Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/708570
AGGREGATES MANAGER / August 2016 27 FIRST LOOK by Marcia Gruver Doyle | Editorial Director The third generation machine offers an alternative to drill and blast. I n its third iteration of the Terrain Leveler, the T1255III, Vermeer is taking direct aim at quarries. "Good ideas can come from all over, and this one start- ed with our Italian dealer," says Jason Andringa, president and CEO of Vermeer. "He said, 'You have big rock trenchers, why not put a drum on it instead of a trencher?' At the time, we had no idea of the scope of applications it could be used in." Those applications have included road building, site preparation, and mining. But now, Vermeer feels the biggest opportunity for this machine is in quarries, particularly since the surface excavation method used by the Terrain Leveler ad- dresses several key challenges as housing developments start to surround many once-rural quarries. It offers: • A less intrusive extraction method than traditional drilling and blasting. Vermeer says the machine can be used either instead of, or as an adjunct to, drilling and blasting. • A way to precisely extract narrow seams of material, allow- ing quarries to work around pipelines, to avoid high water tables, or to continue to work in permitted areas that before might have been prematurely abandoned. • Reduced noise, dust, and vibration. An on-board dust sup- pression system helps minimize another common communi- ty complaint. "We can go after a specifi c seam," says Patrick Robinson, Vermeer's senior corporate account manager for mining. "It's also been used in overburden removal, providing an alternative to using dozers with rippers," Robinson says. "This machine is built for chewing up rocks." Vermeer debuts its new Terrain Leveler The 600-horsepower T1255III weighs between 150,000 to 250,000 pounds, depending on the boom option chosen.