A new Volvo EW60E compact wheeled excavator has been delivered to Liverpool based, King Construction, for a major road-widening project in the Merseyside capital.
The six-tonne machine has been supplied by SMT GB’s utility dealer for the north west of England – Howard Plant Sales – following a successful demonstration which proved to be just the ticket for King Construction. “We were looking for a compact machine to handle kerb laying on a high-profile road-widening scheme stretching from Liverpool City centre to Seaforth,” explains King Construction’s Transport Manager James Shalliker. “The very nature of the job demanded a machine that was small enough, yet capable of lifting and laying kerb stones with the minimum disruption to daily traffic. We were very impressed with the EW60E on demonstration and found it to be quick, nimble and operator friendly,” he continues.
Equipped with a powerful Volvo Stage-IIIB engine, delivering 61 nett hp and adjustable hydraulic flow, the EW60E features a well-balanced driveline for optimum performance whether working on a job site or on the move. With its 2.9m boom and 1.6m dipper arm, the EW60E boasts generous working ranges for a machine of this size. Maximum forward reach is 5.81m, its maximum dig depth is 3.29m and practical load over height is 4.44m which, coupled to a minimum front swing radius of just 2.35m, means the machine can work in very confined spaces.
Permanent four-wheel drive is provided by one large variable axial piston motor and a two-step power shift gearbox, giving a maximum speed of 30kph and a maximum tractive effort of 29kN, making the EW60E highly versatile both on and off road. Equipped with a 1.93m wide dozer blade as standard, the machine has an operating weight of 5.6 tonnes.
The EW60E is equipped with a number of features combined to maximize uptime and machine availability. For example, access to the machine’s service points is carried out at ground level and greasing points are conveniently grouped together. Service intervals can easily be monitored via the in-cab screen, which shows reminders when maintenance is needed. The machine comes with an auto-idle feature as standard whereby the engine stops automatically after a preselected idle time, lowering fuel costs and noise.
As with all Volvo compact excavators, the EW60E comes fitted with hammer / shear hydraulic lines as standard. In addition hose, rupture valves fitted to both the boom and dipper cylinders are also a standard feature whilst other hydraulic functions such as grab-rotation circuit, hydraulic quick- fit lines and lines for hand held tools can be added as optional extras.
King Construction is no stranger to owning and operating Volvo Construction Equipment products and currently has a line-up of compact excavators ranging from the EC18D up to the ECR88D. “Our Volvo machines are proving to be very reliable and are good performers on a whole range of our civil engineering and road maintenance projects which was another reason for choosing the EW60E,” says James Shalliker.
In addition, the company recently purchased a Volvo P6870C wheeled paver for its road maintenance division. When not on contracting work, the machine will be used at a new academy which is in the final stages of being built on a five-acre site along the Derby Road in Liverpool. The Real Academy is an initiative supported by King Construction and Liverpool City Council to encourage young people to get involved in construction and specifically in asphalt paving with training and apprenticeship opportunities.
King Construction is a busy civil engineering company based in the northwest delivering various framework and term agreements for a number of Local Authorities and PLC’s within the northwest. The company specialises in a wide range of projects including highway construction and maintenance, environmental improvement schemes, junction improvements, drainage construction and maintenance, ducting, carriageway resurfacing, landscaping and other civil engineering type works.
Howard Plant Sales Ltd, based at Middlewich, Cheshire, is SMT GB’s dealer for Volvo utility equipment including compact excavators, compact loaders and compact rollers covering the north west of England.
SMT GB markets Volvo Construction Equipment products which include wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, Volvo utility equipment and Volvo road equipment products in Great Britain. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres, a dedicated National Used Equipment Centre and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.
