The first CASE CX85E midi excavator in the UK has been delivered to Harbour Lights Campsite, a family-run camping and holiday home site in Haverigg, on the south-west tip of the Lake District. Supplied by local CASE dealer Dennis Barnfield, the machine has been equipped with an Engcon EC209 tilt-rotator by J Hull Engineers and a Trimble 2D machine guidance system.
The campsite, which is open all year-round, welcomes tents, motorhomes and touring caravans. It also has a growing number of static holiday homes and a line of camper pods. Site owner Jason Attwood has received planning for an additional 100 static home plots, to be constructed over the next four years.
He will construct the concrete bases for these plots, which are supplied with electricity, water and drainage, using the CX85E. The machine will also be used to further landscape the site, which has a number of small lakes and decorative water features between the holiday homes.
Mr Attwood is no stranger to excavator controls, having constructed much of the site using a variety of older equipment, including wheeled excavators, tracked loaders and site dumpers. The move to this first CASE machine was prompted by the close proximity of Dennis Barnfield’s Lancashire base, along with the comfort in the cab of the new excavator.
“Lots of people that we know have praised Dennis Barnfield for their aftersales service,” he said. “Barnfield will service the machine for us and they are only an hour away.
One special feature that ticked a box for him, was the CX85E’s standard ability to control the tracks using one of the servo levers, rather than having to operate foot pedals or track levers.
“The joystick tracking was a big feature for us, as this is a big site to move around,” said Mr Attwood.
“I went to Scotplant earlier in the year to look at some other machinery, but when I sat in the CASE machine, I thought how well it was laid out and how nice it was to sit in.”
All CASE compact excavators have a zero or reduced tailswing design and the standard CX85E can turn within the width of its tracks. However, to allow the excavator to operate with the tilt-rotator and the standard long dipper arm, Dennis Barnfield has supplied the machine with the heavier of two optional additional counterweight sections. While this does extend slightly beyond the rubber tracks, the benefits in stability and lifting capability more than make up for the additional swing radius.
The machine has also been equipped with a full range of auxiliary piping, to power the tilt-rotator and a number of other attachments. It has been personalised with that striking darker privacy glazing, which has become an increasingly popular option among Dennis Barnfield’s customers.
The CX85E tips the scales at around 8.8-tonnes and is part of a new range of E-Series midi models. It comes as standard with a centre-mounted monoboom and a dozer blade. For those that prefer an offset boom, similar to a mini excavator, CASE also offers the 7.6-tonne CX75E, which boasts a two-piece articulating TAB boom. Those looking for a heavier compact model can also choose the CX90E, which has the offset boom, but with a monoboom design.
The CX85E is powered by a Stage V diesel engine developing 53.7kW (73hp). This drives an eHPQ Rexroth electronic pump hydraulic system, providing the machine with plenty of power and speed. Thanks to the electronic control system, the operator can personalise every hydraulic circuit, through the monitor in the cab, providing the control levers with their preferred speed of operation, sensitivity and power delivery.
As the Harbour Lights Campsite continues to expand to meet customer demand, offering visitors a wide range of activities along the golden sandy beaches of the western Lake District, the site’s new CX85E looks set to be increasingly busy. With 100 holiday home bases to build, the machine is certainly a welcome addition to the fleet.
