Established in 2005, AEI supplies specialised equipment to the utility industry throughout Australasia, Africa and parts of the Middle East. AEI commenced operations designing and manufacturing specialised steel and aluminium amphibious tracked vehicles, under the MarshTract range, and airboats. These machines are utilised in Sudan and the Middle East within the oil and gas industries.

The company’s Managing Director is Stephen Goodall of National Vegetation Management. National Vegetation Management is a member of the Australian Pipeline Industry Association and has serviced the gas industry since 2000. AEI’s head office and central spare parts and service facility is located in Yatala, Queensland.

Rough terrain tracked equipment

AEI said that Camoplast vehicles operate in some of the worlds most inhospitable places carrying personnel, welding and drilling equipment, digger derricks, aerial devices, fuel and virtually everything else people need to service and work in hostile environments.

Mr Goodall said “Considering the kinds of places these vehicles spend most of their time, reliability and ease of maintenance are critical and a key design feature of the Camoplast product.”

The equipment originates from the respected Bombardier pedigree of rough terrain tracked vehicles. Following the acquisition by Camoplast in 2004, the company has refined this product to produce the next generation of rough terrain equipment.

Camoplast has built the Trooper utility and personnel carrier and Go-Tract heavy duty tracked truck. These low ground-pressure vehicles can traverse terrain that a person cannot walk. AEI said that the vehicle offers traction power to climb at angles of up to 45 degrees, including side slopes. Therefore this vehicle is a very safe platform for the gas industry. The vehicles are capable of 20,000 kg pay loads and 100 per cent grade-ability. The J5 model can reach 30 km/hour.

The Trooper is a fast utility vehicle. AEI said that this unit is not only fun but also a versatile field asset. These units are capable of a 1,360 kg payload, 25 km/hour, 100 per cent grade-ability with ground pressure of a mere 0.72 psi – the average man is 4 – 5 psi. The company said that the Trooper is ideally suited to surveyors; seismic, geotech and maintenance crews; supervisors and emergency support, the vehicle can also be fitted with a twelve person crew cab.

Mr Goodall said that the Go-Tract is a no-nonsense workhorse ranging from the GT1200 to the GT4000 rated at 350 bhp. Payloads begin from 6,000 kg for the GT1200 and increase to 20,000 kg for the GT4000. A fully loaded vehicle exerts less ground pressure than half a man. Furthermore, AEI said that all Go-Tract are designed to haul a trailer with a joint payload total of 40,000 kg. The Go-Tract features a tough, stable walking beam suspension, solid road wheels, and rubber tracks with steel reinforcements. These tracks are very durable with extremely long life and can be easily repaired in the field.

The Go-Tract also lends itself to a modular system of applications, allowing one vehicle to be utilised for a multitude of roles, for example a tipper, crane or diesel tanker. The modular system allows the customer to reduce capital costs and increase utilisation of resources.

Products for tough working conditions

AEI has also been appointed the distributor for RWF BRON heavy equipment and attachments. RWF Industries has been designing, manufacturing and marketing heavy equipment and attachments since 1974. BRON products are sold through dealers around the world and include static and vibratory utility ploughs, agricultural drainage ploughs, hydraulic towed scrapers, pipelayers, cable removal ploughs, side booms, rubber track undercarriages, and RTU ejector boxes. BRON products are designed for extra-strength and durability. Field tested in hundreds of installations around the world, the BRON products are ideal for tough working conditions.

BRON Gas Pipeline Plows are capable of laying PVC pipe of up to 300 mm in diameter and steel pipe of up to 200 mm in diameter. These pipeline ploughs are unique in being able to lay pipe, install sand and packing, together with warning slab or danger tape in one process. The plows range up to 700 hp and are capable of installing cable and pipe at depths of up to 2,430 mm at installation rates of up to 1 km per hour.

RWF BRON also manufactures a range of side booms to be distributed by AEI. The BRON 150P self-propelled pipelayer is designed to perform efficiently in difficult and sensitive conditions. The 150P features a full hydrostatic drive that gives the operation full control of track speed and critical link controls for sensitive hands-on side boom operation. The 150P also features a 200 hp CAT diesel power train that provides the power needed for operational efficiencies in the toughest conditions. The 150P is designed to maintain optimum performance in the toughest terrain with only 6.6 psi ground pressure. The side boom has a standard lift of 20,000 kg in either cable or hydraulic operation. Mr Goodall said that 20,000 kg hydraulic side boom kits, suitable for various machines manufactured in Australia, are also available.

The final product to be distributed by AEI is the Rubber Tracked Undercarriage Trailer. This vehicle is capable of moving large payloads over soft and steep terrain. If required these trailers can be optioned with hydraulic motors to obtain additional traction in sandy conditions.