Ruston-Bucyrus

Ruston-Bucyrus was a British engineering and heavy-equipment manufacturer established in Lincoln, England, in 1930. It was created as a joint venture between Ruston & Hornsby, the Lincoln-based engineering company, and Bucyrus-Erie of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The arrangement transferred Ruston & Hornsby’s excavator manufacturing operation into the new enterprise, while Bucyrus-Erie exercised operational control. The name combined the British and American companies and became associated with a substantial range of cable-operated excavators, cranes, draglines, and related machinery. The company’s products were designed around a standardized crawler-mounted base that could accept different front-end attachments and counterweights. This modular approach allowed one basic machine to be configured as a face shovel, dragline, lifting crane, grabbing crane, drag shovel, skimmer, or pile driver. Some models were also adapted for lorry mounting. The machines used revolving upper structures capable of 360-degree rotation and were initially controlled through mechanical levers and clutches. Later designs adopted pneumatic controls, hydraulic systems, or combinations of mechanical and hydraulic power. Diesel engines were common, although electric drives were available, especially for larger machines. Ruston-Bucyrus’s best-known standard cable excavators included the 10RB, 17RB, 19RB, 22RB, 30RB, 33RB, 38RB, 54RB, 61RB, and 71RB. The 22RB became the company’s most popular model and was produced using a production-line approach. Larger machines developed through the 110RB and 150RB ranges, while walking draglines such as the 5W were used for large-scale overburden removal in open-cast mining. During the Second World War, the company also developed Cultivator No. 6, a trench-cutting machine produced at the request of Winston Churchill. The company broadened its product range in the late 1960s with the 15H, 20H, and 30H hydraulic backactors. These machines helped extend the business as the market shifted away from smaller quarry excavators. Ruston-Bucyrus also produced lorry-mounted drilling rigs, including machines used for water boreholes, and designed a self-erecting tower crane at a time when such equipment was still relatively uncommon. At its Lincoln works, the company manufactured most components on site apart from foundry work. The factory stretched along Beevor Street, included more than thirty manufacturing bays, and employed as many as 2,000 people during its strongest period. Its equipment was exported widely and supported by UK service depots and international service engineers. Ownership and branding changed substantially from the 1980s onward. In 1985, management acquired the company, ending its corporate links with Bucyrus-Erie and creating R-B Lincoln, later known as R-B International. Existing cable excavator and crane models continued, while newer products increasingly used the shorter RB name. The company entered hydraulic crane and dragline markets, acquired Priestman’s variable-counterbalance excavator and grab designs in 1990, and introduced its CH fully hydraulic crane and dragline series in 1992. A further management buy-in occurred in 1996, but difficult trading conditions, a strong pound, and overseas competition contributed to voluntary administration in 2000. Langley Holdings acquired the business as a going concern in December 2000 and created RB Cranes Ltd. Production was subsequently moved from Lincoln to facilities in Retford and Gainsborough. RB Cranes continued to support and develop hydraulic crawler cranes, long-reach excavators, Priestman grabs, and related equipment, but the original Ruston-Bucyrus manufacturing identity was no longer maintained in its former form. In 2009, RB Cranes was sold to Delden Cranes, which relocated the business to Selston, Nottinghamshire. The Ruston-Bucyrus name therefore survives primarily through historical machines, technical records, successor products, and preservation activity rather than as an independent operating manufacturer.

