Another Volvo wheel loader for Skene Group

Scottish quarry operator purchases second L220H model for use at Soutra Mains Quarry 

SKENE Group of Glenrothes, in Fife, have added another Volvo L220H loading shovel to their fleet, joining an existing model which was the first to be sold in the UK three years ago. The latest H-series Stage IV Final wheel loader is currently carrying out duties in the rehandling and stocking out area at Skene’s Soutra Mains Quarry, in Pathhead. 

Powered by a 13-litre Volvo engine, which develops 373hp at between 1,300 and 1,400 rev/min, the 32-tonne shovel is equipped with XMineD2 tyres, a 5.6 cubic metre rehandling bucket, auto-lube and optional boom suspension.

‘The first L220H machine at Soutra Mains replaced a smaller L180F to increase production and we considered the specification closely in order to achieve a two-bucket pass loading out eight-wheeled lorries,’ said Darren Forrester, joint md of Skene Group. 

‘We’ve now added a second L220H on the strength of the reliability and productivity of the three year-old machine and, in total, we now run four loading shovels to cope with ever increasing demands on our production output since we introduced block-making and ready-mix production facilities in April 2015.’ 

As with Skene Group’s existing fleet of Volvo branded equipment, the newest arrival has been supplied with Volvo’s Blue service agreement (based on a fixed rate per scheduled service and a fixed rate for mileage) with oil sampling and regular inspections to be reviewed on an annual basis. 

‘The decision to outsource the regular servicing, inspections and oil sampling back to the original manufacture makes perfect sense in our opinion,’ said Mr Forrester. ‘Having Volvo looking after the equipment with their own trained engineers, using genuine parts with the proper disposal of all used oils and materials, gives us both peace of mind and a tight control on each machine’s life time cost.’