A trio of Volvos for Stuart Partners Ltd
Stuart Partners Ltd of Clyst St Mary near Exeter, in collaboration with sister company EMS Waste Services, has purchased three new Volvo machines for its recycling and landfill operations at Hill Barton and for a new recycling venture in Paignton.
The three machines in question are a Volvo L70H wheeled loader, a reduced swing ECR145E crawler excavator and an A25G articulated hauler. Whilst no strangers to owning and operating Volvo machines - in fact they have done so for the last thirty years, this is the very first time Stuart Partners has taken the decision to purchase an articulated hauler. “Up until now we’ve got by with using tractors and trailers from our agricultural contracting side of the business to move materials around the recycling plant here at Hill Barton,” explains Managing Director Troy Stuart.
“As our recycling and material processing activity has started to really expand we needed a machine that was more suited to the task in terms of carrying capacity with the all round capability to go anywhere on site, irrespective of the ground conditions. The Volvo articulated hauler is legendary in the market place and has a tried and tested pedigree for performance reliability and not least, an extremely good residual value, so we felt opting for the A25G was the logical choice for us,” he continues.
And the new A25G with a carrying capacity of 25 tonnes will be gainfully employed across the whole of the Hill Barton recycling and landfill site moving a wide variety of material. This includes inert waste for landfill; rubble; screened and crushed hard-core and tarmacadam; screened soils
for landfill as well as waste wood as the company embarks on installing a bespoke biomass plant to power the site and provide heat for drying. The new articulated hauler has been fitted with an optional cantilever tailgate and side extensions to carry the maximum payload and volume, which equates to 17.6m³ and is ideally specified for hauling the typical light and loose flowing materials that can be found on site.
The A25G hauler from Volvo meets the requirements of Stage IV final emissions legislation being powered by an electronically controlled, six-cylinder 318hp turbo charged Volvo V-ACT diesel engine. This features high torque at low engine speeds, resulting in good fuel efficiency, high performance, quicker engine response and less wear, i.e. long service life. Purpose built by Volvo, the engine is designed to match the Volvo drive train, ensuring the best use of power and torque, even in tough working conditions. Delivering exceptional fuel efficiency, the engine is matched to a torque converter with built in lock-up function and fitted with a fully automatic fast adaptive transmission.
Ordered specifically for EMS’s Hill Barton transfer station comes a fourteen tonne, 173 hp six cylinder powered Volvo L70H replacing an alternative make of wheeled loader. The machine has been supplied with the optional long boom giving an extended pin height of 4.39m, which, in conjunction with a high tip bucket, can facilitate the loading of high-sided bulkers, and walking floor trailers. “Again we’re no strangers to operating Volvo wheeled loaders even from the days of the 4400’s and we currently have an L150G working on our landfill site that we purchased three years ago. Our operators certainly appreciate the performance, the responsiveness of the machine and comfort in the cab,” says Troy. “For the transfer station application we wanted to order the machine with single lever control as opposed to the three lever controls Volvo fit as standard.” Consequently, the L70H supplied to EMS is the first in the country with single lever control – this just becoming available to order on this size of Volvo shovel as an option now.
Finally, as EMS continues to expand with a new waste recycling venture centred in Paignton Devon, the company has opted for a reduced swing radius Volvo ECR145E to take charge of operations there. This 15.4 tonne excavator powered by a Stage IV final four litre engine developing 121 nett hp will be put to work sorting incoming material for further recycling thanks to the addition of a hydraulic rotating selector grapple. The machine also features rubber blocks fitted to the standard steel tracks to protect the concrete pad of the MRF.
“Opting for the Volvo products is a logical choice for us,” says Troy Stuart. “Volvo is part of our company’s core, not least since another sister company within the Group handles the Volvo Truck and Bus franchise for Devon and Cornwall. Nevertheless, the machines have to be competitively priced and live up to their reputation for reliability and performance. Once again they’ve passed that test.”
Stuart Partners Ltd can trace its history back to just after the Second World War when the company started out transporting cattle then moving into agriculture and agricultural contracting in the late 80’s. Today the company not only retains its farm and contracting interests but also has latterly moved into landfill and the full spectrum of waste recycling.