It is a rare beast – and a large one at that. The first example of Volvo’s largest excavator, the EC950F has been delivered to Aitik – Sweden’s largest open-pit copper mine.
Ore is mined using the machines 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This requires large, powerful and productive excavators. There are already a number of Volvo EC700s and EC750s excavators at the mine, as well as a Volvo A60 articulated hauler, in its fleet of eight machines.
When Rutqvists Schakt signed the latest contract with Boliden, MD Lars-Göran “Lalla” Rutqvist chose to invest in the new 90-tonne Volvo EC950F crawler excavator, despite it being completely new to the Swedish market and an entirely new experience for him and his machine operators.
“There was no time for a test drive,” Lalla laughs. “But I trust Volvo and Swecon. The decisions we make together always work. It also helped that I had read and heard from foreign colleagues that it was a good machine.”
From Volvo CE’s perspective, and that of dealership Swecon, it is a milestone to be able to deliver a machine of this size class in Sweden as well.
“There is trust in us that we need to live up to, and we are ready to deliver more machines of this class,” says Hans Olofsson, Swecon’s Director of Sales in Region North.
By the end of September, some 900 working hours later – the massive excavator is working more than 10 hours a day, seven days a week. Lalla is now just one of its many fans. “We are very happy,” he says. “It’s surprisingly fast for its size. In this job, it’s important to combine capacity with speed. What’s more, fuel consumption is reasonable and it’s a pleasure to drive.”
Facts about Volvo EC950F
Volvo’s largest excavator has a lifting capacity of 34 tonnes. The 90-tonne excavator has an electronically-controlled hydraulic system with five modes to optimise flow and pressure. The operator can choose between I (idle), F (fine), G (general), H (heavy) and P (maximum power). The machine also has a priority valve for boom swing.
The attachment system has the ability to store settings for up to 20 different attachments. The Stage V engine can reach 603 horsepower at a speed of just 1,650 rpm.
The excavator loads Volvo’s largest dumper, the A60H, with a body capacity of 33.6 cubic metres, with just four bucket loads, with each work cycle taking between 20 and 25 seconds.