The Husqvarna 680 grinder, available from Kennards Concrete Care , proved suitable for tough jobs during the construction of an office block at Perth Airport.

The large planetary grinder is among a range of new Husqvarna equipment, which has been purchased by Kennards Concrete Care for their hire centres in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Other new Husqvarna machines added to the hire fleet include a 5500 three phase dust extraction unit, for use with the 680 grinder, and ten single phase DC3300 dust extraction units.

Perth-based floor preparation company, Gecko Rock, hired the Husqvarna 680 grinder for the airport job, which involved removing undulations from the floor on three levels, an area totalling 3300 square metres.

With windows and ceilings in place, and only a 300kg hoist on site to lift the machine between levels, the contractor needed a light, aggressive grinder that would operate dry and dust free. Kennards Concrete Care Manager Geoff Holtmeulen said the 680 grinder and dust collector fitted the bill.

“It is aggressive and dust free, and I knew it would get the floor flat, which was the reason for the grind,” he said.

“The 300kg weight limit on the hoist was another factor we had to take into account. While this grinder weighs 385kg, it detaches into two parts, and so it could be easily lifted.

“The concrete was particularly hard, which meant the choice of diamond was very important. A selection of quick-change diamonds was taken to site for testing.

“The slightly rigid head of the machine ground off the high spots flat to the surrounding area, rather than following the contours of the concrete.”

Leon McGough, of Gecko Rock, said the on-site advice offered by Kennards Concrete Care was helpful.

“We have made use of this service in the past and found the advice has always enabled us to get our job done on time and most cost effectively,” he said.

“I like to get the work done quickly with minimal disruption to the builder and other trades on site.”

The Husqvarna 680 grinder can be used for a variety of work, from concrete floor preparation and repair to grinding and polishing of concrete floors. The Husqvarna 680 grinder can also be used to repair and polish terrazzo and other natural stone.

Husqvarna’s dual drive technology allows the operator to selectively control speed or direction of either the planetary rotation or the grinding heads, resulting in unlimited potential speed and direction combinations.

The large dust extraction unit meets the demanding industrial applications, while the 3300 unit, which can be attached to any number of smaller machines, is also powerful.