Modern Mining February 2020

COVER STORY

Although Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is probably best-known for its world- leading articulated haulers, these form just one part of what is a formidable line-up of Volvo equipment which also includes a highly regarded range of wheel loaders. According to Dave Vaughan, Managing Director of Babcock’s Equipment business, the wheel loaders have established themselves as firm favourites in the southern African market with some customers having as many as 20 units in their fleets. Volvo wheel loaders a hit in southern African market

“ S ince we became Volvo CE’s dealer in 2000, we’ve sold just over 1 000 of Volvo’s heavier wheel loaders locally, mainly to customers in mining, and most of them are still in service today, which bears testimony to their high quality and durability” says Vaughan. He adds that the wheel loaders, in combination with Volvo’s articulated and rigid trucks and excavators, have given Babcock the ability to meet virtually all the equipment needs of its mining customers. “Just sev- eral years ago, we had some gaps in our line-up but new machine introductions – such as the EC950E crawler excavator and the R100E rigid truck – mean that customers can now have all-Volvo mining fleets.” Although Volvo CE’s wheel loader range starts

with the small L20 com- pact machine, the models sold into the mining indus- try range from the L120, a 20-tonne (t) machine, up

to the flagship L350, which is in the 50-t class. The L350H is the latest ‘edition’ of the L350 and ranks as the biggest wheel loader ever built by Volvo. With an operating weight varying from 50 to 56 t (depend- ing on the configuration), it is equipped with a Volvo D16E engine developing 397 kW. A new load sensing hydraulic system works in greater harmony with the drivetrain, increasing response times and allowing the L350H to achieve cycle times which are up to 5% faster than those attained by its predecessor, the L350F. In addition, it is equipped with the latest technology dedicated to reducing fuel consumption, including Volvo’s Fully Automatic Power Shift (FAPS) system. This allows for machine operation in the optimal, fuel-efficient gear, according to speed, kick-down and engine braking. Although the market for machines in the L350 class is very limited, Babcock has sold ten L350s (including one L350H) locally, which is a very cred- itable achievement. The biggest seller in the Volvo wheel loader range, however, is the versatile L150, a 25-t machine, which is the market leader in its class. “The L150 has been an absolute winner for us,” says Vaughan. “We’ve sold 388 units in all and they’re a ubiquitous sight at opencast mines around southern Africa, particularly the opencast coal mines of the highveld coalfields. They’re also used in slag opera- tions and one of our customers has a unit operating in Mpumalanga that is fully remote controlled.” The L120 is almost as popular as the L150 with 318 units having been sold while the L180, a 27-t machine, and the L220, a 31-t machine, have also made impressive inroads into the market, with total sales being 189 and 155 units respectively. Most of Volvo’s heavier wheel loaders are equipped with its patented Torque Parallel (TP) linkage which combines the benefits of Z-bar and

Lance Mannix, GM Sales (standing), and Dave Vaughan, MD of Babcock’s Equipment business.

10  MODERN MINING  February 2020