Volvo L220H saves time at Kinegar

Family run extraction business Kinegar Quarries Ltd of Cockburnspath near Dunbar has added a new Volvo L220H loading shovel to its plant fleet and continues a long standing association with Volvo Construction Equipment products.

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The new 32 tonne loading shovel complete with a 5.6m³ rehandling bucket, Michelin XLDD2A rock tyres and boom suspension system has been put in charge of the stocking out area of the company’s Glenfin hard rock quarry replacing an L180 shovel that has been moved onto secondary duties. “We have tended to favour Volvo products from the outset when we bought our first Volvo L120 at the end of the eighties,” explains co-director Steven Findlay who along with his brother Arnot now runs the family business. “Over the years we have purchased various Volvo machines and they have a good track record for longevity and reliability. Needing a slightly larger loading shovel to cope with an increase in production we settled on the L220H for loading lorries and keeping the stock piles in good order,” he continues. 

And the L220H with its large rehandling bucket is dispatching trucks to the weighbridge in just two passes as opposed to three offered by the previous machine. “We’ve certainly noticed the time savings operating the larger shovel and over a daily twelve hour shift the savings become quite significant,” says Steven.      

Developing 373hp in a relatively low rpm range the 13 litre Tier IV final Volvo engine coupled to Volvo designed and manufactured powertrain components are the significant features found on the L220H. These coupled to other fuel saving devices such as optishift with torque converter lock up, the reverse by braking feature and the Volvo Eco pedal encouraging the operator to run the machine at its optimum rpm in the engine’s torque curve make this a highly efficient and productive loading shovel in its size class.

The new L220H follows on from a Volvo EC380D excavator which was sold to Kinegar Quarries last year for ripping high quality greywacke sandstone from an arrangement of benches at Glenfin Quarry. This type of material has an exceptionally high PSV value of around 72 which when crushed down to 10 and 6mm product is ideally suited for road surfacing with excellent anti-skid properties. 

Kinegar Quarry and Glenfin Quarry are owned and operated by Kinegar Quarries Ltd, a local family run business offering quality aggregate products and in particular, high quality aggregate for the road surfacing industry. Located on the east coast of the Scottish Borders the company is well placed to supply the locality as well Edinburgh, the Lothians, Northumberland and as far south as the Midlands.

Volvo Construction Equipment markets wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, graders, Volvo utility equipment and Volvo road equipment products in the U.K. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.