A new giant ‘Cat’ can be spotted at Tunstead Quarry near Buxton… but this one weighs 110 tonnes and is hard at work moving limestone for Tarmac.
The Caterpillar 922k is a wheeled loading shovel, newly purchased to replace a machine that had come to the end of its life in Tarmac’s quarry which supplies stone for the manufacture of the company’s cement, roadstone and lime products.
Once a controlled blast has taken place in the quarry, the machine plays an important role moving rock from that area to a tipper truck, ready for crushing into various sizes. The new Cat can lift 21 tonnes of material in one go.
Tarmac’s Quarry Manager, Phil Shimwell said: “This new Cat is a welcome addition to our fleet of mobile plant in the quarry. Not only is it highly efficient in terms of volumes of material it can move, it also incorporates new technologies which deliver reduced emissions and increased fuel economy. Both these benefits help Tarmac with our sustainability goal to reduce our carbon footprint.
“Importantly, this latest model Cat also offers better driver comfort and mechanical reliability which is a must for a quarry the size of ours which operates 24/7.”