Reach capabilities and manoeuvrability are the key requirements when operating telescopic handlers in the confines of underground mines. In central NSW, electrical contracting firm Gozcon Electrical is using JCB Loadalls to undertake a wide range of underground jobs for its clients in the mineral resource sector around Orange and West Wyalong.

After viewing a small model JCB Loadall in action on a mine site and talking to JCB Construction Equipment Australia, the company chose the 100-horsepower JCB 533-105 Loadall to add to its machinery fleet. It has a 10m boom, 3t lift capacity and has been used with forks, a trussmaster, crane hook, shovel and aerial work platforms.

Based on its performance, Gozcon Electrical purchased a second Loadall, JCB’s flagship 540-170 model which has a 17m boom and 4t lift capacity. “For the types of jobs the 540-170 is doing, a big Volvo loader would normally be used. But such a loader simply does not have the reach or manoeuvrability of the big JCB Loadall to do what we can do now,’’ says Gozcon Electrical owner Craig Conlon. “We are working in very small, confined spaces and we need maximum flexibility.”

This is achieved with the 540-170 because of JCB’s auto steer-mode alignment system, which allows tight lock angles for easy turning. The 540-170 has JCB’s sway system that levels the machine when traversing a gradient, improving stability and safety.