With temperatures dropping in the northern hemisphere it is a perfect time to share this update with our readers! In this article you will learn how piling equipment is prepped to work in sub-zero temperatures.

Our clients up in the far north, especially in areas such as Siberia and Russia’s Far East regions, as well as in Canada and Alaska, work mainly in the wintertime. This is when the topsoil that lies above the permafrost of the Taiga is also frozen solid and can support the weight of the construction equipment. At very low temperatures the properties of materials used in construction equipment change, starter batteries don’t work, the viscosity of hydraulic oils is reduced, and even the diesel fuels freezes in the tank at −8 .1 °C. ICE offers artic kits for clients that need to work in sub-zero conditions.

Without boring you with too much detail, some of the adaptions we do are insulating the hydraulic oil tank, and adding heaters to control panels and batteries. Ironically, once the engine is up and running it gets so hot that it needs to be cooled. This means we have designed dual purpose air inlet panels that can be fixed in different positions or even removed during operation once the hot air needs to get out of the power pack enclosure. Our Arctic Kit can be added on every Power Pack in the ICE product range.

Only very few areas in China reach arctic temperatures, and those are sparsely populated. But the average temperature in big population centers such as the city of Harbin in the month of January is -24C, a temperature that also necessitates taking these precautions. Taking these precautions means you can safely switch off the equipment without worrying if it will start up again the next morning.

We have sold vibratory hammers of over 45 years, there isn’t much we haven’t designed and built for our clients spread out all over the planet. When you chose to work with ICE you directly benefit from all this experience, don’t miss out on using time tested equipment! Available from stock or our rental fleet!