Down in the trenches - rolling out Tasmania's NBN fibre network
No picks and shovels here - this is the $1.2 million machine imported to dig the trenches for the Tasmania's National Broadband Network (NBN).
on Sep 24 2009 4:12PM
The $1.2 million 'Cleanfast' machine arrives in Australia.
The $1.2 million machine goes to work in Tasmania
The 23 tonne machine cuts and vacuums in one run as it completes its first kilometre of trench in Tasmania, just north of Hobart.
A better shot of the 23 tonne Cleanfast Machine at work building a trench during a demonstration.
A closer look at the cutting wheel.
A close-up of the serrated cutting wheel.
The cutting wheel in action.
Cutting into the tar in Tasmania yesterday.
The first trench for the National Broadband Network fibre optic cable, north of Hobart, Tasmania.
The cutting wheel slices trenches of anywhere between 110mm to 130mm wide and 200mm to 500mm deep, while the vacuum hose soaks up the spoil. Here we see the machine in action during a demonstration in Melbourne prior to its journey to Hobart.
The Cleanfast machine's diesel engine is complemented by a hydrostatic motor.
The remote control unit.
A man uses a remote control during a demonstration.
Building a trench during a demonstration.
The bucket holds six cubic metres of dirt soaked up by the vacuum.
Measuring the depth of the trench after a demonstration.
Measuring the width of the trench after a demonstration.
The $1.2 million 'Cleanfast' machine arrives in Australia.