‘It’s what we know….’

Is the sentiment of Robbie Tough, Managing Director of R Tough Plant Hire Ltd, Carluke Lanarkshire as he takes delivery of a brand new Volvo EC380E into his fleet. 

Since establishing his plant hire business nine years ago, Managing Director Robbie Tough has always been associated with Volvo Construction Equipment products. “Our first Volvo was an EC140B which was quickly followed by an EC210 and then the larger EC360 in 2008,” says Mr Tough. “Overall the Volvo is a good product and certainly takes a lot of beating when it comes to operator comfort.”

More recently with the business expanding its general plant hire activities, its larger long term contracts including bulk earth moving and significant involvement within the landfill, waste and demolition sectors, the company saw the need to increase the fleet with a mid-sized excavator. Following an appraisal of the market place and a competitive tender process, an opportunity to visit this year’s Volvo Days event in Eskilstuna Sweden helped clinch the deal for a Volvo EC380E excavator. “Having the chance to scrutinise Volvo’s effectively forty tonne machine in detail with the opportunity of operating the machine and talking to the experts at Volvo’s customer centre endorsed what we already knew about the product and so far we haven’t been disappointed with our latest investment,” comments Robbie Tough.

Equipped with a Stage IV Final 13 litre engine, the EC380E develops 306 nett hp and is ideally matched to its automatic sensing mode hydraulic system. The machine’s hydraulics are perfectly matched to the engine and are controlled by an advanced system which provides on-demand flow and reduces power losses within the circuit. Volvo’s unique ECO mode contributes to significant fuel savings without any loss of performance in most operating conditions. As well as improving fuel efficiency, this increases controllability for more precise performance.
Otherwise, Volvo’s integrated work mode system offers the operator a choice of five work modes according to the task in hand – I (Idle), F (Fine), G (General), H (Heavy) or P (Power max) – for optimum efficiency and machine performance. When the controls have been inactive for a pre-set amount of time, the excavator can be programmed to automatically reduce engine speed or even shut down to further reduce fuel consumption and noise. Operators can keep track of both current and average fuel consumption via a simple gauge in the cab.

Besides fast cycle times, the EC380E offers exceptional digging geometry with a forward reach of 11.0 metres, a generous dig depth of 7.3 metres and a load over height of 7.2 metres. The machine supplied to R Tough Plant Hire Ltd has been supplied with a hydraulic quick fit to enable it to utilise the stock of existing attachments.

Associated Businesses

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