Volvo L70H finds favour on the farm
O Kinch Agricultural Contracting Ltd of Avon, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, has purchased a bespoke Volvo L70H for its farming and contracting business
The 14- tonne L70H, equipped with agricultural wheels and tyres, single lever hydraulic control and CDC (comfort drive control) was originally exhibited at this year’s LAMMA event and, following his visit to the show, proprietor, Ollie Kinch, was suitably impressed with what he saw. “In truth we had been toying with the idea of buying a Volvo shovel as a replacement machine for the business for a year or so. When I saw the L70H at the show with the single lever control, CDC and other features, I was convinced we should go ahead and order it.”
The Volvo L70H benefits from a Volvo-designed and purpose built powertrain including the latest Stage-IV 6-litre 173hp engine, transmission and axles. The machine also benefits from energy efficient devices such as the Volvo Eco-pedal encouraging the operator to run the machine at its optimum rpm in the engine’s torque curve.
The machine supplied to Ollie Kinch sports additional optional features including third and fourth line hydraulics, Turbo-II pre-cleaner, a Groenveld autolube system and a 4m³ hi-tip bucket manufactured by Ulrich. A reversible fan ensures the engine’s cooling components are kept free of dust and debris and the optional boom suspension feature makes for smooth driving on public highways.
Since taking delivery of the machine at the end of May, Ollie Kinch is extremely pleased with his new investment. “The CDC feature is a real boon when we are working in tight spaces – in fact, I never use the steering wheel unless I’m driving the machine on the road,” says Ollie.
The most striking feature of the new resident loading shovel is the large Michelin 750/65 Mega-X Bib wheel and tyre assemblies. These transform the operating characteristics of the machine which are ideally suited to the typical applications Ollie Kinch undertakes around a 30-mile radius of Chippenham. “The new machine is a dream to operate,” he says, “it’s very well balanced too and the boom suspension option makes it very stable and controllable, travelling on the roads from site to site. In addition, it gives an impressive performance when we’re building silage clamps – its pushing power is awesome! It has plenty of load-over-height too and can easily handle high-sided bulkers.”
The new L70H is being used on a whole range of duties thanks to the versatility of the hydraulic attachment bracket and the optional third and fourth hydraulic services. For instance, it can be loading manure with its hi-tip bucket, working on silage clamps with an hydraulic extendable fork or loading trailers with straw bales using a bespoke bale clamp.
For complete peace of mind, Ollie Kinch has opted for a full repair and maintenance Gold service agreement. This means his new L70H will be looked after by SMT GB for all the necessary servicing and repairs, using genuine Volvo parts and fully competent, Volvo trained service technicians.