Quattro opt for Volvo equipment

Recycling contractor strengthens fleet with new batch of wheel loaders and excavators from Volvo CE

QUATTRO (UK) Ltd have taken delivery of a new fleet of Volvo wheel loaders and excavators as part of a major investment for their recycling, aggregates and hire business.

Established 20 years ago, the London-based company today recycles all types of construction materials, including demolition waste, road planings, soils and general building waste across five sites strategically located in west and north-west London.

The company has recently made a significant investment with the commissioning of a new concrete batching plant based near Iver, in Slough, which is capable of producing up to 80 cubic metres of ready-mixed concrete per hour, utilizing either primary or reclaimed aggregates.

Included in this investment are two L150G loading shovels, one of which will be used at the newly commissioned concrete plant, while the second machine will go to work at Quattro’s new aggregate washing facility.

Also joining the fleet are four new Volvo EC220D excavators, two of which will be available for hire while the other two machine have been deployed at Quattro’s Brentford site, to help recycle and sort industrial waste.

Equipped with a 13-litre Stage IIIB-compliant 300hp engine, Optishift transmission and axles all designed and manufactured by Volvo, the L150G wheel loader has a full-turn tipping load of 17.2 tonnes, a 20% increase in lifting force and 10% increase in breakout force over its predecessor.

A new hydraulic cooling system has also been provided to reduce the working temperatures by up to 20 degrees Celsius over the F-series model. Fuel savings are further enhanced by the Volvo Eco pedal that encourages the operator to run the machine at its optimum rev/min in the engine’s torque curve. The L150G wheel loaders feature L3 tyres, Groeneveld automatic greasing systems and 3.8 cubic metre straight-lipped buckets.

The 22-tonne EC220D benefits from the use of Volvo’s Stage IIIB D6 engine, delivering 175hp (129kW) of power and 849Nm of torque, coupled with an improved hydraulic system with larger pumps which, in turn, significantly improve hourly fuel consumption with shorter cycle times.

Operators can select the best work mode for the task at hand, ensuring optimum performance and fuel-efficiency. Modes include: I-idle, F-fine, G-general, H-heavy or P-power, with the machine automatically setting the appropriate engine speed for the mode selected. Eco mode – which works in G to H (or P) mode – is a new feature that offers better fuel efficiency without loss of performance in most operating conditions.

‘We’ve run Volvo shovels and dumptrucks for many years which have proved a good return on investment as far as reliability and residual values are concerned,’ said Quattro plant manager Mick McDermott. ‘The excavators on the other hand are replacing another brand and we have high expectations that they will perform in the same manner as our other Volvos and give an overall saving in fuel economy.’