Norwegian quarry opts for the power of Hitachi wheel loader

A Norwegian producer of high-quality aggregates has added a Hitachi wheel loader to its fleet of construction machinery. Hamar Pukk og Grus has invested in a new ZW310-5 for loading trucks and trailers at its 60-hectare quarry on the outskirts of the town of Hamar.

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The wheel loader is the first Hitachi machine in the company’s fleet and was delivered in April 2015 by the Norwegian dealer Nasta. It has joined a team of six personnel on the site, who are responsible for excavating 120,000m³ of materials and producing 250,000 tonnes of aggregates per annum.

The materials are loaded into a primary crusher to remove the sand that is then used for the production of concrete. The secondary crusher removes some of the larger stones and these are sold as 20/120 for road and general construction sites. The remaining materials go through a third crusher to produce 0/4, 4/8, 8/11, 11/16 and 16/22 aggregates, which are used for roads, concrete, foundations and drainage work.

“We wanted to try something different to our previous machines and this approach was welcomed by the owners,” says Rune T Lund, the General Manager at Hamar Pukk og Grus. “We were able to test a larger model, the ZW330-5, beforehand thanks to Nasta and this helped us to make our decision.

“Hitachi is a good brand, and the ZW310-5 has already proved to be an excellent choice and the right size for our site. It’s comfortable for our operators and a powerful machine, with a strong traction force for driving into materials.”

Technician Tore Bergrud has been working on the site for 27 years and gained his licence for driving wheel loaders in 2005 to cover for the regular operators when required. “I really like the ZW310-5 and it is as good as any other machine that I’ve driven,” he explains.

“It has a high capacity for the loading process and it is especially effective at driving into the stockpiles. It is also easy to manoeuvre and very smooth for turning on full lock in a tight space. The Hitachi is also advantageous for load-and-carry operations and travels relatively quickly uphill compared to other larger machines. The visibility to the front and rear is good, and I have found it to be user-friendly.”