Ruston-Bucyrus Ltd was established in 1930 in Lincoln as a joint venture between Ruston & Hornsby and Bucyrus-Erie. Bucyrus-Erie, an American company founded in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1880, held operational control, while Ruston & Hornsby contributed its excavator manufacturing activities. The resulting business became one of Britain’s most recognizable producers of large construction and mining machinery. Its early and mature product strategy centered on standardized crawler-mounted machines. A common base could be equipped with different counterbalances, crawler frames, engines, drums, and front-end tools. Configurations included face shovels, draglines, lifting cranes, grabbing cranes, drag shovels, skimmers, and pile drivers. Mechanical lever controls and toggle clutches were later supplemented or replaced by pneumatic controls. Diesel power was usual, with electric alternatives offered for certain large machines. The RB range developed from early models such as the 10RB, 17RB, 19RB, and 33RB to the widely sold 22RB, 30RB, 38RB, 61RB, and 71RB. The 22RB was particularly successful and was assembled on a production line. Larger machines included the 110RB and 150RB. Ruston-Bucyrus also made walking draglines, notably the 5W, whose walking mechanism allowed very large machines to move across open-cast mining sites after being transported and assembled in sections. During the Second World War, Ruston-Bucyrus developed Cultivator No. 6, a trench-cutting machine requested by Winston Churchill. In the late 1960s, it introduced the 15H, 20H, and 30H hydraulic backactors, which found a market in the Far East. Other products included water-borehole drilling rigs mounted on lorries and a self-erecting tower-crane design. The company’s Lincoln factory was a large integrated manufacturing site extending along Beevor Street. At its peak it employed up to 2,000 people, operated multiple shifts, and exported machinery to customers in many parts of the world. Market changes weakened the company’s traditional position. Smaller quarry excavators became less attractive as quarrying operations adopted larger blasting methods and wheeled loaders. In 1985, management purchased Ruston-Bucyrus, severing its formal relationship with Bucyrus-Erie. The business became R-B Lincoln and later R-B International. Cable excavator and crane production continued, although machines made after 1985 generally carried the shorter RB name. In 1987, the company introduced a mechanically and hydraulically powered 51–60 model derived from the 38RB. R-B International expanded through product development and acquisition. In 1990, it acquired Priestman’s variable-counterbalance hydraulic and cable long-reach excavator designs and grab range. In 1992, it launched the CH series of fully hydraulic crane and dragline machines, adding further models in 1999. A management buy-in occurred in 1996, but the company entered voluntary administration on 3 July 2000. The stated pressures included a difficult trading environment, the strength of the pound, and intense competition from foreign manufacturers. Langley Holdings acquired the business as a going concern on 22 December 2000 and formed RB Cranes Ltd. It became part of the Clarke Chapman Group, alongside several other material-handling and engineering businesses. In January 2001, production ceased at the historic Lincoln works and was transferred to Retford and Gainsborough. The successor business rationalized and continued the range, including CH hydraulic crawler cranes, dragline and clamshell-grab variants, heavy-duty piling adaptations, variable-counterbalance long-reach excavators, Priestman grabs, and support for older Bucyrus-Erie equipment. On 14 October 2009, Langley sold RB Cranes to Delden Cranes. The business moved to Selston, Nottinghamshire, while continuing equipment servicing and product support. Delden later acquired NCK Cranes in February 2012. A separate Ruston-Bucyrus Ltd was formed in 2005 by Paul and Frank Murray, but the reference material states that this company had no connection with RB Cranes, which retained the original machine information and drawings. The historic Ruston-Bucyrus manufacturing company is therefore treated as defunct, with its legacy continuing through successor businesses, surviving machinery, documentation, and collectors.

• 2012

  NCK Cranes acquired by Delden

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  Delden Cranes expanded its British crane and excavator activities through the acquisition of NCK Cranes.

• 2009

  RB Cranes sold to Delden Cranes

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  The successor business was sold by Langley Holdings and relocated to Selston, Nottinghamshire.

• 2001

  Lincoln production ended

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  Manufacturing was transferred from the Lincoln works to facilities in Retford and Gainsborough.

• 2000

  Administration and acquisition

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  R-B International entered administration and was subsequently acquired by Langley Holdings, which formed RB Cranes.

• 1992

  CH hydraulic series introduced

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  R-B introduced the CH series of fully hydraulic cranes and draglines.

• 1990

  Priestman designs acquired

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  R-B acquired Priestman’s variable-counterbalance excavator designs and grab manufacturing rights.

• 1985

  Management buyout created R-B Lincoln

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  Management acquired the business, ending its links with Bucyrus-Erie and creating R-B Lincoln, later renamed R-B International.

• 1960

  Standard RB range reached major market visibility

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  The 22RB, 30RB, 38RB, 61RB, and 71RB became the principal standard cable-machine range during the 1960s.

• 1930

  Ruston-Bucyrus established

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  Ruston & Hornsby and Bucyrus-Erie formed a Lincoln-based joint venture for excavator manufacturing.

• Cultivator No. 6 developed

  [1]Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org

  During the Second World War, the company developed a trench-cutting machine at Winston Churchill’s request.

Heavy engineering and construction equipment, with a historical emphasis on robust, modular crawler excavators, draglines, cranes, and mining machinery.

• Crawler excavators

  RB cable excavator range

  Ruston-Bucyrus’s principal product family consisted of crawler-mounted cable excavators with standardized bases and interchangeable front-end equipment. Models such as the 10RB, 22RB, 30RB, 38RB, 61RB, and 71RB could be configured for face-shovel, dragline, crane, grab, skimmer, or pile-driving work. The design emphasized durability, modularity, and serviceability for construction, quarrying, mining, and material-handling applications.

