Chambers Group choose Volvo CE again
Product durability and after-sales support prompts contractor to reinvest in Volvo equipment
AS a long-standing user of Volvo equipment, Peter Chambers, chairman of the Chambers Group, had no concerns when it came to placing orders for two further wheel loaders and a 30-tonne excavator for his waste-management and quarrying activities.
‘We invest in the Volvo brand wherever possible because the products are durable and dependable,’ he commented. ‘Moreover, the after-sales service support we get from Volvo’s Horsham support centre and local home-based engineers are in a class of their own.’
The latest models to join the Chambers fleet are a Volvo L150G wheel loader, an EC300D excavator and a L120G equipped with a long boom for use at the contractor’s new waste rehandling facility in Aldershot.
In addition to the new machine acquisitions, the three products have been supplied with service contracts, which according to Mr Chambers, pays dividends in the long run. ‘Taking out extended driveline warranties and service agreements with the manufacturer suits the way we run our business,’ he said. ‘We know we can rely on Volvo to take good care of the machines with experienced engineers, who know us and understand what we expect from them.
‘For instance, we took one of the very first L150 loading shovels into the fleet some 17 years ago and ran it for 25,000 hours on the original engine. It just proves that if you have a good product and maintain it properly then you get good service in return.’
Equipped with Stage IIIB-compliant engines, both the excavator and wheel loader models are designed with fuel-efficient and fuel-saving features in mind to boost productivity while reducing the amount of carbon emissions.
For example with the EC300D excavator, the engine is suitably matched to its automatic sensing mode hydraulic system and features an automatic idling system that reduces engine speed when the levers and pedals are not activated – aiding fuel efficiency and reducing external noise.
The wheel loaders are equipped with ‘eco-pedals’, which encourage the operator to work within a certain rev/min band for normal operations. Two strong, variable displacement load-bearing axial piston pumps and hoses have also been introduced to handle the increased pressures. These provide superior control of the load and attachments, as well as high breakout force, faster lifting and tilt functions.
