Another Volvo wheel loader for Steelphalt
Surface contractor purchases new Volvo L150G loader for its asphalt plant in Rotherham
STEELPHALT, part of Harsco’s global Metals & Minerals Group, have opted once again for a Volvo wheel loader for use at their steel slag asphalt operation in Rotherham.
A new Volvo L150G featuring a bespoke 4.2 cubic metre rehandling bucket, automatic greasing system and RDS 8000i weighing scale has been supplied.
‘We’ve operated Volvo shovels, dumptrucks and excavators for many years,’ explained Mark Wilson, asset manager for Steelphalt. ‘The L150G has taken over as our new front-line machine from a six year-old L150E loader that has clocked up over 30,000h.’
The 25-tonne L150G wheel loader is expected to handle up to 150,000 tonnes of steel slag a year from steelworks across Sheffield. The material is crushed then screened into different grades of aggregate to be used in the production of steel slag asphalt, which is mixed and blended with imported limestone.
The L150G feeds various bins at the Rotherham plant, which has an annual output of 300,000 tonnes of asphalt. Due to the abrasive nature of the material, the rehandling bucket has been hard-faced to resist wear.
Equipped with a 13-litre Stage IIIB-compliant engine (300hp), Optishift transmission and axles designed and manufactured by Volvo, the L150G shovel offers a full-turn tipping load of 17.2 tonnes, a 20% increase in lifting force and a stronger breakout force over its predecessor.
A new hydraulic cooling system has been designed to reduce the working temperatures by up to 20 degrees Celsius, while fuel savings are further enhanced by a Volvo Eco pedal that encourages the operator to run the machine at its optimum rev/min in the engine’s torque curve.
