Holmes Sand and Ballast bag two new Volvo L150Hs

Holmes Sand & Ballast Ltd has taken delivery of two new Volvo L150H loading shovels for its Masters Quarry sand pit near Wareham in Dorset...

The two new 25-tonne loading shovels take over the primary duties at Masters Quarry and were chosen following a competitive evaluation and assessment according to Group Operations Director, Paul Drayton. “We were pleasantly surprised at the competitive package that was offered by SMT GB and having past experience of the high quality and reliability of Volvo machines going way back to the 4300 and 4500 models, and later the L90s and L120s, we decided it was time to reintroduce Volvo shovels into our operations,” says Paul. “The additional benefits for doing so are the products strong residual values and the reliable product support we’ve had from SMT GB with our excavators.

Both loading shovels have been equipped with 4.6m³ rehandling buckets providing a generous eight tonnes per pass and take charge of loading material into road wagons as well as handling material around the washing plant. Already they are proving popular with Holmes’ machine operators. “The boom suspension system and the reverse-by-braking feature make the L150H highly productive and responsive,” says Area Manager, Steve Smith. “Furthermore, the suspension seat gives additional comfort and the optional door opening key fob for safe entry to the cab are proving popular with our operators.”

The machines are powered by Volvo 13-litre engines developing 300 hp coupled with Volvo designed powertrain components. This combination, along with other fuel-saving devices such as the Volvo Eco-pedal, encourage the operator to run the machine at its optimum rpm in the engine’s torque curve and Optishift with torque converter lock-up, found in the larger L150H, make these highly efficient and productive loading shovels in their size class.