Building Sydney’s newest international airport takes not only the hard work and intelligence of thousands of Australian workers but also the horsepower of some seriously big machinery! As one of the largest earthmoving projects in Australia’s history continues to take shape, we want to take a moment to shine a light on some of the huge machines hard at work building Sydney’s new airport.
Trencor T16 Surface Miner
Our Trencor T16 Surface Miners are hard at work breaking up the more stubborn surfaces at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. The T16’s completed a 15,300km journey from America, via the Panama Canal, to Western Sydney where they have been involved in the excavation of 1.2million cubic metres of sandstone to be used in the runway construction!
Our Trencor T16 Surface Miners are hard at work breaking up the more stubborn surfaces at Western Sydney International.
Caterpillar 777F Dump Truck
The Cat 777D 100-tonne dump truck can shift 100-tonnes of dirt per load around the Western Sydney International site. This dump truck is stacked with the latest technology to balance automation and efficiency as it loads and unloads dirt with a 13-second tray tip time.
Caterpillar 24M Grader
Usually sighted solely on large mining sites, the Caterpillar 24M is not something you would normally see on a civil project such as our airport. The 24M might be a large and powerful 14 tonne machine, but its beauty is in the precision – this machine finishes the ground surface with the skill of a surgeon. With a 7.3 metre blade capable of exerting 180 tonnes of down pressure on the ground, this surgeon has some serious power behind its scalpel.
Caterpillar 657G Scraper
With capacity to carry almost 52 tonnes of dirt, the 657 is the largest open bowl scraper in the Caterpillar line. You’ll see four of the 657s alongside lines of 72-tonne 651s levelling the ground on the Airport site. The Cat 657 is powered by a Cat C18 engine in the tractor and a Cat C15 engine in the scraper. Engine power and torque is enhanced by the engines’ Advanced Productivity Electronic Control System, resulting in more material moved throughout the shift.
Komatsu 475 Bulldozer
Recognised as the best ripping dozer on the market, the Komatsu 475 is designed to handle the toughest and most challenging dozer tasks in the world. With over 108 tonnes of pure earthmoving muscle, a massive 11.5 by 5.2 metre blade, and powered by a 890-horsepower engine, you would normally find the Komatsu 475 in the world’s biggest mines!
Big machine power normally reserved for the world's biggest mining projects, the Komatsu 475 is the mother of all Western Sydney Airport earthwork machines.
TEREX RH120-E Excavator
The appropriately named Terex RH120 is the Dinosaur of Western Sydney International’s big machines! At close to 300 tonnes of operating weight, the Terex RH120 easily outsizes any other piece of machinery on site. With the ability to move over 2,000 tonnes of earth per hour, the Terex RH120 can be easily sighted hard at work loading dump trucks from the windows of the Western Sydney International!
You can see all these machines and more in action during a visit the Western Sydney International Airport Experience Centre, Monday to Thursday and Saturday, 10am-4pm.
Visit https://westernsydney.com.au/your-airport/experience-centre for more information.
