Charles Wilson Engineers take on new Volvo machines

Plant hire firm strengthens its fleet with the purchase of 30 Volvo ECR88D reduced-swing excavators

HARPENDEN-based Charles Wilson Engineers have added 30 new Volvo ECR88D reduced-swing excavators to their plant hire fleet.

Opting for Volvo compact excavators for the first time, Damien West, general manager of Charles Wilson Engineers, said: ‘We were looking to augment our excavator fleet with a quality brand that could offer a sound return on investment in terms of total cost of ownership, reliability and residual values.

‘Taking these points into consideration and having listened to our customers, as well as taking note of third party references, we decided to settle on the Volvo brand. So far we’ve been impressed with the close attention to detail in getting this deal by Iain Johnson and his team at Capital Plant Solutions.’

Each machine has been equipped with hydraulic quick hitches to pick up existing attachments, as well as the optional X3 (grab rotation hydraulic circuits) unit, while hammer/shear hydraulics come as standard.

The ECR88D compact excavator is suitable for use in heavy-duty applications such as demolition and site clearance. Powered by a Tier IV Interim Volvo 2.6-litre engine (56hp), the machine offers a horizontal reach of 7.3m and a lift capacity of 960kg at full reach across the carriage.

The reduced-swing excavator features a comfortable, spacious cab with a wide uncluttered floor. Inside the rubber-mounted cab, an instrument panel gives operators an at-a-glance monitoring of all key functions, while operator fatigue is reduced with easy-grip, high-response joystick control levers.

‘When we looked at the ECR88D we were impressed with the robustness of the machine and considered it an ideal medium tool carrier for demolition and similar applications requiring shears and sorting grapples which we tend to specialize in,’ said Mr West.

Charles Wilson Engineers have taken delivery of the initial batch of 10 machines; the remaining 20 excavators will be strategically located at the company’s depots across the UK. The plant hire firm has an extensive network of branches in London, Hertfordshire, Kent, Essex, West Sussex, Birmingham, Liverpool, Hampshire and Bristol.