35
july-august 2013
international
construction
QUARRYING
The big payback
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mountains, the terrain is hard to negotiate especially given that
track gradients can be 20° or more.
“We are dealing with a lot of steep hills,” said Mike Pratchett,
president of Vertex. “We also have to deal with almost two-
mile (3.2 km) haul cycles and rain for 10 months of the year,
resulting in muddy slippery slopes. You could say we have tough
working conditions to contend with almost all year round.”
Vertex excavates clay and till at the quarry as well as clearing
logs and over-burden, taking a role in waste management and
working with the provincial and local authorities on water
management and environmental issues.
The company has an all-Volvo fleet
to tackle its work in these difficult
conditions, with a pair of Volvo
EC360B excavators, five Volvo A25D
articulated dump trucks (ADTs) and a
Tier 4-compliant Volvo EC380D crawler
excavator on site.
The EC380D was one of the first
delivered in North America. “When
the machine arrived, we added a few
additional accessories to it, such as the
larger 60 in (1,524 mm) wide digging
bucket, a hydraulic thumb and, because
our contract calls for log clearing, we
added the falling object protective
structure (FOPS) to guard the cab from
falling debris,” said Mr Patchett. “It’s a
tremendous machine, plenty of power, great stability, superior
lighting and a cab full of creature comforts. Even in this till and
clay that has been compacted for centuries, the excavator has
allowed us to improve our cycle times.”
He is also a fan of the Volvo ADTs, something that clearly
runs in the family. “My dad started his business using Volvo
machines, and I’ve been around them all my working life.
When it came time to buy my own trucks, I wouldn’t consider
any other brand. Because of the efficiency of the transmission
retarders and exhaust brakes, we haven’t had to replace a single
brake pad,” said Mr Patchett.
Further up the weight classes, January saw Polish aggregates
producer DSS Group acquire a new 70 tonne class Hitachi
ZX670LC-5 for its quarry at Pilawa Górna in Lower Silesia from
local dealer Tona. The DSS Group – owned by Dolnośląskie
Polish quarry operator DSS Group
has bought a 70 tonne class
Hitachi ZX670LC-5 with the aim of
reducing the cost per tonne of its
Pilawa Górna quarry.
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