Bridgend Aggregates of King Edward, Northern Scotland, has taken delivery of its first Volvo excavator in the form of a thirty tonne EC300E. The machine will be deployed loading the primary crusher at the company’s hard rock Bridgend Quarry.
Whilst this is the first Volvo excavator to be ordered by Bridgend Aggregates, the company is no stranger to owning and operating Volvo construction equipment products. “We’ve been operating Volvo shovels for the past twenty five years and, in general, we have been very pleased with the service and reliability we’ve had from a succession of machines,” says Director Wilson Strachan, who currently has two Volvo L120s and an L150 running in the company’s sand and gravel quarry, as well as its hard rock quarry.
Following a visit to Bauma 2019 and taking third party references into account, Mr. Strachan took the decision to break with his normal brand of machine and opt for a new Volvo EC300E. “We got some very positive feedback from large fleet users operating Volvo excavators and this, coupled to our own experience with our loading shovels and the consistently good level of support we have receive from SMT GB, clinched the deal,” he continues.
The EC300E is fitted with a six-cylinder Stage V compliant Volvo engine, which develops 243hp. Volvo’s unique addition of an Eco mode also contributes to significant fuel savings for this machine, without any loss of performance in most operating conditions. An integrated work mode system also offers the operator a choice of five work modes to choose from, allowing them to select the most appropriate work mode to tackle the task at hand at optimal efficiency.
To easily overcome the challenging conditions in Bridgend’s hard rock quarry, Mr. Strachan’s new EC300E has been fitted with optional 600mm double grouser track pads. The machine also features an automatic greasing system for the equipment, as well as an optional boom float device and a 360° system that provides all-round vision for the operator.
With its 6.2m boom and 3.05 intermediate length dipper arm, the EC300E has an impressive forward reach of 10.7m and a dig depth of 7.3m. This new machine also possesses an equally as impressive lifting capacity of 3.8 tonnes at full reach across carriage.
The new EC300E has been supplied to Bridgend Aggregates with an SMT GB Level Two ENHANCE service agreement, whereby highly qualified SMT engineers will carry out all scheduled maintenance, using genuine Volvo parts at the correct service intervals. For additional peace of mind, an extended warranty has also been taken out on this machine.
