In addition to the Cat350 and Hitachi 850 high reach machines, we decided to purchase a Super High Reach Demolition Machine. As with the other High Reach Machines we also purchased the excavator equipment. These were required for very high tower block demolition. The machine, a Liebherr 984HD with Telescopic 65 metre reach was at the time of delivery the largest in High Reach the U.K. A twelve month consultation, design and build period that involved and required confidentiality agreements to be signed between Coleman & Company, Kocurek, and Liebherr.

Our super high reach equipment in action at Matthew Boulton College, Birmingham.

The awesome bespoke machine weighed in at 220 tonnes, a sight to behold, very effective at high reach equipped with a 3 tonne hydraulic pulveriser. The machine was delivered to the site of Bearwood House, where the seventeen storey building, had been stripped, awaiting its fate.  The block could not be demolished by explosives due to the close proximity of an elderly person’s home that meant temporary relocation of the residents was not an option. The 984 was assembled, going to work in August 2008 the machine reduced the block in a couple of weeks to the amazement of many and to the delight of its new owners. Like many of the 1960s buildings that we were clearing, Colemans carried out the initial site clearance and excavation work for John Laing Construction Ltd who constructed the block; it always seems strange to be demolishing buildings that we had previously helped create.

Many projects were to be delivered by the metallic monster, Mathew Boulton College, St. Lukes Estate, Phoenix Rise all local to Birmingham, three blocks at Broomloan Court Glasgow to name but a few. Foundation removal of buildings was of little problem when equipped with the back actor, at Worcester an industrial site was being cleared for new housing, the substantial brick and concrete buildings were demolished, all hardcore produced was being processed, the basements were emptied in readiness for the slab to be removed then the void filled with resultant crushed hardcore, compacted to specification for the new construction.

The site had an exceptionally high water table, removal of the heavily reinforced basement slab revealed massive concrete foundations and beams, even when broken the suction of the saturated underlying ground made it difficult for the machines to remove the concrete bases and beams. The basement slabs were removed in sections between the foundation beams, a crushed hardcore mat was then placed on which the 984 could stand in order to excavate and remove the partially broken bases and beams, even then the mighty machine struggled in lifting out lumps of concrete weighing upto twenty tonnes at a time, we persevered to a successful conclusion. One would never have realised all of the major obstacles that had been overcome when the peaceful site was handed back on completion.

Why not learn more about how we used the super high reach machine at Matthew Boulton College in Birmingham?