Hitachi super long front is perfect for the job

Hitachi is renowned for its special application machines and the super long front (SLF) is no exception. The Swedish contractor Steffes Schakt AB has been specialising in the usage of these excavators on infrastructure, dredging and decontamination projects for just over 30 years, such as a regeneration scheme in the south of Stockholm.

A fleet of Hitachi construction machinery

Oliver Zacryander has worked for Steffes Schakt for five years, during which time he has operated many of the ten Zaxis super long front excavators in the company’s fleet of Hitachi construction machinery. These include a ZX350LC-5, two ZX300LC-7s and a ZX250LC-7 SLF, but after driving a ZX300LC-6 for two years, he has been working with a ZX350LC-7 SLF for 18 months.

The machines have been supplied through the Swedish Hitachi dealer, Delvator, who have been particularly helpful to Oliver in finetuning his super long front excavator: “After the guys from Delvator had perfected the hydraulic pressure and flow to my liking from the standard setting, I have been very happy with how smooth and precise the machine is.”

A comfortable cab

He also values the versatility of the ZX350LC-7 SLF without the need to have another standard machine on site: “The super long front is perfect for efficiently preparing the trenches on this site, which smaller, conventional machines are unable to do. In addition, the machine shows its flexibility on this project as it is stable – even with a full bucket at long reach – and it can also load the articulated dump trucks safely and correctly.

“There is less noise in the Zaxis-7 cab and it is more comfortable and better equipped than the -6 series. I prefer the layout and the improved technology, for example it is more user-friendly and you have greater functionality on the monitor.”

Excellent service from the Hitachi dealer network

The service from Delvator is also second to none, according to Oliver: “If there’s an issue with the machine, then Thobias, the service engineer, and his van are only a phone call away. There is always a good response time and he can usually think of a solution in his head while he’s on his way to the site!”

However, the need to call Thobias is rare and the renowned reliability of Zaxis excavators is the most beneficial aspect of ownership to Steffes Schakt, as Oliver concludes: “From a company perspective, there are very few problems with Hitachi excavators – they just keep running.”