New Volvo hauler for Morris & Perry
Mendips quarry firm adds A45G articulated hauler to the fleet at Gurney Slade Quarry
INDEPENDENT family-owned quarrying company Morris & Perry Quarries Ltd has taken delivery of a new, large-capacity Volvo A45G articulated hauler for their Gurney Slade facility, near Radstock, in the heart of the Mendips.
‘We needed to add an articulated hauler, as opposed to another rigid truck, to assist in overburden removal and managing waste material in areas of the quarry where a rigid simply won’t go, as well as hauling prime material from the face,’ explained assistant quarry manager, Oliver Dormer.
‘We boiled our choice down to two manufacturers and settled on the Volvo A45G following a very successful demonstration, and it’s already proving to be a good decision.’
As well as being able to get into areas where rigid haulers would struggle, Morris & Perry say they are already benefitting from significant fuel savings with their new A45G.
‘On average, we are saving 70 litres of fuel per shift compared to our resident rigid haulers, even though the A45G is carrying the same payload,’ said Mr Dormer.
The latest G-series haulers from Volvo meet the requirements of Stage-IV final emissions legislation, being powered by electronically controlled, six-cylinder turbo charged Volvo V-ACT diesel engines.
Purpose built by Volvo, the A45G’s power unit develops 476hp and a maximum torque of 2525Nm at just 1,050 rev/min, and is designed to exactly match the Volvo drivetrain, ensuring the best use of power and torque, even in tough working conditions.
Delivering exceptional fuel efficiency, 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.
With a carrying capacity of 41 tonnes, the A45G hauler can attain a maximum speed of 53km/h for fast and productive cycle times. The hauler is also fitted with Volvo’s CareTrack telematics system as standard.
Quarrying at Gurney Slade can be traced as far back as the middle of the 19th century. In more recent times, Morris & Perry have incorporated an asphalt plant and a concrete batching plant to service the immediate vicinity and the counties of Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.
