“Sand Island” may sound like a picturesque location, but drilling there presents challenges, says Kelikai Inc. President Damien Enright.
Beneath its surface are undocumented utilities, stray pilings, infiltrating ocean water, voids and a sharp coral reef — all guaranteed to add twists and turns to any drilling project.
Kelikai began testing an auger cast pile (ACIP) installation program on the island in June. These piles will form the foundation for the Synagro/Hensel Phelps In-Vessel Bioconversion Facility Capacity Upgrades at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
“This project will be the first time in Hawai‘i that a 36-inch-diameter auger cast pile will be used as a deep foundation system for a structure,” Enright says. The piles will be drilled to a depth of 98 feet.
The work is being done to support a brand new building, according to Hensel Phelps Project Manager Eric Propst.
“The new Anaerobic Digester Tank & Digester Control Building at the Sand Island WWTP will be supported by more than 304 ACIP pilings installed by Kelikai Inc. next year,” he explains.
Enright says this project’s major challenge is “the limited access and tight site footprint, which makes drilling such a large and deep pile a bit more complicated and difficult.”
“Currently, there are about 213 36-inch-diameter piles to be installed, along with 31 small 18-inch-diameter piles for some adjacent structures,” he adds.
To drill and install the piles, Kelikai is using a Bauer MC128 crane and lead system. The MC128 crane has an approximate operating weight of 172 tons and is about 160 feet high.
“The power and stability of the MC128 crane and drill head provides the needed torque to advance the 36-inch-diameter augers to the required 98-foot depth,” Enright says.
Once the target depth is reached, the auger pumps grout into the hole and builds the pile as it returns to the surface carrying excavated soil.
“[The MC128 has] enough pulling power to extract the augers carrying all that extra weight from the soil and grout,” says Enright. “Kelikai’s team has decades of experience drilling in Hawai‘i’s tricky soils. With pile work, you are always running into unforeseen conditions and curveballs that require a calm and focused solution-based mindset.
“The ability — as a team — to pivot and take care of those problems that arise with good safe solutions comes with experience.”
Kelikai also used its Bauer MC128 to install an ACIP foundation for Ko‘ula, a 400-foot-high condominium tower in Ward Village, as well as other Hawai‘i landmarks.
Enright believes installing 36-inch-diameter auger cast piles at the Synagro/Hensel Phelps project has potential to improve local construction options.
“It’s a big step forward, because it allows the designers of Hawai‘i’s new buildings and structures the flexibility to specify a bigger auger cast pile size,” he says. “In the past, projects requiring larger-diameter piles would have to move forward with a drilled shaft/caisson design. This was always very expensive and very slow, production-wise.
“[So] designers were stuck with the smaller-pile diameters, which therefore caused them to add significantly to the pile count to [carry] the required load and weight from the new building. Larger piles equal more load-carrying capacity, fewer piles needed [and] cost savings.”
Two Cat 306 hydraulic excavators clear debris in La-haina- in 2023. PHOTO COURTESY HAWTHORNE CAT
Hawthorne Cat expects to receive its new Next Gen 285 compact track loaders soon. PHOTO COURTESY HAWTHORNE CAT
Builders looking to expand their businesses can explore heavy equipment offerings by leading U.S. manufacturers and Hawai‘i vendors listed below.
HAWTHORNE CAT
Caterpillar continues to refine its full equipment line with Next Generation models, including its compact track loaders (CTL).
Chris Giannaris
Chris Giannaris, Hawthorne Cat marketing and digital general manager, says the company began receiving Next Gen 255 and 265 CTLs in April. Next Gen 275 and 285 models are expected to arrive starting in December.
The upgraded machines offer increased lift height, tilt and lift breakout forces, rated operating capacity, an all-new wider cab and new engines that significantly increase torque.
Cat’s Next Gen mini hydraulic excavators continue to be in high demand, Giannaris says.
“The 306 Mini-HEX is a game changer — power and performance all wrapped up in a six-ton excavator,” he says. “[Pairing] the CAT Mini-HEX and a CTL or skid steer loader make for an unparalleled combination of versatility and performance.”
As for 2024-2025 maintenance options, Giannaris says Cat VisionLink’s ability to manage equipment is “unparalleled.” VisionLink user-friendly telematics and 24/7 monitoring cover jobsite efficiency, fuel consumption and costs, operator productivity, jobsite safety, repair costs, equipment inspections, maintenance and fleet utilization.
Komatsu’s mid-size PC138USLC excavator is a longtime favorite at Bacon Universal. PHOTO COURTESY KOMATSU
Kubota’s SCL 1000 stand-on compact loader is a new piece of equipment for Bacon Universal. PHOTO COURTESY KUBOTA TRACTOR CORP.
Matthew Elvin
BACON UNIVERSAL
Bacon Universal President and CEO Matthew Elvin says the company’s top 2024 equipment for sale and/or rental include compact track loaders, compactors, excavators and large wheel loaders.
“We recently took delivery of our first units of the Kubota SCL1000 stand-on compact loader … [with] a wide 9.8-inch track as standard on the narrow machine, measuring just 36 inches overall,” Elvin says.
He reports the BOMAG BMP8500 compactor is in wide use on trench, sewer and pipeline projects.
Komatsu excavators remain popular, from the smaller PC35MR-5 and PC88MR-11 models with operating weights of up to 8,532 pounds and 19,224 pounds, respectively, to the mid-size PC138USLC and large PC490LC-11 models. And Komatsu’s WA380-8 and WA500-8 large wheel loaders are in demand for heavy projects in waste, road work and paving.
