4’s the magic number for M B Wilkes
Dorset based, family owned Sand and Gravel quarry M B Wilkes Ltd take delivery of four new Hyundai HL960 loading shovels after having a great experience with their last Hyundai loaders.
From their large quarry hidden in the hills of the Dorset village of Wimborne, M B Wilkes offer customers a huge range of sand and aggregates throughout the Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset areas. Thanks to producing almost all of the products available on site and running some of the latest technology, M B Wilkes are able to offer very competitive rates and stand by an Honest Pricing Policy.
This latest investment which sees four Hyundai HL960 loading shovels replacing their predeceasing model, the Hyundai HL760-9A also supplied by the Hyundai dealer, Molson Group. The latest machines are being put straight to work in a variety of applications throughout their expansive processing facility in their Henbury Quarry.
With a host of developments from the previous model, the HL960 is a versatile and durable loading shovel. Weighing in at 18,800Kg and capable of an impressive 24.5 mph top travel speed this HL960 is able to cover the space between working areas efficiently and safely, whilst having the grunt required to perform whatever task is required.
In Henbury Quarry three of the machines have been supplied with the standard 3.4m3 (non-heaped) general purpose bucket and one has been supplied with the 3m3 rock bucket with nine specially designed teeth to assist the bucket in digging through compact material such as aggregate stock piles. Other additional options on the M B Wilkes shovels included a 6l auto-lube system to reduce the time required to perform daily maintenance checks, as well as safety features such as green safety beacons and blue rear strobes to comply with their high safety specification requirements.
These shovels act as the heartbeat of the M B Wilkes operation, moving feed stock material and the processed aggregates into stock piles, allowing their production machines such as their Terex Finlay 883+ three-way screener to work as efficiently as possible. With over twenty items of plant spread throughout the site, a lot of material needs to be moved to keep production flowing smoothly.
Adrian Cutler, M B Wilkes Operations Manager said; “We can’t afford for a loading shovel to go down. Due to the high levels of production, if one goes down it can easily cause significant disruption throughout the site. Because of this, we needed to know we were buying shovels that are well built and reliable, along with a back-up service that we know we can trust. After the great performance of both the Hyundai HL760’s and Molson’s back-up we had no hesitation in calling Danny to discuss replacing them with the latest models”.
Daniel Guibarra, Molson Sales Manager said; “The Hyundai loading shovels have really improved over the latest generations. In addition to the improvements in engine technology that see the latest models fully Stage 4f compliant and deliver a substantial fuel saving to customers, they have also made improvements in durability and operator comfort. What frequently happens is that as soon as the operators get to sit in one, the hardest task is getting them out”.
The Hyundai HL900 series of loading shovels also offer a range of ECO functions such as their unique ECO Pedal. When operators use the accelerator pedal, the ECO Pedal can distinguish between economical operation and power operation based on a number of factors around the machine (including bucket load and ground conditions), delivering maximum power when needed, but delivering substantial fuel savings on operators with a heavy right foot. Operators can also see how economically they are driving thanks to an ECO Gauge featured on the intelligent and wide touch screen display cluster.