Volvo Construction Equipment’s much-anticipated 60-tonne A60H articulated dump truck and 90- tonne EC950E crawler excavator, the biggest articulated dump truck in the world and largest excavator that Volvo has ever produced respectively, were officially launched in South Africa in May, at Babcock’s Middelburg facility.
David Vaughan, Managing Director of Babcock’s equipment business, says that Babcock is fully prepared for the roll-out of the A60H and EC950E. Volvo teams from Sweden and Korea have completed intensive sales and technical training with Babcock staff in South Africa, while the company has ensured that there is sufficient availability of Volvo spare parts and other related elements such as the larger specialised tyres that the A60H utilises.
He adds that they have partnered with local vendors to develop solutions for the aftermarket for both machines such as fire suppression, automatic greasing and collision avoidance systems.
In preparation for the roll-out, Babcock has been appointed as an accredited Allison transmission service dealer to undertake repairs and servicing of the fully-automatic transmissions that form part of the backbone of the A60H dump truck.
Excellent response
David says that the response to the launch was excellent with existing and prospective customers attending from all over southern Africa. He adds that six A60H dump trucks are already on order and currently en route to South Africa, while first orders for the EC950E crawler excavator have also been placed.
“The A60H and EC950E are eminently suitable for local mining operations as their robust drivelines are designed specifically for challenging applications such as those found in southern African mining,” says David. “The A60H truck in particular is perfectly suited for open-cast coal mining where short yet extremely steep ramps have to be climbed to access box cuts made through overburden in order to expose high grade coal.”
Meet production targets faster
The A60H can move more tonnes per hour and gives 100% in all conditions. The largest articulated hauler on the market, it has a bigger payload for heavy-duty applications, delivering up to 40% more productivity than Volvo’s previous largest hauler.
The A60H provides total versatility so that the entire jobsite can be accessed and steeper gradients climbed. It works in all seasons, terrains and applications using tailored machine configurations and tyres that have been optimised for the 60-tonne machine. Goodyear, Bridgestone and Michelin will manufacture the specialised tyres required for the A60H.
The A60H has several features that will be familiar to current series A40 operators, eliminating the need for major retraining of operators. Operators will only require a short orientation course and technicians who regularly service other Volvo dump trucks will have knowledge of many of its elements.
Superior digging force
With over 424kN of breakout force and 408kN of tearout force, the EC950E offers the perfect combination of power and stability to handle high capacity duties in the toughest applications.
The 90-tonne EC950E is Volvo’s largest ever crawler excavator that combines power and stability to handle a higher capacity in the toughest applications, and has been designed to load the massive A60H. This heavy-duty excavator delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency and features a powerful 16-litre engine, a new electro-hydraulic control system, Volvo’s unique ECO mode and an ergonomic operator environment.
It features a wide track gauge, long track length, a retractable undercarriage and an optimised counterweight, resulting in a well-balanced, solid machine. All machine interfaces – including joysticks, keypad and LCD monitor, are ergonomically positioned and designed for optimum control and efficiency.
Operators can work with comfort and confidence in the most challenging environments in the comfortable, spacious and low-noise cab.
Volvo’s durable, high quality buckets are perfectly matched to the EC950E for digging in all working conditions. The general purpose, heavy-duty or extreme-duty buckets are built with wear-resistant steel plates, perfect for quarrying and mining applications.
Customer support agreements
Both machines can be purchased from Babcock with Customer Support Agreements offering preventive maintenance, total repairs and a number of uptime services, while the latest technology is used to monitor machine operation and status, ultimately resulting in increased profitability to customers and retention of asset value.
Babcock offers full aftermarket support services and facilities for Volvo Construction Equipment and is one of the most established and experienced equipment suppliers in southern Africa, with an extensive footprint in the region and a proven track record of delivering to the highest standards.
Babcock International Equipment,
David Vaughan
Tel: (011) 230-7300
Email: david.vaughan@babcock.co.za
