A ripping yarn from Glenfin Quarry
New EC380D excavator continues family-run quarrying firm’s 25-year association with Volvo CE
FAMILY-run extraction business Kinegar Quarries Ltd of Cockburnspath, near Dunbar, have opted for a new Volvo EC380D excavator for their Glenfin hard rock quarry, continuing a 25-year association with Volvo Construction Equipment products.
Replacing an Akerman EC300 which was built in 1996 and has clocked up 12,600 hours of operation, the EC380D is in charge of ripping high-quality greywacke sandstone from an arrangement of benches at Glenfin Quarry.
The greywacke has a high PSV value of around 72 and, when crushed down to 10mm and 6mm products, is particularly well suited for road-surfacing applications.
Equipped with a hydraulic quick-hitch and bespoke ripper tooth, the new 38-tonne excavator is more than capable of ripping out the virgin rock, which is loaded on to a resident Volvo A25D dumptruck that hauls it to the primary crusher.
‘We have tended to favour Volvo products from the outset having bought our first Volvo L120 at the end of the 1980s,’ explained co-director Stephen Findlay, who, along with his brother Arnot, now runs the family business. ‘Over the years we have purchased various Volvo machines and they have a good track record for longevity and reliability, so deciding upon our new EC380D wasn’t a difficult choice.’
Demonstrating this fact, Kinegar’s original L120 is still in daily use having clocked up 28,000 hours of operation, as is a subsequently purchased Volvo L120C, bought at the same time as the Akerman. Both loading shovels have benefitted from a replacement engine and transmission and are still going strong.
At the heart of the EC380D is a 13-litre Stage IIIB V-Act engine that develops 279hp. The machine features an automatic idling system that reduces the engine speed when the levers and pedals are not activated – aiding fuel efficiency and lowering external noise.
When only a single function is being used, the machine’s two-pump hydraulic system combines the flow of both pumps for quick cycle times and greater productivity. It can also prioritize flow according to the work being done – eg to the boom for faster raising when loading or in deep excavations; or to the arm during levelling or when swinging through large slewing angles.
The EC380D boasts a maximum breakout and tear-out force of 242.7kN and 219.1kN, respectively, making it ideal for the application at Glenfin Quarry. The machine supplied to Kinegar Quarries also benefits from full FOGS guarding.
