifty lifting hook arrangement,
which fixes to the new counterweight frame. With the tracks removed and secured
to the standard undercarriage X-frame, a 150t crane will then lift off the complete
upper-structure and reunite it with its standard base. This format is also used
(minus the extra ballast block) for the mass excavation equipment and largest
2m-wide bucket, which even empty weighs 6.5t.

LONG JOURNEY
The exact cost of the machine is likely to remain under wraps. However, we can
reveal that the pylon conversion, a wide track frame, larger tracks, new longreach equipment, extra ballast, and three buckets, roughly doubles the price of
the standard EX1200-6. Not bad for an excavator that quickly transforms into
three different configurations.
Providing the Australian owners are content the machine meets all the
required safety issues, then the machine will soon be broken down for the long
and costly trip Down Under. After its arrival in Australia, the components will first
be quarantined ahead of a thorough cleaning process. Then around a dozen
trucks will be needed to transport the bits and pieces nearly 1500km to their final
destination.
Time is of the essence because the job is due to start by the middle of this
year. However, even before they can make a start in a region that is frequently
subjected to temperatures of 40degC and a relative humidity of 100%, everyone
involved will be subject to six weeks of on-site training. On the subject of
operators, these are currently being recruited. The preference is for local operators,
and those with backhoe dredger experience.

4 EARTHMOVERS MAY 2013

Based on a Hitachi ZX870, by the time Luyckx had finished its first such conversion,
the highly modified 120-tonner was capable of working in 5m of water. Known as
the Starfish, a hydraulically-operated scissor-like structure ensured the upperstructure remained out of the water. The result of work between Belgian marine
contractor Jan de Nuls engineering department, the unusual machine dug trenches
into the seabed or dredged in areas where floating suction hopper or pontoonmounted backhoe dredgers struggled to gain access.
The second Starfish was based on an even larger Hitachi excavator the
EX1200. Split again at the slew ring, this time the upper and lower structures were
connected by a fixed pylon, which with an extension could work in 8m-deep water.
Dubbed the Starfish 2, although shipped to the west coast of Ireland, it was never
used. On return to Belgium, it was once again the subject of further modification.
There was no pylon this time. Instead, the upper-structure of the Starfish 3
sat on a pontoon and was connected by a series of hydraulic hoses to the lower
structure and digging equipment travelled along the seabed. The unusual result
could dig at the bottom of 30m of water.
Starfish 4 was based on a ZX470. Built in just six weeks, the remotecontrolled machine was made for an offshore wind farm in Sweden.