Major landfill site operator, SITA (GB) Ltd, is employing the UK’s first new improved Cat 826G landfill compactor from UK Caterpillar dealer, Finning (UK) Ltd, as part of an overall strategy to increase landfill productivity and compaction densities.

SITA, which manages 40 sites in the UK, has purchased three Cat 826G machines, two for the Surrey area at Runfold Landfill in Farnham and Albury Landfill near Guildford, and one for Sidegate Landfill in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

Finning’s Waste Team, a group which compiles bespoke packages to meet waste management needs, designed a scheme to suit SITA’s waste input volumes.

This included guarantees of response times and machine availability.

To test Finning’s recommendations, SITA carried out extensive trials at Albury Landfill site, following which the 826G was selected. Malcolm Woodward, Regional Operations Manager as SITA, explained that the final choice was based on performance, reliability, ease-of-use and cost of ownership.

“Another important factor in our machine choice was durability – the latest improvements on the Cat 826G make it a much more robust machine” he added.

The tips fitted to SITA’s new 826G landfill compactor’s wheels are the new Macpactor “M” Trax Diamond design, which enhances the break-up of waste to maximise compaction. This design is engineered specifically to ensure a smooth surface finish, thus reducing the amount of cover material required and enabling easier transfer of road vehicles to the working face. Although more expensive than the standard tips, the Diamond tips are stated to have significantly lower wear rate which results in a longer period of peak-performance.

Amongst the new features to the Cat 826G landfill compactor particular attention has been paid to guarding, cooling, traction and safety improvements.

Protective guarding has been added to many core areas of the machine to prevent damage and includes the new Caterpillar Axle Guard System, now standard to the 826G. This new features protects the final drives, planetaries and seals from damage cause by wire, cable, plastics or other materials and, most significantly, is designed to virtually eliminate the need for regular cleaning.

Cooling improvements include the roof-mounted air conditioning unit, which provides better cooling inside the cab for longer time periods and also reduces the frequency of cleaning for the condenser core. The new hinged oil cooler core, which swings out 30° from the radiator, helps prevent plugging through the core’s six fins per inch.

Traction and performance have been improved with the inclusion of no-spin differentials as standard equipment on both axles. Standard fitting of colour reversing camera has enhanced rearward visibility, a safety advantage on landfill operations.


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