The 52 tonne wheeled loader now in residence at the Ribblesdale facility represents the fourteenth L350F to be delivered into Europe for the Heidelberg Cement Group and was chosen primarily due to the superior fuel economy and productivity on a cost per tonne basis in its size class. “So far we’ve been very impressed with the machine in terms of its ease of operation and penetration of the face at relatively low rpm,” commented Quarry Supervisor Sam Wrathall. “It’s also giving us the flexibility for deploying a prime mover quickly around different parts of the quarry to maintain the blend of materials required by the plant,” he commented highlighting the fact that some areas for material extraction are up to 1.5 kilometres from the primary crushers. “The L350F is ideally sized to handle some of the smaller shots we fire with anything up to 8000 tonnes where it would be uneconomical to utilise one of our larger tracked shovels and where access for a larger machine is a problem,” he continued.
For the safe entry and exit to the operator’s compartment, the new L350F has been specified with hydraulically retractable steps located at the nearside rear of the machine and a widened platform and associated grab rails to facilitate full door opening to the cab. Other additions to the standard specification include a reversible fan; modified mirrors; strobe reverse lights; an RDS 8000 weigh load system and a seat belt warning device. At the business end of the machine the L350F sports a uniquely designed 6.2m³ spade nosed rock bucket. The bucket lip has the ‘teeth’ scalloped from the edge itself negating the need for any weld on adaptors and teeth. The main advantage to this design eliminates the risk of wear parts becoming detached from the bucket and causing potential damage to the primary crushers. Penetration of the blasted material is not affected and the bucket becomes almost maintenance free.
The new L350F will offer significant efficiencies in terms of fuel economy and productivity thanks to the combination of the machine’s Tier 3/Stage III Volvo engine with an output of 535hp and maximum torque reached at just 1400RPM, stronger hydraulics, a Volvo transmission with lock-up and Volvo designed and manufactured axles. As a result, the L350F is easy and comfortable to operate, leading to faster cycle times and sustained high performance throughout the work day, thanks to reduced operator fatigue. Comfort is assured in the Volvo Care Cab, where the operator will enjoy a spacious air conditioned interior that is insulated from noise, dust and vibrations – the latter thanks to viscous cab mounts and air suspended seat.
For complete peace of mind, the Volvo L350F supplied to Hanson Cement comes with a Volvo Gold, full repair and maintenance programme with the manufacturer taking care of all servicing and repairs using genuine Volvo parts and fully competent Volvo service technicians.
Hanson UK is the leading supplier of heavy building materials to the UK construction industry. We are split into three business lines: Hanson Building Products, Hanson Cement andHanson Quarry Products. Heidelberg Cement is the global market leader in aggregates and a prominent player in the fields of cement, concrete and other downstream activities, making it one of the world’s largest manufacturers of building materials. The company employs some 55,000 people at 2,500 locations in more than 40 countries.
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 dealerstoensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.
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