Testing at quarry and washing facility
Ashcourt is testing the system on three 20-ton Volvo EC200 diesel-powered excavators. Two of the machines will be used at the company’s Partridge Hall Quarry in East Yorkshire. The third will operate at a nearby material washing facility. In the trial that began in February, each machine is forecast to complete 2000 operating hours over the next 12 months. To compare operating data with Ashcourt’s existing fleet of standard Volvo EC200 machines, each excavator has been fitted with data logging equipment.
“Our goal is to see how the Danfoss Dextreme-equipped machines perform in terms of productivity and fuel use in a tough quarrying and material moving environment,” said John Hood, Ashcourt Group plant director. “So far, the feedback from our operators has been uniformly positive. The fuel savings I can’t speak to yet, but my team is telling me the new machines are very responsive and strong, with the EC200 performing more like an EC250.”
A study by Danfoss Power Solutions revealed that excavators account for 50% of all carbon dioxide emissions generated by construction machinery. Around 90% of those emissions come from excavators of ten tons or more, which is why the Dextreme system solution is specifically targeted at the excavator market.
According to Danfoss, an excavator utilizing the Dextreme system will have a lower total cost of ownership than a standard diesel machine. For excavator owners more interested in reducing cycle times than reducing fuel consumption, Dextreme Swap can deliver up to 25% higher productivity.
Read more: A “Dextreme” test for excavator hydraulic systems
