25.09.2009

Telehandler integral part of new foundation concept

A new foundation system is using a telehandler for precision placing. The system - called V-Lo - utilises plastic shuttering sections supported by a system of struts, and manually adjusted by screw jacks. This allows the level to be adjusted with a laser up to ±1mm over a length.

Using the telehandler, enough concrete is added to seal the bottom of the trench and locate the shuttering. About an hour later, a slow setting concrete mix is added to the top of the shuttering, which is ready for use in a day. The V-Lo system claims to offer accuracy, speed and safety, with considerable savings in materials and manpower.
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The Merlo telehandler is used for accurate placing of the concrete

The man behind the foundation system Geoff Fullard began his own construction plant company - Monarch Excavations – in 1993 and bought the very first construction Merlo machine - in fact two, 9 metre P25.9s - in the West Midlands.

Fullard says those two machines ‘never missed a beat’, so the telehandler was a natural choice when he became involved in the new foundation system. “The system relies upon precision placing, so Merlo’s combination of hydrostatic drive, sideshift and smooth hydraulics are ideal,” he said. “Most traditional house foundations require a trench to be dug and filled with concrete. This manual method can result in level errors commonly up to 40mm in level over a 30 metre stretch. Once set, that level error has to be removed by workers working below ground level, in confined spaces and at risk to their own health.”