The MSSC is a sub-committee for the Government Motor Transport Division and ultimately reports to the Roads Co-ordinating Committee, an advisory board for the National Government’s Ministry of Transport.

A feature of this annual gathering is that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are invited to present their products and services. This year, as a sponsor, Bell Equipment was invited to present technical lectures on two relevant highly anticipated developments – the JCB pothole repair solution and the Bell Motor Grader – both of which generated a significant amount of interest.

An answer to Operation Vala Zonke

Bell Equipment South Africa’s Sales Project Manager, Petrie du Toit, said the pothole repair solution is a response to the Department of Transport’s Operation Vala Zonke, an initiative to fix potholes across the country. It comprises an RT57-approved JCB Backhoe Loader fitted with a patch planer, a broom sweeper, and a breaker, all of which are available with a quick attach coupling for ease of operation.

The JCB PL350 Patch Planer can be attached in the place of the backhoe bucket and has a 350mm drum and 42 replaceable picks capable of creating a clean-cut trench up to 120mm in depth for the reinstatement of material. Milled material can be used for backfilling trenches.

The PL350 is ideally suited to the JCB 3DX Plus Backhoe Loader, which provides the required oil flow of 45-80l/min and oil pressure of 180-250 bar with ease. It can also operate up to 50mm from the curb and is supplied ready to use, fitted with a set of asphalt pics, a hanger bracket, hoses, and couplings. Specific cement picks are available as an option.

Du Toit said the JCB SC240 Broom Sweeper Collector can be fitted to the front end and provides an attachment for highly effective cleaning on site. Sweeping and emptying the hopper is hydraulically operated from the cab while the floating frame system automatically follows the ground contour maintaining sweeper output.

The JCB Hydraulic Rock Breaker has a tool diameter of 75mm, a blow rate (long stroke) of 380 to 1 100bpm and a noise level of 120dB. The attachment carries a three-year guarantee on all major components and a 12-month warranty on all wear parts. It has a side-mounted bracket to stow away the breaker during travelling and simple servicing with no need to strip the breakers down.

A cut above

Taking the graveyard shift, Bell Product Manager, Warren Swart, kept everyone engaged with his presentation on the Bell Motor Grader, a highly anticipated product that is an integral component of the group’s strategy.

“With over 20 years of experience with motor graders, we decided to embark on our own product and have invested a significant amount, over R200-million, in research and development. It’s important to us that we have a strong, reliable machine that can compete and handle the conditions of Africa.

“Our Bell Grader has really performed well infield at our test sites where it is doing everything from surface levelling, digging trenches, road maintenance, sloping, and ripping. We’ve been putting it through its paces to make sure it’s reliable in any application you would need the machine to perform in,” Warren said. 

He gave a brief overview of the models in the range starting with the G140 which is specifically designed to handle the maintenance of roads in construction applications. “It is a well-weighted machine and we’ve consulted with experts from around the world to make sure we’ve got a well-designed machine, especially with regards to control – the fine precision and consistency required for demanding applications – and the weight balance so that it is stable in all conditions.

“The second machine, the G160, is slightly bigger and more suited to larger construction applications. This machine has the unique advantage of being fitted with our cPower transmission which provides variable transmission ratios to prevent wheel slippage while providing the highest possible fuel efficiency and true creep control. And then if you really want the largest grader in town, we have the G200 which is a heavy-weight machine that comes with 20,5 tyres, larger 7-toothed ripper and a 16-foot blade. All these machines are designed from conception to reliably integrate 6x6 functionality increasing the blade pull capabilities by 52 percent.”

Getting into the technical detail, Warren explained that the Bell Graders outperform in the key elements that are crucial to the operation due to its exceptional first gear power, torque, and weight, which is directly related to blade pull.

The delegates were surprised and pleased to hear that the Bell Graders feature Bell-designed tandem axles that can operate long distances. “We put some unique features in there to ensure it can travel long distances and we’ve travelled with our prototypes for 250km in one day with absolutely no issues,” said Warren.

The other thing we know about the motor grade industry is that adjusting the blade is not enjoyable. It takes time away from the operation and accuracy away from the performance, so as standard we have put on a sealed slew ring bearing circle which simplified the maintenance requirements to lubricating it every 500 hours. It’s as simple as that. It may be a bit over-designed, but you’re guaranteed to get accuracy all the time with simplicity of maintenance and exceptional reliability.”

During the machine walkaround after the presentation, Warren was also able to demonstrate the adjustable drawbar and said he believed the Bell Grader would be able to compete on the global market in much the same way as the Bell Articulated Dump Truck.