Digging Debris

By: Roads & Bridges

The 2004 hurricane season created plenty of cleanup work throughout Lee County on the Gulf Coast of Florida, including its largest city, Fort Myers. The county’s Gradall excavators, including a new Model XL 3100, were rushed into action for the initial cleanup work to restore public safety. Next, crews hurried to respond to the many calls from residents regarding drainage ditches that had been blocked by trees, vegetation and debris.

Even during normal times, crews must maintain the important network of drainage ditches to prevent flooding. Particularly after the hurricane strikes, Lee County crews were inundated with residents’ calls for cleanup help. The Gradall machines’ ability to get on site quickly was vital to the well-being of the public. Lee County’s Gradall excavators, including its new Model XL 3100, have highway-speed wheeled undercarriages, which enable them to travel quickly to work sites without the need, cost and time involved with using lowboy trailers. Unlike other cleanup machines, the highway-speed Gradall excavators can be driven quickly from one cleanup site to the next, often working at many locations in a single day.

A boom-end grapple attachment enables an operator to quickly and effectively load sludge, vegetation and other materials into trucks. Boom-tilt capability makes it possible to position big loads to fit into truck beds, plus the ability to reposition the chassis from the upper operator cab saves valuable time.

Lee County also uses a Telestick boom extension for its Gradall excavators to reach far out into streams and drainage ditches to remove silt and vegetation. The full-tilting boom movement can efficiently direct the boom-end bucket through turns and bends in the ditch and also restore bank slopes on each side.