More new Volvo machines for Marshalls
Company takes a further package of machines including an L180H loading shovel and EC480E excavator
MARSHALLS, the UK’s leading hard landscaping manufacturers, have invested in a new fleet of Volvo machines for use at Howley Park Quarry, near Wakefield. The latest additions – a Volvo L180H loading shovel, a 50-tonne EC480E excavator and an A45G articulated hauler – coincide with the commissioning of a new crushing plant at the site.
‘Until now we used contractors to carry out the primary crushing and screening processes at Howley Park,’ said Ian Manley, group environmental conservation adviser for Marshalls. ‘With our new plant coming on stream, we needed to add these extra machines to fill the gap and consequently settled on the Volvos to complement and mirror our existing machines on site.’
He continued: ‘Flexibility is the key to our operations and the ability to interchange attachments on our shovels and excavators when required is crucial. We’ve found our existing Volvo machines to be highly reliable and productive.’
With highly abrasive gritstone quarried at Howley Park, the new Volvo units have been specially customized to deal with the tough characteristics of the material. The A45G articulated hauler, for example, has been fitted with Hardox 500 wear plates for its 25 cubic metre-capacity body, whilst the EC480E excavator is equipped with a heavy-duty 3.0 cubic metre-capacity rock bucket. The L180H wheel loader has been specified with a 4.8 cubic metre-capacity rehandling bucket with hardfacing on the leading edge and side plates.
Like the five L180H units supplied to Marshalls last year, the new loading shovel comes with Volvo’s Co-Pilot load-assist option, which represents the latest in weigh-loading sophistication, allowing operators to calibrate their bucket or block-handling forks via the touch-screen pad in the cab. Bucket loads and the number of buckets filled can be recorded in addition to the system storing a whole array of product menus.
Moreover, the Co-Pilot system links in with Volvo’s Care Track telematics system that can feed information to a remote location, while the Co-Pilot touch-screen interacts with the rear-view camera to automatically become a rear-view screen when the machine is put into reverse. The L180H also benefits from the addition of the CDC (Comfort Drive Control) option, allowing operators to steer the machine from the comfort of their left armrest.
The Volvo EC480E excavator has been supplied with double-grouser track pads and a hydraulic quick-fit, heavy-duty bucket for quarrying activities. Powered by a 13-litre Volvo engine that develops 378hp, the machine’s hydraulics are matched to the engine and controlled by an advanced system that provides on-demand flow and reduces power losses within the circuit.
Volvo’s ECO mode contributes significantly to the excavator’s total improved efficiency without any loss of performance in most operating conditions. The EC480E also benefits from a straight travel pedal (a single pedal in the cab situated to the right of the standard travel pedals) and boom float as optional extras.
