Volvo Excavators and Haulers heading for Cornwall’s Champion Groundworks
Champion Groundworks Ltd of Doublebois, Liskeard, in Cornwall continues its association with Volvo Construction Equipment products with the addition of the their third twenty-five tonne excavator in the guise of an EC250E, a pair of smaller EC140Es and two A30G articulated haulers with a third unit on order.
This association has been running since around 2014 and Champion Groundworks is continuing to enlarge its plant fleet with more and more Volvo machines. “In our opinion, the Volvo excavators and articulated haulers are competitively priced and, more importantly, SMT GB demonstrates a sound after sales support which is important for us considering where we are located in the country,” comments Procurement Manager, Will Evans. “Furthermore our operators certainly appreciate the comfortable cabs, the overall smooth control of the machines and responsiveness,” he says.
Whilst the smaller fourteen tonne EC140Es are perfect for working on footings for house builds and the laying of services such as drainage, water and sewers, many of the projects Champion Groundworks is engaged on demand the use of a larger muck shifting excavator. They have consequently just taken delivery of their third twenty-five tonne Volvo excavator in the guise of the latest EC250E which is ideally matched to load the company’s resident A25 and A30 articulated haulers.
The new EC250E is powered by a Stage-IV eight-cylinder engine developing 213hp. Operators can select the best work mode for the task at hand, ensuring optimum performance and fuel efficiency. Modes include: I-idle, F-fine, G-general, H-heavy or P-power, with the machine automatically setting the appropriate engine speed for the work mode and ECO-mode is a new feature that works in G to H (or P) mode. Pump flow is controlled for combined digging and swinging operations to reduce the flow loss through the overload relief valves, while maintaining digging power and maximum swing torque. ECO-mode provides better fuel efficiency without loss of performance in most operating conditions.
The Volvo Care Cab on all excavators, irrespective of operating weight, offers a large roomy interior with plenty of leg room and foot space. The excellent all round visibility is enhanced by pressurized and filtered cab air supplied by a 14-vent, climate controlled system. An adjustable, easy-to-read LCD colour monitor provides ‘real time’ information of the machine functions, important diagnostic information and a wide variety of work tool settings. The monitor also doubles as a monitor for the rear-view camera.
In 2017, Champion Groundworks took delivery of two Volvo A30G articulated haulers and has a third unit on order which will be on show at this year’s Royal Cornwall Show. The A30G hauler from Volvo meets the requirements of Stage-IV final emissions’ legislation being powered by an electronically controlled, six cylinder 264kW 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 exactly match the Volvo drive train, ensuring the best use of power and torque, even in tough working conditions. Delivering exceptional fuel efficiency, it is matched to a torque converter with built in lock-up function and fitted with a fully automatic fast adaptive transmission. The rest of the Volvo designed and built powertrain has been reinforced to cope with the higher torque output of the engine.
With a carrying capacity of 28 tonnes and heaped capacity of 17.5m³, the Volvo A30G has a maximum speed of 53kph. The hauler is also fitted with CareTrack as standard, which is Volvo’s telematics system that enables remote monitoring of a wide range of machine functions (e.g. location, fuel consumption, service reminders etc.) thus optimizing customer operations.
Established in 1983, Fred Champion Groundworks has developed into one of the largest groundworks contractors in Cornwall. Due to continued expansion, the company has established sub-divisions specialising in Bulk Excavation, Land Remediation & Insitu Concrete Construction as well as its own hire company, Fred Champion Hire Ltd. In 2007, the company expanded its portfolio offering a full scaffolding service and is already one of the largest independent scaffolding companies operating in the West Country.
SMT GB markets Volvo Construction Equipment products which include wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, Volvo utility equipment and Volvo road equipment products in Great Britain. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres, a dedicated National Used Equipment Centre and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.
