In order to shore large four-sided excavations, it is essential to have a system that is not only adaptable and durable, but also designed to withstand the test of time. Shore Hire’s Shore Brace 400 is purpose-built to meet these exact requirements, and more.
Shore Hire, a proudly family-owned equipment hire business, began researching and designing the Shore Brace 400 hydraulic bracing system five years ago, after discovering a gap in the market, and released the product last year. It quickly became a customer favourite due to its versatility and strength.
Design and manufacturing
The Shore Brace 400 Hydraulic Brace is a modular system that consists of extension beams of various sizes that are double-pinned and connected to a high-load capacity Hydraulic Ram. The system in question is a bigger version of their Shore Brace 200 system and although the 200 is undeniably effective, it didn’t quite meet the requirements of clients doing larger-scale excavations.
“Rather than having to use multiple cross struts and deal with complex installation and extraction sequences to accommodate those jobs, we decided, in true Luke Geelan fashion, to make ourselves a brand-new brace,” says Shore Hire’s Research & Development Team.
“It was made out of our Sydney branch over in Condell Park by our product development team and in-house fabrication and manufacturing capability,” says Luke Geelan, Shore Hire’s Executive Chair. “They drew up the design and made many different prototypes. Then they conducted a lot of testing using different methods and types of beams. And once we fell in love with a design, that’s the one we rolled out into production.
“We’re all about innovation here. We’re no stranger to taking an existing product and making it better.”
Features
The Shore Brace 400 system is an incredible innovation for the company; it’s powerful, versatile, and the only hydraulic bracing system made and engineered in Australia.
The system can be designed to support rectangle, square, or really any shaped excavation up to 20m without cross supports, and with the addition of the high load Shore Brace 400 Hydraulic Cross Brace or corner brace, much larger and more complex support projects can be secured.
“It’s by far one of the strongest bracing systems in the market,” explains Luke. “The Shore Brace 400 helps you achieve a clear span, so our clients can drop whatever underground asset they need into a trench without having to navigate around cross struts and corner struts, which would otherwise cause a collapse during installation.”
Another innovative feature of the hydraulic bracing system is that it naturally cambers, meaning that it arches or bends slightly upwards in the middle.
“These systems come in component form, so that camber comes naturally from the joints, giving it a bit more strength and deflection resilience,” Luke says. “But the unique double pin system we’ve added means the Shore Brace 400 has the same shoring capacity regardless of the direction of the bend – inwards or outwards from the excavation.”
Shore Hire has also recently developed the Shore Strut 400, which is a 1250kN hydraulic strut designed to be used in conjunction with the Shore Brace 400 system to eliminate the need for multiple cross struts in larger excavations.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a key consideration at Shore Hire, and one of the ways in which the Shore Brace 400 demonstrates greater environmental sustainability is by firstly, being a hire product meaning that is constantly reused across multiple years and major projects and secondly, using galvanised steel for even more strength and durability.
The extension beams are also constructed from galvanised steel, meaning they are exceptionally durable and have an extensive life span. This allows for their repeated use across multiple jobs without any damage or requirement for replacement.
Customer support
Feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive – not only for the Shore Brace 400 system itself, but also the services Shore Hire offers. This includes providing a 24-hour/7-day full remote monitoring system that will notify customers if there is any unknown movement, and product specialists that are by a customer’s side through the entire process – from tender through to completion.
“We supply the highest quality product and highest quality service every single time,” Luke says. “That’s what keeps people coming back.”
For more information about the Shore Brace 400 or any of our other products visit www.shorehire.com.au, or contact your local Shore Hire branch at 1300 764 734.