Successful Projects

On schedule with BOMAG Light Equipment.

It's hard to miss the distinctive yellow BOMAG construction machines all over the vast grounds of the old Armstrong barracks in Büdingen: busy with earthworks, pipeline construction and paving projects at various locations. The new BOMAG BMP 8500 trench compactor excels here even in the toughest conditions. And a tamper - the BT 60 e - is tackling a very special job, aided by its electric drive.

Transforming a derelict brownfield site.

Construction work on the site of the former Armstrong barracks, which spans an area nearly the size of 25 football pitches, is in full swing in early summer 2024. A whole new neighbourhood is emerging on the outskirts of Büdingen, a Hessian district town with a population of just over 22,000. Up to 800 residents will find a home in detached houses and repurposed barrack buildings. Just a few steps away, a modern nursery and a retail centre are also being built.

Holger Compas has been involved since the project's inception in 2017. The foreman oversees the work that Weimer GmbH has been commissioned with here: demolition, soil remediation, site development, road and pipeline construction, and regeneration. His employer is based 65 kilometres away in Lahnau and is a specialist in demolishing buildings and restoring the associated plots of land. Weimer GmbH also handles the disposal and recycling of demolition material, as well as all the subsequent measures in sewer, cable and network construction or water engineering. Now, after seven years, the first major construction phase is almost complete. The interior work has already begun in the kindergarten, housed in an old artillery hall.

In front of it, Holger Compas' team is working on an infiltration ditch designed to prevent heavy rainfall from flowing unimpeded into the nearby Seemenbach, just 150 metres away. The river last burst its banks in January 2021. A dam breach caused flooding in Büdingen's old town, and further downstream in Düdesheim, sandbags had to be piled up.

The infiltration ditch here is entirely covered with a filter fleece, so backfilling and compacting the excavation pit directly around the trench must therefore be carried out with great care. Under no circumstances should the surrounding fleece be damaged. The manufacturer specifies that the backfill material should be placed evenly all around in layers 20 cm to a maximum of 30 cm thick and then compacted.

Electric machines are ideal for this work because, unlike petrol-powered ones, they produce no hot exhaust gases during operation. This eliminates the risk of scorching or even melting the fleece.

e-PERFORMANCE in action.

In terms of compaction performance, the battery-powered tamper used here is also an excellent choice. The BT 60 e is every bit as powerful as its conventional counterparts. Its highly efficient electric motors provide the necessary power while also being particularly low maintenance.

When it comes to energy storage, BOMAG relies on proven technology. The batteries in BOMAG's e-PERFORMANCE range of electric tampers and vibratory plates are fully interchangeable. Battery swaps are quick and require no tools. And as always with BOMAG: these machines impress with their well-thought-out, robust design and outstanding ease of use.

With the BT 60 e battery-powered tamper, BOMAG has developed a vibratory tamper that sets new standards in its class. The machine starts at the push of a button. It has a 70 mm stroke and an advance rate of 20 m/min. The motor is fully encased for extra protection against shocks and dirt. At the same time, the engine protection also reduces heat radiation into the immediate surroundings. And best of all: the BT 60 e complies with strict emission limits during operation, thus protecting the environment and the operator. It can be used anywhere without restrictions – in deep trenches, buildings or tunnels.

Even more BOMAG compaction technology.

The Weimer team has long relied on compaction technology from Boppard. Heavier BOMAG equipment is also in use on the former barracks site: a small BOMAG single drum roller, the BW 124 PDH-5, and the new BOMAG BMP 8500 trench roller. These machines are deployed on larger areas – the remote-controlled trench roller being brought in wherever conditions are particularly challenging, confined or dangerous.

The operator can see everything at a glance on the radio remote control display. This includes the battery charge status and if the radio connection is still intact. If the operator enters the machine's safety zone, the BOMAG Operator Safety System (BOSS) automatically stops the trench roller's travel system.

Even the simultaneous operation of several machines on the construction site would be no problem. The ergonomically designed remote control is clearly assigned to its parent roller. With BOMAG's "radio over infrared" solution, there's no need for frequency adjustment or tuning.

The radio feature is great! And the "I'm too close" LED warning light is a great help – especially for new colleagues who aren't yet familiar with the machine. Michael Knöß, Foreman, Weimer GmbH

The BOMAG BMP 8500 has a wide range of applications. The new trench roller from BOMAG excels even under the toughest conditions with its impressive compaction performance. Equipped with a padfoot drum, the BP 8500 can fully exploit its strengths on heavy, wet and clay soils, precisely where conventional soil compactors and vibratory rollers reach their limits. The ECONOMIZER light strip, clearly visible from both sides, shows the driver when optimum compaction has been achieved, making high-quality soil compaction even easier, more transparent and more efficient.

Despite the bad weather, we paved 40-centimetre layers with the trench roller and got excellent results after just four passes. The drop plate density test demonstrates this. The kneading effect of the padfoot drum helps. Michael Knöß, Foreman, Weimer GmbH

Michael Knöß and Holger Compas have another two months. By then, the parking areas and access paths in front of the kindergarten should also be finished. The plan is for four groups of children to be cared for starting autumn 2024.

They're currently on schedule. But next door, almost 90,000 square metres of former barrack grounds still await development and construction.