At -35 °C, a Quarry Keeps Choosing the Same Excavator: Hammerstone Adds a Third R 9150

The Alberta limestone producer has taken another 150-tonne Liebherr machine, again fitted with an Arctic Kit and backed by a local service branch

Eight years after its first unit arrived, Hammerstone Infrastructure Materials has bought its third Liebherr R 9150 excavator. The repeat order says more about the machine’s record in a harsh climate than any launch brochure could.

On 19 June 2026, Liebherr-Canada delivered the 150-tonne-class excavator to Muskeg Quarry, one of the largest limestone quarries in Western Canada. All three R 9150s on site work there.

A quarry that cannot stop

Muskeg is an important source of high-quality limestone aggregates for the oil sands industry in Alberta. As the site operator, Hammerstone needs loading tools that maximise extraction and can run reliably in a 24-hour operation. It has been choosing the R 9150 since 2018.

“Over the past eight years, we’ve been impressed by the R 9150’s high production capacity, excellent digging power and fast cycle times,” said Bryan George, vice president and general manager at Hammerstone. “Adding an additional unit to our fleet was an easy decision.”

Built for the cold

Winter temperatures at the site can fall to -35 °C, so all three excavators carry Liebherr’s optional Arctic Kit. It includes Arctic-rated fluids, heated mirrors, an Arctic-rated greasing system and the ability to preheat the machine. That last point matters: preheating prevents hydraulic fluids from solidifying, metals from turning brittle and the machine from failing to start.

Service as part of the sale

Liebherr-Canada’s Fort McKay branch provides technical support for all three machines. “Having experienced personnel on hand to look after Hammerstone’s R 9150s when needed means we can keep operational disruptions to a minimum,” said Francis O’Flaherty, divisional director, mining, at Liebherr-Canada.

For quarry operators and contractors working in extreme climates, the case shows how a fleet decision is increasingly made on three things together: machine capacity, cold-weather specification and the distance to a service team.