Driven by conversations with its quarry and aggregate customers, Volvo Construction Equipment has reconfigured one of its most popular wheel loader models, the L180H, to a new truck-loading variation, the L180 3-pass rehandler.
Designed to provide operators with an efficient machine for rehandling applications, the reconfigured wheel loader, weighing in at 66,712 pounds, has larger tires, a higher tipping load, longer reach, and improved fuel efficiency, the company says.
According to Eric Yeomans, Volvo CE wheel loader product manager, the concept of the 3-pass rehandler has been in development for some time. He said it is designed for any wheel loader operator who has spent too much time trying to get just the right amount of material loaded into a truck, particularly that last bucket. As configured, the new machine has a static straight tipping load of 44,820 pounds, and 35,369 pounds at a 35-degree turn.
“A lot of customers are loading trucks with three passes, but it's two full buckets and it's a bit of a bucket or half a bucket. It's usually that last bucket which takes a long time to get whatever the right load weight is left to top off the truck,” Yeomans said.
With a 3-pass wheel loader, operators will get three full buckets more efficiently because each bucket load will be nearly the same amount. When it comes to the last bucket, in most cases, the need to re-weigh and tip-off is nearly eliminated.
“This is rehandling, so you're looking at material that's being crushed and then stockpiled,” Yeomans said. “You can either use this for moving material from the conveyor belt to a stockpile or using it from a stockpile and loading trucks.”
In some cases, the 3-pass rehandler wheel loader will be used for loading hoppers. Within the asphalt industry, Yeomans said, the loaders are often used to load material into different bins.
The rehandling counterweight allows for a bucket that is approximately 0.25 cubic yards larger than on a standard L180H.
Yeomans said the 3-pass rehandler has four different bucket options – 6.3 cubic yards, 6.8 cubic yards, 7.2 cubic yards, and 7.6 cubic yards – to accommodate changes in material density.
“You're going to be able to maximize that efficiency by picking the correct bucket size to match the material density,” he said, noting that the 3-pass rehandler is configured with a spade nose rehandling bucket, which is more efficient to break into piles.
"The goal is to make three full bucket passes to maximize productivity and fuel efficiency," said Yeomans. "No more wasting time on two full buckets and a partial bucket with a larger machine or several passes with a smaller one."
The reconfigured wheel loader has larger tires, a higher tipping load, longer reach, and overall better fuel efficiency than the standard L180H.Volvo Construction Equipment
All clear
Volvo’s 3-pass rehandler wheel loader comes standard with a long boom that gives operators an additional foot of reach.
Yeomans said the long boom also brings an additional 675 pound-feet in breakout force and an additional two feet of dump clearance. Totaling 11 feet 9 inches, that additional dump clearance makes it easier to dump the last load and roll away.
The ease of that third pass also increases overall cycle time speed.
“This is probably about one to two seconds quicker cycle time than a standard machine,” Yeomans said. “You might think, 'Yeah, one to two seconds, that's not that much, but if you're doing about 300 or 400 cycles a day, it is a lot, because you can get in an additional 20 or 30 cycles by the end of the day."
He noted that every second shaved off a cycle saves fuel and time.
To further benefit operators and owners, the 3-pass rehandler comes standard with 875/65 R29 tires.
“These tires are what we typically spec for our larger L220 and L260 wheel loaders, so the added traction and rimpull are really noticeable in the L180 size,” Yeomans said, noting that the larger tires provide lateral traction and flotation, durability, and resistance to cuts and impacts.
The larger tires provide more ground contact, stabilizing the machine.
"What happens is with the boom in the air the machine becomes a lot more stable," Yeoman said. "You're not getting that rocking or sideways moving with the boom up there." Also, he said the machine’s configuration also decreases the risk of wheel spin and better protects the tires because operators can stay farther from the pile where the ground is less stable and away from rocks that can damage the tires.
“The worst thing you can have is the load sitting toward one side of the truck because when you drive around a corner you run the risk of the material spilling out,” Yeomans said.
Also, due to the commonality of the L260 loaders, tire acquisition can become more economical when stocking multiple machines.
The three-pass rehandler comes standard with 875/65 R29 tires for more ground contact and stability.Equipment World
Up to standards
The rehandler comes with the standard options seen on the traditional Volvo CE L180H packages, including auto lubrication, Optishift, Load Assist with On-Board Weighing, Connected Map, and ActiveCare Direct advanced telematics.
“This machine is also equipped with our new safety feature collision mitigation,” Yeoman said.
Using radar technology, the loader can sense when an object or person is within the designated red zone within proximity to the machine and will brake automatically.
It also features the same tiltable cab as the traditional L152 to L260 models.
Yeomans noted that the 3-pass rehandler includes Volvo’s ISO jumpstart connection to make it easier to jumpstart the machine.
Like all Volvo equipment, the 3-pass rehandler comes with a lifetime frame and structure warranty.
Volvo has simplified the ordering process for customers and dealers by simply having a 3-pass rehandling package option on the L180H. Selecting that option provides the extra items.
“It gives you the rehandling counterweight, it gives you the tires, the rims, the long boom and you select the bucket so it's much easier for the dealer to spec a machine when he's ordering it,” he said.
Volvo Construction Equipment
