Archive, Features

Equipment focus: Volvo EC300D excavator

Perth-based scrap metal processors Bulk Metal Recyclers has added a Volvo EC300D excavator fitted with a hydraulically powered magnet to its fleet.

The modified EC300D — the company’s first Volvo — is used for a range of tasks across the facility, including unloading truckloads of scrap metal, clearing small metal fragments produced during cutting and transferring metal from the stockpile to shipping containers.

The EC300D is powered by a 169kW Volvo D7 engine and has an operating weight of between 27.7 tonnes and 33.1 tonnes depending on set-up and attachments. The machine’s boom and arm have had joints and other critical areas reinforced to evenly spread weights across the arm.

The magnet attachment was offered as part of Volvo’s Waste and Recycling Solutions, a series of attachments and customisations specific to machines working in waste management which also includes specialised grabs, hammers and shears.

The magnet has been fitted directly to the excavator’s arm, rather than using the traditional method of hanging it from chains. This gives the operator greater control.

“The EC300D is a very good machine,” Bulk Metal Recyclers managing director John Roman says. “Its configuration with the magnet has fewer moving parts than set-ups with traditional chains and hammerlocks. And it offers very smooth and direct operations.”

Volvo says the EC300D can deliver fuel savings of up to 5 percent over previous models thanks to its ‘Eco’ mode. This mode automates the hydraulic pump control system to prevent pressure losses while simultaneously maintaining digging power and maximising swing torque.

The ROPS/FOPS-certified cab features large, floor-to-ceiling safety glass that gives wide visibility to the operator. The cab is filled with a number of creature comforts for the operator including full heating/air-conditioning, adjustable air-suspension seat, adjustable joystick console, AM/FM radio and cup holders.

 

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