Could Volvo’s largest articulated hauler, the A60H, give the muck-shifting sector
a much-needed shot in the arm? Geoff Ashcroft takes a look at what could easily be the new ‘King of the hill’
Black and round are obvious adjectives when it comes to tyres. But in the case of Volvo’s A60H, the truck’s initial development would never have got off the drawing board were it not for three tyre firms making a serious commitment. That undertaking was to develop and manufacture an all-new 33.5 R29 tyre – specifically for the A60H – to underpin this mega muck shifter, and that’s because using the A45’s 29.5 R25 ‘boots’ was just not possible with the greater payload. When approached over five years ago, Bridgestone,
Goodyear and Michelin all stepped up to their moulds, giving Volvo the essential chunks of black and round rubber it needed to finally make the A60H happen. Since then, the three tyre firms have found supplementary markets for the 33.5 R29’s, as motor scrapers were also found to have reached their limits with existing tyre technology. With A60H production about to start, having access to multiple tyre sources and worldwide availability will no doubt be a key factor in the future buying process for those looking to add Volvo’s latest hauler to their fleet. Those waiting patiently for the A60H on the used equipment market will no doubt be pleased about such long-term tyre availability. For Volvo, having its sixty tonner underpinned by such a huge commitment does give capacity to spare. Call it a safety net if you will, and it needs it, given the truck’s appetite for generous payloads. So why develop such a beast? It is, after all, a machine designed primarily to compete with 60-tonne rigid haulers in the quarry sector.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS While the A60H also suits quarry operations, its arrival will have as much of an impact on the earthmoving community as it will the mineral extraction sector. Enter the HS2 project – the biggest rail infrastructure
undertaking to hit Britain is expected to demand around 600+ ADTs when earthmoving gets under way. “It is all about productivity,” explains Volvo’s infrastructure projects manager, Martyn Brawn. “And that means moving the maximum amount of dirt in the shortest possible time with the fewest machines thereby maximizing fuel efficiency. It also means completing the work without seasonal delays – this has to be a year-round muck shifting tool.” To help its productivity, the A60H comes equipped with
two built-in safety features that reinforce its ability to cross both sectors. These include Hill Assist and Dump Support. Hill Assist comes into play on gradients of 7% and above. Once the truck has been brought to a complete standstill
using the footbrake, electronics will automatically keep the service brakes applied without the operator needing to keep a foot on the brake pedal – below this grade, the truck will hold on the transmission. Brakes will be released automatically when pushing the throttle – but only when the system senses there is enough start-up power and torque to prevent the truck from rolling backwards. Dump Support though, is much smarter. This bit of
impressive tech has been designed and developed to prevent the machine from being tipped on unsafe ground, and as such, should reduce the number of roll-over incidents occurring on site. Inclinometers are used to monitor machine angle in relation to body tipping, and will from the very outset, warn the operator of impending doom and ultimately will not tip if the machine is sat at an unsafe angle. This system looks for lateral angles up to 9% when loaded, and up to 12% when not loaded with the machine angle clearly illustrated on the dashboard display. It’s viewed as an interdependent function to raise awareness of machine stability for operators and will promote the role of articulated haulers in both the muck shifting and quarrying sectors. Payload measuring is impressively consistent too. Thanks to an integral on-board weighing system, you can watch the payload climb through the dashboard animation as the truck is being loaded. There is also a change to the way the payload system is displayed to the loader or operator tasked with filling the A60H. The once venerable roof-mounted traffic light system has been swapped for horizontal light bar displays that sit on top of the mirror arms, making them easier to see from either side of the hauler. On this larger machine, mirrors are no longer fastened to the hauler’s cab either, but sit on steel uprights that would make solid gate-posts. These are further away from the cab to take into account the wider body. Such solid anchor points for the mirrors also seem to resist vibration, which helps to keep a clearer view down both sides of the truck. Visibility is pretty good, and mirror technology gives great wide-angle views to the sides and down to each front wheel, in addition to the convex mirror at the front allowing you to see down across the front of the ADT. This physical change in mirror location also makes it very easy to walk around the front of the cab and over the bonnet using tread plates to clean windows. Roof-mounted grab rails make this a very safe task indeed. It’s a development that Volvo plans to roll out to the rest of its articulated truck range too.
8 THE VOICE MAGAZINE No30 2017
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