Just trying to catch Jack Divall for a phone call is no easy task. The owner of Jack Divall Earthmoving was out on site when he spoke with Rail Express about his Liebherr A 922 Rail Litronic that he has been operating for close to a year.
Operating excavators runs in Jack Divall’s blood, a third-generation operator, he left school at 17 to work for his dad. After five years, Divall made the decision to go it alone and purchased his first 14 tonne civil machine.
Divall’s ability behind the excavator has always been evident but he received an impressive honour by being named New South Wales best operator in the Global Operator Challenge. This achievement led him to Japan in 2024, where he competed against some of the best operators in the world.
Back in 2017, Jack Divall won the Civil Contractors Federation ‘Plant Operator of the Year’ award at just 18 years old, a milestone that filled the Divall family with immense pride. Fast forward to 2024, and Jack continues to impress, demonstrating a strong commitment to the sector and showing no signs of slowing down.
“I got into the rail sector by working on the civil aspect of level crossing removals and then I just went from there,” Divall said.
“I started doing hi rail operator hire just to get some experience.”
Divall, with the help of his sister Meg in administration and allocations, has grown his company to include six excavators, between 14 and 20 tonnes, and recently brought on board the Liebherr A 922 Rail Litronic. This new machine signals a strong commitment to the sector for the company.
Divall has worked on a number of Australian Rail Track Corporation projects, including rerails in the Hunter Valley, track reconditioning works up and down the East Coast and even spent six weeks working in South Australia.
He said the decision to enter into the hi rail space was a no-brainer for him and that is why he has brought the Liebherr A 922 Rail Litronic into the fold.
“While working within the rail industry, I noticed a shortage of operators and machines in the hi rail space,” Divall said. “I decided to take a stab at it and bought myself the Liebherr.”
Why the Liebherr A 922 Rail Litronic?
Divall is using the A 922 Rail Litronic for re-railing, vegetation clearing work and the civil aspect of rail work.
“We really use the machine any time that we need some grunt,” Divall said.
“When you are doing re-railing, you need a big machine, and not many are capable of it.
“We have been undertaking recon sleeper work and use an Octopus attachment. The A 922 Rail Litronic is well-designed for this application.”
Liebherr has designed the A 922 Rail Litronic to deliver the continued, familiar and intelligent superstructure design the rail industry has seen for years. The separate boom cylinder mounting, and a solid rail chassis ensures reliable stability and maximum load capacity for track operations.
In addition to standard ballasting, a revised heavy ballast weight with a reduced rear swivel radius of 2,000 millimetres is now also available. The maximum payloads can also be increased by a Power Lift mode and an optional four-point support.
The design concept of the A 922 Rail Litronic was developed to deliver maximum performance and flexibility. The new 120 kilowatt / 163 horsepower construction machinery engine and the hydraulic system enables the machine to achieve even higher working speeds with the familiar fluid equipment movements.
To achieve greater performance when using attachments, the flow volume of the double variable-displacement pump (with independent regulating circuits) has been increased to 2x220l l/min. Furthermore, the capacity can also be used as the sum of both hydraulic circuits (for example for pile-driving) as in the past. A second high pressure circuit means that three hydraulic functions can be controlled directly on special attachments such as on tamping devices.
“The machine is just extremely versatile and capable of tackling any challenge,” Divall said.
“The versatility of the A 922 allows us to do local council work when we are not working on rail projects.”
The A 922 Rail Litronic has been designed with operator comfort in mind. The large Liebherr double cab with standard roll-over protection system (ROPS) provides comfort, which enhances concentration and productivity.
Thanks to the double seat layout, the cab supports two-man operation required in many countries. Access to the cab is made easy for both seats by entry lighting. This avoids often time-consuming re-familiarisation phases and allows the operator to work efficiently in the machine straight away.
On rail capacity
The A 922 Rail Litronic is available with a range of undercarriage versions with different gauges, rail wheels and suspension systems enabling it to be used on tracks anywhere in Australia.
An independent variable-displacement pump for the rail chassis always delivers outstanding traction and reliable drive power. The permanent level regulation of the rail chassis enables the machine to travel smoothly.
The A 922 Rail Litronic comes with an adjustable gauge axle for narrow, standard and wide gauges. It also has a customisable braking system for safe operation which can be configured based on wagon type.
“It can be tricky navigating different networks, but we have worked across most in New South Wales, and it has been pretty straight forward, thanks to Meg and the team in our office,” Divall said.
Safety
Besides the performance and efficiency of a railroad excavator, the safety of the operator and the machine must always be paramount.
Numerous equipment features such as the standard pipe fracture safety valves on the lifting and stick cylinders, electronic lift limitation, electronic swivel limitation, load moment limitation, smash-resistant laminated safety glass, ROPS and an emergency exit through the rear window provide maximum safety in all operations.
LED lights illuminate the working area to deliver excellent visibility and a high level of safety for both man and machine. To comply with the appropriate standards, the machine can be fitted with additional railway-specific lighting at the factory.
All the steel components are designed and manufactured by Liebherr. High strength steel sheets designed to withstand the harshest requirements guarantee high torsion resistance and absorption of forces to ensure a long service life.
Backup support
Divall has had his A 922 Rail Litronic for almost a year and has been impressed by the machine and the backup support he has received.
“When it arrived, we were given a great rundown on everything by the Liebherr team,” he said.
“Since then, they have been great. They always pick up the phone whenever we need them and are available 24 hours a day, which is great as we often work strange hours.”
Liebherr has strived to ensure maintenance is simple on the A 922 Rail Litronic. The service-based machine design guarantees short servicing times, minimising maintenance costs due to less downtime. All the maintenance points are easily accessible from the ground and easy to reach due to the large, wide-opening service doors.
With the new generation, the accessibility to important components is even further improved. Air, oil and fuel filters, the main battery switch, the lubricating nipple for the oscillating axle and the pilot valves for emergency actuation are much easier to access. This means that service work can be completed even more quickly and efficiently.
Hydraulic oils with added value Liebherr hydraulic oils achieve a service life of 6,000 operating hours plus, adding increased value to customers. Instead of having defined change intervals, the results of the oil analysis determine when the oil needs to be changed.
Divall said the team has been “stoked” with the new machine.
“They always love the new gear, and they know it is up for any task and can do any of the work they need it to,” he said.
“The Liebherr machine provides peace of mind when accepting new work. We believe the Liebherr A 922 has set the industry standard for hi rail machines.
“It is a good quality machine, and we are really happy with it.”
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