Mecalac 7MWR proves compact all-rounder at KH Rental

With a smile from ear to ear, Kilian Haers stands next to his new Mecalac 7MWR, which was put into service just before the turn of the year. Although only 28 years young, the entrepreneur is working hard with KH Verhuur and is justifiably proud that this compact mobile excavator has been added to the fleet.

Since its founding in 2019, of course, much has happened in the (construction) world. Even though it has been a turbulent period, Kilian managed to weather all the setbacks and considers it a quest in retrospect to determine the right direction. "In the beginning, you consider it a dream to one day start for yourself and you see everything through rose-colored glasses," Kilian looks back. "Once you make that decision, you also experience the downsides. Thanks to many contacts in this world, I always had projects even in corona time. Then when they see that you do serious work, you can turn every assignment into new work."

Close cooperation

KH Verhuur from IJzendijke (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen) often works as a subcontractor for H4A for the province or municipalities, but also does jobs for private individuals. Among other things, Kilian takes care of the excavation of a driveway or terrace, the installation of rubble pavement, the breaking up of street work, the construction of a sewer, the preparation of a site for building or the repair of roadside verges. "I do everything in close cooperation with the client in order to work efficiently and cost-effectively, without sacrificing quality and cleanliness." For the infra division of the Zeeland construction and contracting company H4A, Kilian is doing the earthwork for drainage and site preparation at a vacation park during our visit.

Here the 7MWR is completely in its element. It weighs less than 7 tons ex-factory, but looks a size bigger due to the substantial rubber (560/45R22.5). Thanks to the unique 3-piece Mecalac boom, the machine, as compact as it is versatile, couples the qualities of an excavator with those of a loader. "The undercarriage features self-locking axles, a swing axle at the rear and the hydrostatic travel drive forms a separate circuit from the working hydraulics," explains representative Kees van den Bogert of Ahlmann Netherlands. "The position of the dipper cylinder guarantees a lot of pushing force and an adjusting cylinder supports the lifting cylinder during heavy lifting or hoisting work."

Square stability

"Before this, I was often on the road with a 6-ton crawler excavator plus an articulated loader to go with it. With the 7MWR I can do all the work with one and the same machine, which I can also hang the tipper trailer behind," Kilian reports enthusiastically. The operator-owner is also enthusiastic about the boom ratio and stability. The Mecalac is 360° compact and has square stability thanks to its lowered center of gravity. "What you can pick up in front, you can also handle behind or even to the side. Ideal if you are in the process of lifting retaining walls or stelcon plates up to ten layers high. Really good thought has gone into this concept."

Kilian admits that it took some getting used to in the beginning, but now he understands that a former colleague still misses his Mecalac every day. "At first you curse it, but after that you never want it any other way," confirms Kees. What exactly makes the 7MWR so great? Kilian: "The boom is placed next to the cab and can be moved far back to work close to the machine or go up into the height. The compact dimensions and four-wheel steering make it easy to maneuver within half a roadblock. The lowered chassis also makes for pleasant entry."