• Large excavators

  110RB and 150RB

  The 110RB and its later 150RB development represented the company’s large excavator class. These machines were built for demanding heavy construction, mining, and bulk excavation work and required larger assembly facilities than the standard production models.

• Walking dragline

  5W walking dragline

  The 5W was a large walking dragline intended principally for removing overburden at open-cast coal and similar mining sites. Its upper machinery deck sat on a circular tub and used cams and paddle feet to move the heavy machine in a step-like walking motion. Because of its size, it was transported in sections and assembled at the worksite.

• Hydraulic backactors · 1960

  15H, 20H, and 30H

  Introduced in the late 1960s, the 15H, 20H, and 30H were hydraulic backactors with 360-degree rotation. They were particularly successful in Far Eastern markets and helped the company remain competitive as demand patterns moved away from smaller traditional quarry excavators.

• Hydraulic crawler cranes and draglines · 1992

  CH series

  The CH series was R-B’s fully hydraulic crane and dragline family, introduced in the 1990s and expanded with additional models later in the decade. Successor offerings included crawler cranes from the CH40 through CH135 range, dragline and clamshell-grab variants, dockside configurations, and heavy-duty adaptations for piling and foundation engineering.

• Long-reach excavators and attachments · 1990

  Priestman variable-counterbalance excavators and grabs

  After acquiring Priestman designs in 1990, R-B and later RB Cranes continued variable-counterbalance hydraulic long-reach excavators and a related range of grabs. These products served excavation, demolition, dredging, material rehandling, and other applications requiring extended reach or specialized handling tools.

• Military trench-cutting machine

  Cultivator No. 6

  Cultivator No. 6 was a wartime trench-cutting machine developed by the company at the request of Winston Churchill. It was a specialized engineering project rather than a mainstream commercial excavator product.

• 2009

  Sale of RB Cranes to Delden CranesM&A

  Background

  Langley Holdings reorganized its interests in the specialist crane and excavator business.

  Action taken

  RB Cranes was sold to Delden Cranes on 14 October 2009 and moved to Delden’s premises in Selston, Nottinghamshire.

  Aftermath

  Delden continued servicing RB, Priestman, and certain Bucyrus-Erie machines and maintained the successor product lines.

  Source

• 2001

  Consolidation of manufacturing outside LincolnStrategy

  Background

  Following the acquisition, the new owner rationalized the operating structure and product manufacturing footprint.

  Action taken

  Production at the Lincoln works ceased and manufacturing was transferred to Retford and Gainsborough.

  Aftermath

  Lincoln ceased to be the principal manufacturing center, while product support and successor production continued elsewhere.

  Source

• 2000

  Sale of the business to Langley HoldingsM&A

  Background

  R-B International entered voluntary administration on 3 July 2000 after adverse market conditions, currency pressures, and overseas competition prevented it from continuing without substantial new capital.

  Action taken

  Langley Holdings acquired the business as a going concern on 22 December 2000 and established RB Cranes Ltd.

  Aftermath

  The business continued under the RB Cranes name within the Clarke Chapman Group, although the original Lincoln production operation was subsequently closed.

  Source

• 1992

  Launch of the CH hydraulic crane and dragline seriesProduct launch

  Background

  R-B needed newer hydraulic products to complement or replace its established cable-operated machines.

  Action taken

  The company introduced a fully hydraulic CH series for crane and dragline applications and added further models in 1999.

  Aftermath

  The CH range became a core product family carried into the RB Cranes era.

  Source

• 1990

  Acquisition of Priestman excavator and grab designsM&A

  Background

  R-B sought to expand beyond its traditional cable excavator and crane range into hydraulic long-reach equipment and attachments.

  Action taken

  R-B purchased the design and manufacturing rights for Priestman’s variable-counterbalance hydraulic and cable long-reach excavators and its range of grabs.

  Aftermath

  The acquired designs became part of the successor product portfolio and continued to be supported after the creation of RB Cranes.

  Source

• 1985

  Severance from Bucyrus-Erie and rebranding as R-B LincolnStrategy

  Background

  Management acquired the business, ending its formal corporate relationship with Bucyrus-Erie while preserving production of established excavator and crane designs.

  Action taken

  The company operated first as R-B Lincoln and later as R-B International. New machines increasingly used the shorter RB name rather than the full Ruston-Bucyrus name.

  Aftermath

  The business retained its historical product expertise but became an independently managed British manufacturer.

  Source

1. 1Ruston-Bucyrusen.wikipedia.org