In July, Komatsu announced the launch of four new demolition excavators that are now available in Hawai‘i. The new PC490HRD-11 demolition excavator can reach up to 104 feet, and PC290LC-11, PC360LC-11 and PC490LC-11 straight boom excavators provide 22 percent to 26 percent more reach than standard models.
In partnership with Komatsu, Bacon is introducing the manufacturer’s Smart Construction suite and Intelligent Machine Control (iMC) technology to Hawai‘i.
The Komatsu Smart Construction suite contains nine products, services and digital solutions. They combine 3D design data with aerial mapping and intelligent machine data; automate human, machine and material data; track fleets and loads in real time; and create schedules using automated forecasting and cost estimates during the life of a project.
Komatsu iMC 2.0, the company’s latest generation of intelligent machine control, “is now available on a range of excavators and dozers,” Elvin says.
Five iMC-equipped Komatsu excavators are currently available in Hawai‘i — the PC210LCi-11, PC290LCi-11, PC360LCi-11, PC390LCi-11 and the PC490LCi-11.
Elvin says the first Komatsu iMC dozer in Hawai‘i is starting work on the Big Island in October using drone-mapping technology. It’s one of seven iMC-equipped Komatsu dozers now available locally, ranging from the D39EXi-24 to the D155AXi-8, with operating weights of 21,848 pounds and 89,300 pounds, respectively.
PAPÉ MACHINERY
Customers’ most in-demand heavy equipment this year “would definitely be the compact construction equipment (CCE) and the much larger earthmoving equipment, such as crawler dozers and wheel loaders,” says David-Kupono Serai, Papé Machinery’s regional rental manager.
“For the upcoming year, we will have our roadbuilding and updated CCE line of equipment ready to put into our customers hands,” Serai says. “Papé’s roadbuilding line consists of Wirtgen mills, Vogele pavers, Hamm rollers and many of our John Deere construction pieces that ensure the job is done right the first time.
“Technology options in our equipment are paramount to daily jobsite operations and to ensure they are completed in a timely manner,” Serai emphasizes. “Papé grade-management solutions for many of the construction pieces offered … reduce passes, minimize rework and boost productivity.”
SUNBELT RENTALS INC.
“This year we’ve seen an increased demand for our large power generation equipment, which is diesel generators larger than 100kW,” says James Allison, Sunbelt Rentals Inc. Hawaii district manager. “[Our] new Power and HVAC Division, located in Kapolei, [can] provide up to two megawatts of power to any jobsite in the state.
“Brand-new to our fleet are our solar light towers,” he continues. “With a state-of-the-art LED system and zero emissions, these new light towers provide clean energy while eliminating the cost of fuel for our customers.” The towers are available at each of Sunbelt’s eight locations in Hawai‘i.
New Sunbelt technology on its way includes “our BESS units — Battery Energy Storage System,” Allison says. “Our brand-new 24 kWh / 90 kWh [BESS] is designed “to turn any diesel generator into a hybrid power solution … [and has] recently arrived at our Power and HVAC Division in Kapolei.”
Pacific Pump & Power’s Godwin CD150M pump is shown dewatering flash floods in May. PHOTO COURTESY PACIFIC PUMP & POWER
Pacific Pump & Power’s Godwin NC80M bypasses a sewer manhole at the Hilo Airport. PHOTO COURTESY PACIFIC PUMP & POWER
PACIFIC PUMP & POWER
“Our pumps and our HDPE fusion equipment have seen record levels of utilization this year,” says Paul Leonard, Pacific Pump & Power (PPP) general manager.
One current project is a sewer bypass at Honolulu’s Kamehameha Wastewater Pump Station with a peak bypass demand of 30 million gallons per day.
“We [can] handle even this worst-case scenario … [with] four 12-inch Godwin DPC300s and two Mighty Pumps 18-inch DT18s,” Leonard says.
PPP’s new 2025 equipment is in line with the latest EPA standards and minimizes diesel engine contributions to carbon emissions.
“We have been stocking more of Godwin’s “S” series pumps, which utilize their latest technologies and maximizes their efficiency,” he says. “We have also seen an uptick in our electric pump sales. We will be keeping stock levels of these items high for 2025 both to add to our rental fleet and to sell to our customers.”
Leonard says most 2025 PPP diesel equipment is coming standard with telematic packages.
HAWAIIAN CRANE & RIGGING LTD.
On the light side, “we have for rent our Mini-Crawler Crane,” says Kerwin Chong, Hawaiian Crane & Rigging Ltd. (HCR) vice president.
The URW295 Series Spyder Crane “can fold itself [into] a 24-inch profile and walk through a standard interior door frame,” Chong says. “This tiny crane is lighter than two standard road plates yet has a usable capacity of 1,200 pounds.
“On our heavy side, we have for rent our 400-ton Liebherr LTM 1350-6.1 All-terrain Hydraulic Crane,” Chong says. “With this equipment, we are able to change out rooftop equipment from various [high-rise] buildings in downtown [Honolulu] with minimal disruption to traffic.”
HCR also has three Manitowoc 999 Crawler Cranes for buildings such as the 35-story Aston Waikiki Sunset.
“On any given day, HCR is always deep in creating new and innovative ways to better serve our community,” Chong says. “Most recently HCR has developed a hydraulic sliding system that can [theoretically] move 400 tons horizontally, with an accuracy of 0.50 mm, and that has a ground clearance profile of one and one-quarter inches.”
