XPower lessens the fuel blow

When Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the April 1 removal of the rebate for red diesel used in construction plant, users were warned by a trade body of “crippling” cost increases. One company finding the price hike less punishing than most is Grange Quarry which has recently added fuel-efficient wheeled loaders from Liebherr...

Grange, which operates quarries and concrete batching plants in the south of Scotland, took delivery of an L 586 XPower for use as a production loader at its Kelhead Quarry, an L 566 XPower for Grange Quarry and an L 526 to work at a batching plant at its Lockerbie HQ. The trio followed its first XPower model, an L 580, bought in 2020.

The company has since been enjoying the benefits of the manufacturer’s fuel-saving expertise on the XPowers. Latest data from Liebherr’s real-time fuel calculator* shows just how economical the XPower range is but Grange’s loaders are running even leaner than the global average at: 11.4 litres an hour for the 24-tonne L 566, 12.9 litres to run the 29-tonne L 580 and just 15.1 litres on the 34-tonne L 586.

All three demonstrate the impressive fuel efficiency that is achievable through their XPower CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) driveline, working in harmony with the Liebherr engines. The CVT driveline brings together hydrostatic and mechanical drive systems and continuously adjusts them to the application, making the machines more efficient during loading and transport and resulting in strong acceleration and performance across all loading cycles. 

The L 566 with 4.7m³ bucket works in Grange Quarry handling material coming from the processing plant as well as the outgoing high PSV stone for asphalt production, crushed aggregates and fill material.

The 580, fitted with a 5.7m³ rehandling bucket, joined the fleet in 2020 after the company completed its search for a slightly larger and more productive loader to replace a competitor’s machine. Even then, diesel cost was an important factor in the selection process. Looking into the future, the company said at the time: “Fuel is an important factor, especially with the potential of an increase in duty next year.”

The heavyweight of the company’s XPower trio is the 33-tonne L 586, a front-line production machine fitted with 6m³ rehandling bucket. It works at Kelhead alongside a mobile crusher loading processed material into a dump truck which then transports the material for secondary processing, washing, or simply for export from the site.

With an operating weight of 13 tonnes and powered by a 4-cylinder, 127hp engine, the L 526 is the smallest of Grange’s four Liebherr loaders and a typical application sees it handling and distributing raw materials coming into the yard from the company’s own quarries. It reaches its performance levels via hydrostatic transmission continuously driving through both axles to provide traction on the steep ramp to the batching plant’s hoppers.

Ensuring fuel consumption is low and machine availability high is the job of Operations Manager Robbie Dodd who has responsibility for ensuring each site meets its production targets. ‘If we can’t handle the material effectively and continuously it has a huge effect on our business. We have run a number of manufacturers’ machines over the years and have been very impressed with the over-all package Liebherr put to us for our loader fleet.’

Grange Quarry is a family-owned business formed in 2000 by Stuart and Lynn Dodd and also runs a number of Liebherr truck mixers.

The XPower wheel loaders were introduced to the European market at Bauma 2016, with six models in the range.

‘We’ve got an app for that’

* Liebherr’s real-time fuel calculator for construction machines is an app that allows users to determine the potential savings that can be achieved when using a Liebherr compared to a competitor’s machine.

As well as wheeled loaders, various other machine types including wheeled and tracked excavators, dozers and loaders, and crawler cranes are already stored. Data for the material handling machines of the LH series is available in different configurations for the recycling, scrap, forestry and timber industries and more machine types are due to be added.

The basis for calculation is the average fuel consumption, the operating hours per year and the current fuel price. [insert QR code]

Grange’s loaders are running even leaner than the global average at: 11.4 litres an hour for the 24-tonne L 566, 12.9 litres to run the 27-tonne L 580 and just 15.1 litres on the 33-tonne L 586.