Mendips based independent extractive company John Wainwright & Co Ltd has taken delivery of a new Volvo L180G as its prime stock handling loading shovel together with a new ABG6870 for its Surfacing Division.
These latest additions to Wainwright's fleet of equipment continues a long association with Volvo and its range of construction equipment products including articulated haulers, excavators loading shovels and now with the addition of the ABG6870, its road paving equipment.
In charge of the stocking out area at Moons Hill quarry is the new Volvo L180G which has been supplied with a list of bespoke options to enhance high levels of safety and efficiency on site. At the business end of the machine is a Volvo designed and manufactured 5.6m³ rehandling bucket complete with a straight edge. This, coupled to a set of Goodyear RL5K wheel and tyre assemblies, additional rear counterweight and boom suspension, has made a significant increase in output over its predecessor - the machine capable of dispatching a 29 tonne articulated bulker to the weighbridge in just three passes. Safety features include automatic door opening for the operator; by flicking a switch on his key fob the operator can open the door to his cab automatically before assuming the conventional three point hold to climb up thus avoiding the hazard of a swinging door opening at height. The machine is also fitted with an Ogden reverse system, hi viz pulsating lights and LED side markers. A further feature that Wainwright chose from the option list was independent cab heating which runs off the engine's hot water for up to 30 minutes thus preventing engine idling time.
"This is our fifth loading shovel from Volvo and whilst our selection this time around was a close run thing with competitive machines we chose the offering from Volvo based on our strong relationship and past good experiences with the previous machines," said quarry manager Kevin Sargant. "We've enjoyed excellent service from the previous models running up to in excess of 25000 relatively trouble free hours and we are expecting the new G model to live up to that heritage," he continued.
The L180G which features a 13 litre Tier IIIB compliant 333hp engine, optishift transmission and axles all designed and manufactured by Volvo has a full turn tipping load of 17.2 tonnes and boasts a 20% increase in lifting force and 10% increase in breakout force over its predecessor. This coupled to the engine output with high torque at low engine rpm has resulted in faster cycle times and increased productivity. Two stronger, variable displacement load-bearing axial piston pumps and hoses have been introduced to handle the increased pressures. These provide superior control of the load as well as high breakout force, faster lifting and tilt functions. A new hydraulic cooling system has been designed to reduce the working temperatures by up to 20oC over the F series model.
Spearheading Wainwright's into the road surfacing business comes a new Volvo ABG6870 wheeled paver, supplied in white livery denoting the fact that Wainwright are members of the industry's paver safety group. Won after fierce competition during the tender stage, the new machine has been immediately put to work on what will become a diverse range of paving applications from small private driveways to large motorway and trunk road re-surfacing contracts. Heading up Wainwright's surfacing division is Geoff Shearn who has many years of experience in the surfacing industry and with Titan ABG's in the past. "In my opinion, the ABG pedigree is definitely at the top end of its class being both flexible and most importantly – reliable," he comments. "We have restructured our surfacing division and are confident that the new paver from Volvo will continue to build our reputation for quality surfacing projects going forward."
Wherever possible, the ABG6870 will be supplied with material from Wainwright's asphalt plant based at Moons Hill Quarry. The material here is Basalt, unique to Wainwright's Moons Hill quarry and unique in the Mendips which has excellent hard wearing characteristics for road surfacing.
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 1600rpm the ABG6870 boasts significantly low noise emissions besides being highly fuel efficient. The 6x6 'Smart Drive' technology offers unparalleled traction. 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. As an added safety feature John Wainwright & Co has specified the fitment of traction isolator switches which are mounted on either side of the hopper. In an event of an emergency the isolator switch will, when activated, stop the machine immediately. The machine demonstrates a class beating degree of manoeuvrability thanks to the 'Active Steering' feature with an inside turning radius of just 2.5 metres. 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.
Screed performance is a distinct feature on Volvo ABG pavers. The ABG6870 has a variable screed width of between 2.5 and 5 metres in standard configuration but can be fitted with optional extensions to provide a generous width of 9 metres. With an output potential of up to 700 tonnes per hour, the machine can continuously pave up to 40 metres per minute. 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.
Both the new loading shovel and ABG6870 wheeled paver have been supplied with Volvo's blue and silver customer support agreements respectively.
Based in the heart of the Mendips close to Shepton Mallet, John Wainwright & Co has been supplying premium aggregates to the construction industry since 1891. The company is continually investing in its extractive and road surfacing divisions remaining stoically independent for over 100 years.
Volvo Construction Equipment Division markets wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, graders, Volvo utility equipment and Volvo road equipment products in the U.K. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.
Source:cmbol.com