New long-reach Volvo EC480E for Skene Group

Skene Group Construction Services add 50-tonne long-reach excavator to their quarry plant fleet

HOT on the heels of a deal for three new Volvo L220H loading shovels earlier this year, Skene Group Construction Services Ltd, of Glenrothes, Fife, have added a 50-tonne Volvo EC480E long-reach excavator to their quarry plant fleet.

The new EC480E has been equipped with a 7m boom and a 4.8m dipper arm – the longest possible combination of digging equipment for this model of excavator – to give maximum flexibility and improve utilization within the quarry.

In this configuration, the machine has a forward reach of 13.3m, a digging depth of 9.2m and a practical dump height of 7.2m, allowing it to easily dress down the remains of the blasted face from a safe distance.

Mounted on 700mm wide track pads, the machine has a maximum lifting capacity across carriage of 5.1 tonnes and, with its 2.1 cubic metre heavy-duty rock bucket, is capable of feeding a mobile jaw crusher.

Joining a Volvo L220H that was delivered in the spring, the new Volvo EC480E is already making a contribution to replacing an older, 36-tonne EC360 excavator.

As with the shovels purchased earlier this year, the EC480E has been supplied with a Volvo Gold full repair and maintenance package, whereby SMT GB take charge of all scheduled maintenance, breakdown and repair work.

‘Outsourcing the complete maintenance and repair regime to SMT GB makes perfect sense in our opinion,’ said group managing director Darren Forrester.

‘Having them looking after the equipment with their own trained engineers, using genuine parts with the proper disposal of all used oils and materials, gives us both peace of mind and a tight control on each machine’s life-time cost.’