From developing piers and ferry terminals to constructing a major gas plant and laying fibre optic cables, the family-run contractor has played a key role in several major projects in this remote area. Experts in marine and civil engineering, they also have plant hire, heavy haulage, surveying, quarry operations alongside ready-mix and precast concrete services.
This versatility, alongside the team’s skills and expertise, means the company can operate to the highest standards in one of the UK’s most rural regions. Producing quality materials from their quarry and batching plant is also an essential part of this picture, as they’re fed directly into the contractor’s engineering and construction projects or those of their customers.
Having a complete train of high-grade Finlay screening and crushing equipment has helped the team process a range of sized aggregates at scale for generations. Delivered by Molson Finlay, the most recent upgrades mean the business can keep delivering the volumes and grades it needs while improving efficiency and reliability.
A family of Finlays
Since 2013, Staney Hill Quarry on the outskirts of Lerwick has been the main source of aggregates for Tulloch Development. The team blasts the four-acre site about twice a year and processes schist and granite rock ready for use in construction projects or to process into ready-mix and precast concrete blocks at their on-site batching plant.
“THE LATEST MODELS HAVE THE SAME
HEAVY-DUTY
PERFORMANCE AS YOU’D EXPECT, BUT WITH
GREATER
FLEXIBILITY...”
The site produces material for Tulloch’s own projects, as well as making aggregate and concrete materials to order for other businesses on Shetland and beyond. This is transported offsite with ready-mix and grab wagons, some of which have interchangeable bodies. However, it’s been the Finlay three-machine train that’s been central to maintaining the highest product quality standards.
As Director Shaun Tulloch explains, “Since we took over the quarry, we’ve used Finlays to crush material from blasts and process them into the sizes we need. Even in the inclement Shetland weather, this setup can dependably produce material to the exact specifications our processes or customers need.
“That said, the machines we had were coming to the end of their life. They were 10 years old or more, so they needed replacing to ensure a more reliable service and help us meet our sustainability targets. This is the third generation of Finlay crushers and screeners used in our business, so it was helpful to have Mike on hand to recommend the best options.”
Mike Mackenzie, Sales Manager at Molson Finlay Scotland, explains, “As new generations have taken over the Tulloch business, new generations of Finlay machines have come along to help them do bigger and better things. The latest models have the same heavy-duty performance as you’d expect, but with greater flexibility and a variety of options to suit the specific needs of quarrying or other businesses.”
A Shetland first
Tulloch’s train includes a primary jaw crusher, a Finlay J-1170+, which reduces the size of the blasted rock. This is then fed into a cone crusher, a Finlay C-1540, which processes rounded stone, sized 20mm down. An 883+ heavy-duty scalper also helps to separate out the dirty materials from the blasted stone, the oversized material into stock piles to be processed by the jaw crusher and the mid-size for processing in the cone.
The Finlay J-1170+ mobile jaw crusher is the first of its kind in Scotland. The robust hydrostatically-driven chamber is 1100mm by 700mm with a maximum feed size of 600mm. This means it can offer high capacity and large reduction ratios, with the hydrostatic drive giving operators precise chamber control. The variable speed VGF and integrated prescreen also helps maintain high levels of throughput.
Made with heavy-duty shafts and bearings, the machine has a robust design which ensures a longer lifespan. Its Scania engine is also Stage V compliant, helping the team meet their environmental needs. The clearance of the machine is also 510mm, making it ideal for a range of applications, including demolition and recycling.
There are also lots of optional extras which make the crusher adaptable to specific applications. For example, the Tulloch team has opted for a discharge side belt to take away the fines material.
For operators dealing with metals or rebar, a deflector plate can be fitted. Other options available on the J-1170+ include an overband magnet on the main discharge conveyor taken by the Tulloch team, as well as an after-screen, which allows production of sized aggregates in a single pass.
Market-leading equipment
The Finlay C-1540 cone crusher’s direct drive transmission is powered by a Scania Stage V compliant engine, maintaining the train’s fuel efficiency and keeping emissions low. Similarly to the jaw crusher, it has features which maximise throughput and make performance monitoring easier for operators.
A metal detection board at the top of the feeder uses an automatic alert system with a flashing beacon. Operators can then pull back the conveyor and discharge unwanted materials via a purge system, a feature that’s not offered by any other crusher on the market.
The 1000mm chamber has a hydraulic tramp relief system with an automatic reset. Combined with advanced load sensing auxiliary hydraulics, this helps keep the crusher process high volumes efficiently without getting overloaded.
Plus, the machine can be fully controlled by operators from a ground-level cabinet -Crushing sizes can be altered with the machine in operation, a magic eye camera means they can look into the chamber, and crushing or wedgelock pressures plus chamber oil flow can be monitored and adjusted by hand.
With a two-deck configuration of a 100mm punch plate and 40mm woven mesh, the Tulloch’s Finlay 883+ heavy duty scalping screener offers a large surface area to process high volumes of material. The modular configuration screen box
“AS
NEW GENERATIONS
HAVE TAKEN OVER THE TULLOCH BUSINESS, NEW GENERATIONS OF FINLAY MACHINES HAVE COME ALONG TO HELP THEM DO
BIGGER AND BETTER
THINGS.”
Shaun Tulloch Director Tulloch Developments Ltd. can process up to 600 tonnes of material per hour. It can also be fed by a tracked mobile crusher, shovel or excavator, as it is on this site.
The fines, midgrade and oversize conveyors are all powered by separate hydraulic circuits. Side conveyors are fully reversible, plus the screenbox discharge end can be hydraulically raised. All these features give operators the flexibility and ease required to maintain optimal efficiency. For the Tulloch team, this features a gear driven design, delivering an aggressive screenbox, making it possible to process material all year round, even in the Shetland weather.
Available in either Electric or Hybrid drive technologies with on-board electrical motors, the plant can also be run from an external power supply or on-board engine. In this case, the 883+ is powered by a Caterpillar Stage V compliant diesel engine. This maximises the plant’s efficiency without compromising on their sustainability values.
As Mike explains, “The adaptability, rapid set up time and easy maintenance of Finlays is what makes them a popular choice for many businesses. Designed to maximise throughput and handle heavy-duty loads, they’re truly tried and tested for quarrying operations, even in the tough conditions the Tulloch team experience.”
Scotland-based support
Despite the rapid growth of the Tulloch business, it remains a close-knit family business. Started by founder Peter
Tulloch, his son Frank took over and switched the focus of the business from construction to wider development. Now, day-to-day operations are overseen by brothers Shaun, Stuart and Liam.
Throughout this growth, Molson Finlay Scotland have been on-hand from their base in Bothwell, Glasgow to support with maintenance and parts. As Shaun explains, “The fact that Molson can provide all the equipment we need to increase productivity and service for our customers is one thing. But being in a remote location like Shetland means it’s really important we get backup service. Molson are always very proactive in giving this service and having parts available when we need them.”
Having the new machines equipped with the T-Link telematics system, which is provided as standard for seven years, will only enhance the level of support further. With remote access to key machine data such as operating times, fuel usage and error codes, the Tulloch team will get a full picture of their equipment productivity and can maintain optimal throughput with support from Molson.
Though as Shaun says, the equipment quality and technology is just one part of the picture. He explains, “Just like Molson, our family values are strong. These mutual values are what we’ve built our partnership on. We’ve always had a good experience of the Finlay brand and dealing with the team themselves. That’s why we had no questions or qualms about renewing the fleet with Molson.”