The Christmas Tree approach inspires Land Services to opt for a Volvo ECR145E Excavator
“It was the build quality that impressed me….” says Malcolm Davidson, proprietor of Selkirk-based Davidson Land Services as he takes delivery of his first ‘large’ Volvo excavator in the guise of a reduced swing ECR145E.
Having previously owned and operated Volvo compact excavators, the new ECR145E is the first general purpose Volvo excavator for Mr. Davidson’s fleet of equipment. “I was very impressed with the build quality as well as the high level of options offered on the ECR145,” says Malcolm, who decided to apply the ‘Christmas tree’ approach when specifying the machine.
From the ground up, the machine has been equipped with optional 750mm track pads and heavy-duty dozer blade. At the business end of the machine, Malcolm opted for the two-piece adjustable boom and 2.5m dipper arm to facilitate the fitting of an Engcon tiltrotator.
Besides the hammer shear hydraulics which are fitted as standard, the machine also sports the X3 rotation circuit and elsewhere on the machine, his specification called for the boom float option, reversible fan, additional work lights on the superstructure and equipment and bio degradable oil.
“A proportion of our work is contracting to Scottish Water for both general maintenance as well as emergency call outs, so having the ECR145 installed with biodegradable hydraulic oil is a must,” says Malcolm. “The combination of the reduced swing radius, wider track pads, two-piece boom and tilt rotator makes the ECR145 an extremely versatile and stable machine to operate – especially in confined spaces,” he says.
The 16.7 tonne ECR145E is equipped with a Stage-IV 4-litre Volvo engine producing 121 hp which operates in conjunction with an advanced-mode control system ensuring the maximum possible hydraulic horsepower available is delivered at a constant engine speed under varying load conditions.
Thanks to the two-piece adjustable boom, the machine has an optimized compact design yet offers a maximum reach of 8.6 metres, a digging depth of 5.6 metres as well as a generous lifting capacity of 1.7 tonnes across carriage in the worst position.
Besides Scottish Water, Davidson Land Services undertakes all manner of groundworks projects, the construction of access roads, forest road and track maintenance, civil and land drainage and ditch cleaning throughout the Borders and Lothians.
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.
