Hyundai excavator stands tall in the Scottish Highlands

One of Scotland’s leading civil engineering contractors has bought the world’s first Hyundai HX145A LCR HW (High Walker) model.

Crieff-based MAM Contracting has taken delivery of the unique machine. The High Walker variant of the new HX145A LCR A-Series excavator is kitted out with full forestry specification and boasts significantly higher ground clearance than the standard model. For even greater stability and lower ground bearing pressure, MAM has had the undercarriage lengthened by 1040mm which results in an additional 11 trackpads on each side.

Supplied by Hyundai dealer HRN Tractors, the new machine is primarily intended for forestry work and peat restoration projects – where it will be deployed with extra wide 1200mm tracks. The versatile machine will also be put to work on highways jobs where its reduced tailswing allows safe operation within a single lane.

MAM Contracting’s Owner Mike Melville said: “We have looked at other High Walker excavators from other manufacturers but to my mind there is simply nothing else out there that can touch the Hyundai for build quality, robust undercarriage, price, performance, ease of maintenance, low running cost and dealer backup.

“Our dealer is great to deal with and over the years we feel they have always had our best interests at heart. We are really well looked after, and the Hyundai product is excellent.”

Critical in forestry applications, Hyundai A-Series excavators feature a state-of-the-art AAVM video camera system to give an unobscured 360-degree field of vision for operators. Its Intelligent Moving Object Detection recognises when people or moving objects come within a five-metre range alerting should site personnel or passers-by potentially enter the area of operation.