Volvo Construction Equipment’s booth at ConExpo 2020 was awash with visitors, despite the company’s personnel withdrawal as a result of the coronavirus.
The company was unable to display any of new machines or demonstrate its eagerly-awaited concept vehicles – but has promised to let the world view them when the time is right. Meanwhile two vehicles literally stood out above the others.
Heavy duty
The 100-ton (90-tonne) EC950F crawler excavator was finally available in North America earlier this year and drew sizeable numbers. The machine offers the perfect combination of power and stability to handle high capacity in the toughest applications.
Equipped with a 603 hp (450kW) Volvo D16 Tier 4 Final engine that delivers high torque at low rpm, the 950 is designed for fast and efficient on-site production. Pairing the EC950F with the Volvo A60H articulated hauler is where customers can realise extreme productivity potential. The EC950F fills the 60-ton, 33.6 m³ (43.9 yd³) haul truck in just four bucket passes, with an average cycle time of 20-25 seconds.
Volvo’s optimised hydraulics deliver constant high pressures across each phase of the digging and lifting cycle. The hydraulic system increases pump power for fast and smooth operation, while the electro-hydraulic system controls on-demand flow and reduces internal losses in the hydraulic circuit. The EC950F also comes with a boom-swing priority valve which adjusts the priority of hydraulic flow between boom-up and swing so that truck loading cycle times can be set to truck loading working conditions.
Reaching for the sky
Launched last year the EC750E HR high-reach excavator offers exceptional reach, with a maximum pin height of 118 feet, and can also be easily reconfigured using extensions and different boom sets to become a multi-use demolition tool. It is the company largest high-reach excavator in North America.
Volvo’s patented hydraulic modular joint concept uses a two-pin hydraulic lock mechanism to allow the high reach to be changed into a digging configuration with only one person in less than an hour.
The EC750E HR also has a second hydraulic modular joint on the extension boom, allowing the angle of both the extension and the digging boom to be set quickly and safely between bent and straight configurations.
The EC750E HR brings added flexibility with its two high-reach demolition boom sets and one digging boom set with an extension:
- High-reach boom with a 118-foot maximum pin height while carrying a tool of up to 8,000 pounds
- High-reach boom with an 85-foot maximum pin height while carrying a tool of up to 11,000 pounds
- Digging boom set with a 14.4-foot extension allows for a 59-foot pin height
Compared to the EC750E, the undercarriage of the EC750E HR is 1 foot 9 inches longer and 2 feet 10 inches wider, providing added stability. The hydraulic extendable undercarriage also allows for a 360-degree working range, which lets the operator spend less time repositioning the machine and remain focused on the job.
