Delivering on a promise secures order for 2nd flagship loader at Singleton Birch Ltd

Singleton Birch Ltd, has taken delivery of Volvo L350F wheeled loader number two for its quarrying activities at Melton Ross Quarries, Barnetby, North Lincolnshire, based upon the fuel savings of their first machine delivered in February 2010.

Back then the independent lime producing company took a leap of faith in opting for an L350F as one of its prime movers - departing from their previous choice of supplier. And their decision then was based on the expectation of significant fuel savings over the lifetime of the machine. "At the time we were swayed by Volvo's claim for their flagship loader of making a 10 litre per hour saving in fuel and they were right because the machine has done just that!" claims quarry manager Mark Sacker. "At today's cost for red diesel, the L350F has saved us in excess of £20,000 in its first year of operation and as a result, this became the main driving factor for us to opt for the model again to replace our second face machine," he continued.

Uniquely Singleton Birch is the only quarry in Great Britain now running two Volvo L350F's side by side with both machines deployed on loading blasted chalk from the face and running to a mobile sizer on runs of up to 150 metres. Both machines operate a 12 hour shift, seven days a week delivering around 450 tonnes of material per hour to the primary. And as with the existing L350F the new 52 tonne wheeled loader has been especially prepared to Singleton Birch's specification and follows, where practicable, the Mineral Products Association check list for safety parameters applicable to mobile plant. The significant modification to the machine surrounds the safe entry and exit to the operator's compartment featuring hydraulically retractable steps located at the nearside rear of the machine and a widened platform and associated grab rails to facilitate full door opening to the cab. Other additions to the standard specification include a reversible fan; modified mirrors; strobe reverse lights; alternator cooling; a bespoke rock guard for the front windscreen; dust buster for the air intake; rock deflectors for the 6.9m³ spade nosed rock bucket; Groeneveld central lubrication system and a tyre pressure monitoring system supplied and monitored by Earthmover Tyres. An RDS 9000 weighing system has also been installed in order to monitor actual production.

In addition Singleton Birch has purchased a pair of Pewag chains for the front wheel and tyre assemblies to evaluate the cost savings versus their annual expenditure on tyre repairs and to monitor the effect of adding an additional two tonnes of dead weight to the machine. "It will be interesting to compare the two machines now going forward," comments Mr Sacker. "The initial investment in tyre chains is huge, but we are confident this will offer a good return versus the cost of repairing our tyres from damage which is unavoidable in this type of application. We would also anticipate fuel consumption to go up slightly but again are very confident this will be offset by the higher productivity achieved due to reduced slippage when loading at the face."

The L350F is powered by a Volvo Stage III 16 litre engine with an output of 535hp and maximum torque reached at just 1400RPM, a Volvo transmission with lock-up and Volvo designed and manufactured axles. As a result, the L350F is easy and comfortable to operate, leading to fast cycle times and sustained high performance throughout the work day, thanks to reduced operator fatigue. Fitted with a larger Volvo Care Cab, the operator will enjoy a more spacious air conditioned interior that is insulated from noise, dust and vibrations — the latter thanks to viscous cab mounts and air suspended seat.

Besides the existing L350F, the new prime mover supplied to Singleton Birch joins other Volvo products deployed by the company including a couple of A25 haulers used for the stocking out area, an EC210C working on the company's non-hazardous landfill site within the quarry, an L180C loading shovel, and an EC460C excavator which is used as part of the company's mobile crushing team. The machine has been supplied with a one year 3000 hour full warranty and three year 9000 hour driveline warranty. A new Volvo L180G is also on order to replace their L180C.

Singleton Birch Ltd is the UK's leading independent lime supplier with a product range including quicklime, hydrated lime, natural hydraulic lime, graded chalk, aggregates and other specialist products and services. These products are used in the production of steel, various chemical processes, waste and water treatment, purification of flue gases, production of lightweight building materials and various other sectors of the construction industry. Singleton Birch is ISO 9001:2008, OHSAS 18001, ISO 14001 registered and recognised by Investors in People.

Volvo Construction Equipment Division markets wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, graders, Volvo Utility Equipment and Volvo road machinery products in the U.K. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.