MASTENBROEK’S BULLDOG PREMIERES AT BAUMA
Visitors to Mastenbroek's booth (B5.219) at Bauma (7-13 April, Munich) will be the first in Europe to see footage of the company's latest compact trencher – The Bulldog – working on a live job site.
The Bulldog is a compact, powerful and agile trencher designed by Mastenbroek specifically for utility contractors in the United States, such as Cox & Cox Construction, which is the first company to deploy the 'game-changing' new trencher on a commercial project.
Following extensive trials and demonstrations in North America and establishing partnerships with Ditch Witch West and Port Industries, marketing of the Bulldog started in the summer of 2024, with Californian engineering company – Cox & Cox Construction – being the first to place an order.
Buddy Cox, president at Cox & Cox Construction, took delivery of the first production trencher late last year and began using it in January 2025 to underground utility cables along 50 miles of narrow, winding roads near Lakehead in northern California as part of a drive to reduce power outages caused by forest fires.
Footage from the job site, which will be played on Mastenbroek's stand at Bauma, shows the Bulldog delivering a 1.1m (44 inch) deep and 25cm (10 inch) wide curved trench on a steep, narrow, winding road, which is left clean as its conveyor allows the spoil to be transferred directly into the accompanying dump truck.
"The Bulldog is a game changer!" says Buddy. "It undergrounds so quickly and so cleanly. It's fast, easy to mobilise and deploy, and produces an accurate trench, even on uneven, narrow roads. It is also so comfortable to operate. Our driver loves being in the cab. It's large, and the controls are in exactly the right places. The conveyor system is the best on the market! We're leaving a really clean surface, and we can cut at both ten and 18 inches, with the flexibility to change over very quickly. The Bulldog is certainly the fastest and best trencher in its class."
Cox & Cox Construction, which has been in business since 1980, is a full-service underground utility contractor licensed in California and Nevada and operates a fleet of ten US-made machines. In 2023, Buddy needed to acquire a smaller, faster trencher to give him a competitive advantage when tendering for undergrounding contracts.
Buddy discovered the trencher thanks to his connections at Ditch Witch West and Port Industries, which were talking to Mastenbroek about marketing the Bulldog in the United States.
The Bulldog, which is 10.9m (38 feet 7 inches) long and has a transport width of 2.5m (8 feet 2 inches), borrows much of Mastenbroek's engineering prowess from the company's 17/17 trencher, which is popular with European undergrounding contractors.
However, the Bulldog has been enhanced by the inclusion of a US EPA Tier 4 final compliant Volvo 8-litre engine and a new diesel hydrostatic drive system developed by Mastenbroek to power the new heavier digging mechanism, which can achieve the 1.5m (five-foot) trench depth required by US cable-layers. The Bulldog also features an offset cutting head, which uses rotary carbide digging picks that offer smooth rotation and long lifespans.
The new digging mechanism also contributes to the Bulldog's lightweight, just 21,300kg (47,000lbs), which is some 6800kg (15,000 lbs) lighter than its nearest rival. Mastenbroek's engineers have ensured Bulldog's weight distribution is as even as possible, allowing its 248bhp to be directed efficiently into the trench for maximum productivity.
"The Bulldog has been inspired by the unique challenges faced by North American contractors looking to install underground cables as quickly and cost-effectively as possible," says Christopher. "Mastenbroek has a tradition of innovation and developing solutions that meet our customer's needs, and the Bulldog continues that. We are delighted to see our first Bulldog working on a live job site and hope it will be the first of many!"
For further information about the Bulldog and Mastenbroek, visit booth B5.219 at Bauma, www.mastenbroek.com or www.mastenbroekusa.com, and to find out more about Cox & Cox Construction, look at https://coxandcoxconstruction.com/
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