If you are considering which Volvo construction equipment to buy or rent, you have a difficult decision. However, the decision gets a little easier when you look at the features offered by Volvo’s heavy equipment. Here are some of the best features you will see on Volvo’s construction equipment that can show you why they are a great investment.
There are typically about a dozen places on a wheel loader that need to be greased regularly. This typically means at regular intervals, such as every ten hours of operation, or under certain conditions, such as when the loader has been exposed to water. Depending on how often you use the machine – which for most wheel loaders is a lot – your crew might spend as much as a week (40 hours) every few months just on manually lubricating your wheel loaders. Or maybe they don’t, which leads to expensive repairs and downtime.
The automatic lubrication system from Volvo takes care of all that. It saves your crew time, lets work start faster, and avoids stoppages for greasing while ensuring your wheel loaders are always properly greased. This optional equipment for a Volvo wheel loader pays for itself in short order.
High-functioning excavators are critical to jobsite efficiency and productivity. In demolition, construction, mining, and aggregate work, practically the only time your excavator stops is when the job is done. This can lead to excessive wear on the articulation points.
Volvo builds in wear plates on the most stressed articulation points – at the end of the arm – so that these can be removed and replaced rather than rebuilding the area. This can save up to eight hours of maintenance each time the arm needs rebuilding.
One thing that keeps excavators so busy is that all the attachment options let one machine take on dozens of specialized roles. But manually adjusting the hydraulic settings for each attachment can be time-consuming. Volvo excavators have a hydraulic pressure reset feature standard that can remember settings for up to 32 different attachments. Whenever you change attachments, just select the new one from the menu and you’re ready to roll.
It’s easy to get faster than you intended heading down to the quarry, mine, or dump. Good operators don’t let the vehicle get out of control, but even the best can end up tapping the brakes a bit harder than ideal in this situation.
The downhill speed control on Volvo articulated haul trucks uses a combination of engine and service brakes to maintain a safe speed when going downhill. This not only makes for a safer job site and reduces wear on the brakes, but it also makes downhill trips easier on the driver, reducing stress and fatigue so they can stay productive longer and feel better at the end of the day.
In many haulers, you have to apply the service brake or parking brake when dumping or loading. Operators often leave the truck in gear, too, not thinking to switch to neutral for a short time.
The load and dump brake on Volvo’s trucks makes loading and dumping easier. All it takes is one button to engage the brake and put the truck in neutral. This is not only easier on the driver, it’s easier on the truck, too, as the driveline is disengaged. Plus, the driver doesn’t have to disengage the parking brake – just put the truck in gear and the load and dump brake disengages. This saves time, making for more efficient dumping operations.
These are just a few of the features and options that make Volvo’s heavy equipment a great choice for your operation. If you want to learn more about these or other aspects of Volvo’s heavy equipment, please call 800-883-9284 or email Power Equipment Company, the official Volvo heavy equipment dealer in Colorado.