New Volvo L250H loading shovel for Tillicoultry Quarries

Scottish firm takes delivery of its largest Volvo wheel loader to date for use at Northfield Quarry

LONG-standing users of Volvo Construction Equipment products, Tillicoultry Quarries have purchased their largest Volvo loading shovel to date – a 35-tonne L250H, which has been put to work at the company’s Northfield Quarry, on the outskirts of Denny, in Falkirk.

‘We looked very closely at the market for our new prime mover at Northfield and considered several makes and models,’ commented Andy Shakeshaft, area production manager for Tillicoultry Quarries.

‘Apart from the obvious requirements in terms of product relaibility and a return on the total cost of ownership, it was important for the machine to dispatch a standard eight wheeler in just two passes. We did consider the smaller L220 but felt that the larger 35-tonne tonne shovel, complete with a 5.5 cubic metre-capacity bucket, was the optimum sized tool for the job.’

There were also other factors that helped Tillicoultry Quarries to opt for the Volvo L250H model. Mr Shakeshaft continued: ‘We’ve run Volvos for many years and have a good relationship with the customer support centre at Stirling. The fleet of six L120Hs we purchased last year has proven to be extremely reliable and very fuel-efficient, giving us a good benchmark for considering fuel consumption over the life cycle of the Volvo product. Furthermore, our operator preferences on machine choice were weighted in Volvo’s favour.’

The L250H features a 13-litre Stage IV Final engine that develops 394hp between 1,100 and 1,200 rev/min. The machine also benefits from Volvo-designed and manufactured driveline components, including Optishift with torque converter lock-up and reverse by braking feature – all designed to offer considerable fuel savings on each shift.

Fuel savings are further enhanced by the Volvo Eco pedal, which encourages the operator to run the machine at its optimum rev/min in the engine’s torque curve.

The new Volvo L250H is a high-production machine designed to increase productivity and profitability in heavy-duty rock handling operations, where short cycle times and high breakout forces are required, as well as rehandling duties. As with the larger L350F model, the L250H loading shovel features a Z-bar loader linkage design.

The high-lift capacity allows fully loaded buckets to be elevated to the highest dumping height for fast cycle times. At Northfield Quarry, the L250H machine has become the prime mover, loading the full range of heavy goods delivery vehicles on site. If required, it can also be utilized on face loading operations or other duties.

This latest addition has been joined by a further two Volvo L120H loading shovels for Tillicoultry’s expanding fleet of mobile plant, with one machine also working at Northfield and the other unit based at the company’s Tams Loup Quarry. The machines join six L120Hs purchased in April last year, bringing the total fleet of Volvo loading shovels to 15 and Volvo articulated haulers to eight units.

All the machines are fitted with Volvo’s CareTrack telematics system as standard, allowing remote monitoring of a wide range of machine functions (location, fuel consumption, service reminders etc), thus optimizing customer operations.