Two years of smooth operation for Volvo paver

Since purchasing their first Volvo ABG6870 wheeled paver 18 months ago, paving contractors Colas (IOM) Ltd are still impressed with the machine’s performance and smoothness of operation from their portfolio of paving contracts on the Isle of Man.

Having made an evaluation and appraisal of one of the first Volvo-branded pavers two years ago on mainland Britain, Colas’ director of operations John Fayle and contracts manager Anton Crawley were suitably impressed enough to purchase their own Volvo ABG6870 for the first time.

Mr Fayle said: ‘The machine’s relatively wide wheel base, turning circle and manoeuvrability were the first things that positively struck us. The weight and optimum width of the screed was another determining factor and this has proved beneficial for the quality of the overall finish on all our paving contracts. We can pave estate roads with ease with the standard 5m width screed and with the optional screed boxes we took with the machine, we can tackle widths of up to 6.2m.’

As the Island’s main private paving contractor, Colas (IOM) Ltd have managed to keep the ABG6870 constantly employed on an impressive portfolio of paving contracts since it was commissioned. 
Anton Crawley, contracts manager, explained: ‘Thanks to the machine’s manoeuvrability and potential screed width we’ve taken on many projects ranging from estate roads, private drives and car parks, to highway contracts for the Isle of Man Government laying sub-bases, road bases, basecoats and top coats using either our own limestone material or granite from another quarry on the Island. The machine is a superb paver and delivers a very high-quality finish, particularly with SMA material for hard wearing surfaces and apart from a few minor problems the machine has proved very reliable’.

The ABG6870 wheeled paver is the first machine to feature continuous independent traction control over all six wheels. Powered by a Tier III 122kW engine, the operator is able to use the ‘Smart Power’ setting to vary the power output depending on the conditions of the application.

Running nominally at just 1,600 rev/min the ABG6870 boasts significantly low noise emissions besides being fuel efficient. The 6x6 ‘Smart Drive’ technology means that even on the most difficult bases, tractive effort is automatically adjusted according to ground condition and the weight of material available in the machine’s 12-tonne capacity hopper. The machine’s ‘Active Steering’ feature, which gives the paver an inside turning radius of just 2.5m, was a distinct selling feature for Colas (IOM). This coupled to individual suspension struts means the paver can overcome obstacles in one go that competitive models can only do after several complicated manoeuvres.

The ABG6870 has a variable screed width of between 2.5m and 5m in standard configuration but can be fitted with optional extensions to provide a generous width of 9m. In Colas’ case optional extension boxes giving a maximum width of 6.2m have been specified which is ample for the largest widths encountered on the Island. With an output potential of up to 700 tonnes/h, the machine can continuously pave up to 40m/min. Whilst a normal layer thickness of 50mm at high speed is easily achievable, the ABG6870 can, for certain applications, lay up to a maximum thickness of 300mm.

Operator comfort and user friendliness is another important factor for Colas’ road crews. For instance, the steering wheel, which allows for a particularly sensitive control of the machine, can be placed in various positions around the EPM (electronic paver management) control panel. The large screen display is the only one of its kind on the market giving a bird’s eye view or map of the paver, allowing the operator to monitor and control all the important functions at a glance. The EPM control panel has backlit control buttons to facilitate paving at night. Besides a comfortable seat the operator is afforded an excellent view of the flow of material in the hopper, the head of material in the auger channel and material lay down. The flexible all-weather roof can be hydraulically lowered along with the exhaust pipe for transportation.

The ABG6870 is serviced and inspected by Volvo Construction Equipment under their Blue customer-support agreement, which was taken out at the time of delivery. The machine has currently clocked up in excess of 1,600h of comparatively trouble-free operation.