Bespoke Volvo A30G hauler for Ashcourt

New hauler equipped with ultra-low ground-bearing pressure tyres for waste handling on soft ground

HULL-based Ashcourt Group have added a bespoke A30G articulated hauler to their ever-increasing portfolio of Volvo Construction Equipment products. The new machine, which will go to work for the Group’s waste-management division, has a carrying capacity of 28 tonnes and heaped capacity of 17.5 cubic metres, and has been specially modified to work on extremely soft ground with the addition of Michelin Mega XBIB 1000/50 R25 tyre and wheel assemblies.

To make these assemblies compatible with the truck, the rear bogie beams had to be elongated and special blocks added to prevent the tyres from fouling on the skip. On the tractor portion of the hauler, mudguard extensions have been added to cover the extra width of the tyres, enhanced by the addition of Ashcourt’s blue and white prismatic chevrons.

‘This is the first time we’ve put these ultra-low ground-bearing pressure tyres on one of our trucks,’ explained Ashcourt’s plant manager, Adam Donkin. ‘Admittedly, this has added a significant cost over the standard truck, but we’ve calculated it will pay dividends in the long run.

‘So far, we’ve been very pleased with our evaluation of how the truck is performing, particularly on soft and boggy ground. The floatation characteristics are such that we are avoiding the usual problems of creating ruts on our site’s haul roads. Furthermore, it negates the need for laying stone to create temporary haul roads then removing it again, which is a huge cost saving.’

The A30G hauler from Volvo meets the requirements of Stage IV final emissions legislation, being powered by an electronically controlled, six-cylinder 264kW turbocharged Volvo V-ACT diesel engine. This features high torque at low engine speeds, resulting in good fuel efficiency, high performance, quicker engine response and less wear, ie long service life.

Purpose built by Volvo, the fuel-efficient engine is designed to exactly match the Volvo drivetrain, ensuring the best use of power and torque, even in tough working conditions. It is matched to a torque converter with built in lock-up function and fitted with a fully automatic fast adaptive transmission. The rest of the Volvo-designed-and-built powertrain has been reinforced to cope with the higher torque output of the engine.

The advantage of fitting the Michelin Mega XBIB 1000/50 tyres over the standard 750/65 R25 offering gives Ashcourt’s A30G a 26% increase in surface area (footprint) and a reduction in ground pressure from 160kPa to just 119kPa, making it highly versatile on soft and boggy surfaces. The increase in overall width takes the truck from 2.95m to 3.55m.

‘The added width is not an issue for us on site and, as you can imagine, it makes the A30G incredibly stable too,’ said Mr Donkin.