Operators share insights from McElroy’s Tritan 560 job sites.
Since its debut in 2022, the Tritan® 560 has redefined expectations on the jobsite. By combining key features from three of McElroy’s most innovative machines – the rugged portability and advanced technology of the TracStar® iSeries, the bottom-loading capabilities of the Talon™ 2000, and the flexible carriage of the Acrobat™ QuikFit® – the Tritan 560 was purpose-built for efficiency, safety, and ease of use.
At the heart of its innovation is the bottom-loading carriage, which eliminates the need to top-load pipe, dramatically improving jobsite safety and operator visibility. With 360-degree carriage rotation and a multi-directional boom that raises, extends, and curls, the Tritan is designed to meet pipe where it lies. Operators control the machine remotely using the DataLogger® tablet, giving them a clear view of the work area and ensuring precise, safe movements.
In the years since its release, the Tritan 560 has proven itself in diverse environments, from urban infrastructure upgrades to rugged rural installations. Below, we share stories from the field, directly from contractors and operators who have put the machine to the test.
Training in Australia
Australia remains at the forefront of safety and efficiency on the fusion jobsite. In late March, a crew working on a project to install de-watering lines at a gold mine in Western Australia got the chance to fuse with the Tritan – and they had nothing but positive takeaways.
The 500mm SDR26 de-watering line consisted of 20m sticks of pipe. Crews fused 60m strings of pipe at a time, later dragging the pipe to be tied into longer sections. When completed, this pipe will house a smaller, 315mm pipe.
With a combination of thin, bent pipe and uneven terrain, operators were faced with the challenge of aligning the pipe. Even positioning the pipe stands at the end of the pipe proved to be tricky, as trying to minimise the bend would sometimes cause the pipe to flip 180 degrees.
Once the pipe was at an acceptable position, the Tritan’s boom allowed operators to level the pipe ends, speeding up the entire process and reducing the need for additional heavy equipment. Because of the Tritan’s versatility, operators were able to effectively manage the thin pipe and successfully align it.
Even in a training situation, the Tritan proved itself with ease. The fusion team accomplished more welds in a single day than a previous contractor had completed in three days. In fact, the contractor was so pleased with the results that they quickly requested another Tritan for another mining job.
Above and below ground
In the UK, current infrastructure has been under enormous scrutiny in recent years due to existing water systems becoming overwhelmed by rapid population expansion. That, coupled with changing weather patterns, has led to numerous events where wastewater was discharged into local rivers, impacting local ecosystems and populations.
When plans began for a project that would develop additional housing in the area, the decision was made to split the project into two phases. For the first phase, 6.2 miles (10km) of 560mm SDR11 through SDR17 polyethylene would need to be installed to begin linking the new housing to the wastewater works. Such a long stretch of pipe presented the perfect opportunity to showcase McElroy’s innovative Tritan 560.
Further boosting safety and efficiency, the Tritan 560 is wirelessly controlled with the DataLogger 7, McElroy’s ruggedised fusion tablet. This allows a single operator to control all parts of the pipe loading and fusion process. And thanks to the Tritan’s ability to meet the pipe where it lies, the fusion crew was able to efficiently and safely make fuses and drive the machine to the site where the next fusion needed to take place.
Once the first phase was completed, fusion work began on the second phase, which consisted of 160m of 560mm of SDR11 pipe into a concrete ducting. To accomplish this, the machine itself was lowered into a pit that sat 10m below level ground. The machine was put into the pit using an on-site crane, lowered down by the three lifting points on the machine.
In all, the Tritan 560 completed more than 300 welds, all of which were recorded using the DataLogger 7 and sent to the Vault™.
Harsh conditions
The LeBar Ranch, located between Bill and Douglas, Wyoming, spans 300,000 acres of land and boasts some of the United States’ best horses and cattle. In warmer months, the site is known for its rolling hills and green pastures. Winters, however, tend to be dry, windy, and bitterly cold, with sub-freezing temperatures typically arriving in November and lasting through April.
There, the Tritan 560 was put to the cold-weather test, fusing pipe for a produced water reservoir being constructed on-site. A 12” DR9 line was installed to supply the water, with three 20” DR9 lines running out to various locations on the property for drilling and fracking.
The fusion itself took place during the coldest weather, with tie-ins done at a temperature right around freezing.
“The contractor discovered the combination of the bottom-loading carriage, proper placement of pipe supports, and unique functionality of the six-motion boom allowed them to manipulate the pipe at the interface to achieve the precise alignment they needed,” said Tritan 560 Product Manager Chris Greggs. “Using the Tritan 560, the contractor was able to produce more welds in a single day – using the same pipe and under the same conditions – than the previous contractor had done in three days using conventional technology.”
All four lines were installed via boring at multiple locations and went under existing pipeline infrastructure in multiple locations.
“The Tritan 560 really made handling those big pipes a breeze. No hiccups – just smooth, precise work from start to finish,” said Chris Weight, Outside Sales and Branch Manager at Secor.
A successful experiment
In southwest Pennsylvania, amid hilly terrain and hot weather, a contractor opted to try out the Tritan 560 and see how well their operators took to the machine.
“They said they just hoped the machine didn’t slow them down compared to the TracStar machines they were using otherwise,” Greggs said.
The operator was familiar with the TracStar, McElroy’s industry-standard track-mounted fusion machine, but the Tritan controls were brand new to him. Though he described himself as not tech savvy or computer friendly, the Tritan 560 did remind him of one device he was comfortable using: his cell phone.
“He could manage his phone with ease,” Greggs said. “After some basic Tritan training, he went to work without hesitation.”
On this site, Greggs noted the contractors’ firm commitment to quality and documentation, with steps documenting every step of the fusion process. With its DataLogger interface, the Tritan 560 made documentation much easier, consistently logging pertinent parameters for each joint.
The result? During the first day of fusion, the operator had tied the daily production record for the site. That day, the operator had fused as much pipe as they ever had with a TracStar.
“This was day one for this operator on the Tritan 560,” Greggs said. “For him to tie the production record on his first day using the machine, that speaks volumes toward the Tritan’s user-friendliness.”
By the end of the second production day – and with the same meticulous eye for quality and documentation – the operator broke the record set the day before.
Looking ahead
As these field reports show, the Tritan 560 is redefining what’s possible in pipe fusion, bringing safety, efficiency, and productivity gains to a wide range of job sites.
“In each of these situations, the Tritan 560 brought its unique capabilities to make the job safer and more efficient,” said Greggs.
And as people consider when and how to deploy the Tritan in their own operations, Greggs added, the question isn’t where the Tritan can be used to outperform other, more familiar machines. Instead, the question is where the Tritan doesn’t shine.