MB Surfacing choose Volvo wheeled paver

New ABG6870 wheeled paver joins Essex-based surfacing firm’s fleet of road paving equipment

HAVING previously operated a Volvo ABG473 paver, Essex-based MB Surfacing have selected the manufacturer’s latest wheeled paver, the ABG6870, to join their fleet of road paving equipment.

The new machine was chosen following a successful demonstration and evaluation of the paver, which was closely scrutinized by managing director Martin Bell and his team.

‘We were certainly impressed with the machine’s manoeuvrability and the quality of the screed while it was on demonstration,’ said Mr Bell.

‘Besides that, my operating crews have a decisive input to the purchasing decision and they certainly appreciated the machine’s low noise levels, manoeuvrability and easy-to-use controls.’

MB Surfacing will also benefit from other significant improvements on the ABG6870 over its predecessor, including up to 25% fuel savings and a 9dB(A) reduction in external noise levels – an important factor for a business that specializes in local authority, urban and private contracts, as well as contracting to road builders throughout Essex and East Anglia.

According to Volvo CE, the ABG6870 wheeled paver is the first machine to have continuous independent traction control over all six wheels. Powered by a 122kW Tier III engine, the machine comes with a ‘Smart Power’ setting that varies the power output in line with the conditions of the application.

Running at 1,600 rev/min, the ABG6870 boasts Volvo’s 6x6 Smart Drive technology, providing superior traction. 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, MB Surfacing have specified isolator switches, which are mounted on either side of the hopper. In an event of an emergency, either switch will, when activated, stop the machine immediately.

The ABG6870 also incorporates an ‘Active Steering’ feature with an inside turning radius of just 2.5m. Coupled to individual suspension struts, this 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 of Volvo ABG pavers. The ABG6870 has a variable screed width of around 2.5–5.0m in standard configuration but can be fitted with optional extensions to cater for widths up to 9.0m.

The machine can continuously pave up to 40m per minute, and, while a normal layer thickness of 50mm at high speed is easily achievable, the ABG6870 can, in certain applications, lay up to a maximum thickness of 300mm.

Operator comfort and user-friendliness is another important factor for MB Surfacing’s road crews. For example, the steering wheel provides a particularly sensitive control of the machine and can be placed in various positions around the EPM (Electronic Paver Management) control panel.

The large screen display on the ABG6870 gives 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.

The wheeled paver also gives the operator 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 (rigid) all-weather roof can be hydraulically lowered along with the exhaust pipe for transportation.

With a great deal of work being undertaken at night, Xenon lighting has been included on the paver, along with optional reversing pulse lights, as an aid to the operator and road crew.