Otrac demonstrates Bobcat wheel saw for trenching work on gas pipeline installation projects in Egypt

Before an engrossed audience of specially invited guests at both events, the WS32 wheel saw attachment was put through its paces, mounted on a new Bobcat A770HF all wheel steer loader to show why the wheel saw is ideal for carrying out the trenching work that will be required on future gas pipeline installation projects in Egypt.

Among the invitees at the events were Engineer Hisham Al Alany, Operation Sector Manager for the company, Town Gaz and Mr Tarek Adel, General Manager Maintenance Management and his colleague, Engineer Mohamed Ghoneim, Domestic Project Manager who work for the company, Taqa Arabiya.

The WS32 wheel saw attachment is the largest model ever offered by Bobcat. Designed to cut efficiently through asphalt, rock and concrete, the WS32 wheel saw has a fixed trenching width of 250 mm while the depth can range from 450 to 800 mm.

Karl Fakhoury, District Attachments Manager Middle East and Africa for DI CE, said: "The WS32 model and the rest of the Bobcat range of wheel saws can cut through a variety of surfaces including asphalt and reinforced concrete, making them ideal for demolition, road repair and creating trenches for utilities such as water, gas, electric or fibre optic cable services.

"Available for use throughout the Middle East and Africa, the wheel saw attachments are among over 50 types of attachment that allow users to fully utilise the versatility and productivity of Bobcat skid-steer loaders as tool carriers for a wide selection of attachments offered by Bobcat."

Although the WS32 was matched with a Bobcat A770HF loader during the demonstrations, this wheel saw is ideal for use on the larger Bobcat compact tracked loaders, particularly the T870 model, the most powerful loader ever manufactured by Bobcat. This top-of-the-range T870 model combines high power and performance to set new standards in compact loaders. The T870 loader has been specially designed to run the most powerful attachments from Bobcat including the new WS32 wheel saw.

As well as fixed width trenching for the utilities, the WS32 wheel saw can be used for creating excavation sites, for slot cutting and for maintenance work, including trenching vertical edges for road and pavement repairs.

The very powerful and efficient WS32 trenching tool weighs 1440 kg, has a height of 1802 mm, width of 1650 mm and is 2386 mm long. The maximum wheel rotation speed is 95 RPM. In addition to highly effective cutting through thick layers of asphalt, concrete and rock, the WS32 wheel saw can also cut through wire mesh. The WS32 has a new attachment control system valve with a built-in hourmeter and a new hydraulic valve for increased performance.

Karl Fakhoury added: "All attachments are mounted on Bobcat compact loaders via the unique Bob-Tach quick-change attachment system, which allows attachments to be fitted to the machine in seconds, with wear-compensating wedges that ensure a secure fit time after time. Since the Bob-Tach frame on all Bobcat compact loaders is identical, attachments can be exchanged quickly and easily from one machine to another, giving fleet owners and operators a maximum of flexibility with tool carrier-attachment combinations."

The compact size of the WS32/T870 combination results in minimal traffic disturbance and its manoeuvrability makes it ideal for digging trenches on roads or in areas where movement is restricted such as town centres, inside existing structures, secondary roads or even mountain roads.

The operator has full control of the trenching depth at all times. The depth gauge helps to provide uniform depth control, but the operator has the ability to make depth adjustments from within the cab, without stopping the wheel for optimum efficiency and productivity. The wheel saw has an enclosed design and remains enclosed when working at all depths. This enclosed design together with the high level of visibility ensures maximum operational safety.