The sale of the first SY215C north of the border quickly became cause for a double celebration when customer Barhaul Ltd of Aberfeldy immediately followed up with an order for another of the manufacturer’s 20-tonne class models.

The deal was struck just weeks after Sany had delivered the first Sany of any size in Scotland, the 7.5-tonne SY75C, to Highland business Shaw Plant Hire.

Both Barhaul machines are bound for the hills around Kinloch Rannoch to work on the company’s latest hydro-electric contract. And director Patrick Bradley has promised they’ll be earning their keep working on very steep and challenging terrain on a project for Innerhadden Estate (Barhaul also built the estate’s first hydro project).

The size of the machines was perfect at 21.5/22 tonnes for the hydro contract and there’s a good warranty package.

Barhaul runs a mixed fleet of excavators from 1.5 to 28 tonnes, with the Sany newcomers taking the place of Doosan 22-tonne and 28-tonne machines.

In advance of its delivery to the hydro job, the latest SY215C is being ‘bedded in’ on various duties at the Foss barite mine near Barhaul’s headquarters. The underground mine is operated by M-I SWACO, part of oilfield services giant Schlumberger, and produces 40,000 tonnes a year of the expensive mineral which is used in drilling muds. Barhaul has the contract to haul, crush and transport 40,000 tonnes a year to Aberdeen.

Once the material has been brought to the surface by a fleet of mining trucks Barhaul takes over. Its 30-tonne Terex articulated truck is fed by an older Cheng Gong wheeled loader (another Chinese equipment acquisition) and the load travels three miles to the end of the haul route and a further 11 miles by road to the yard. The crushed barite is then loaded into Barhaul’s tipper fleet for the journey north.

M-I SWACO has plans for a new barite mine north of Aberfeldy. Its resources are estimated at more than 7.5 million tonnes, enough to supply the whole of the UK’s requirements for more than 50 years at planned production rates.