CEDAR GROVE, N.J. - Neither rain nor snow nor 10-ton concrete structures could stop a Volvo EC460B from making its appointed rounds recently in a retail site development in New Jersey.
In fact, contractor T.J. Recchia said he’s hard pressed to identify a more impressive excavator performance than the one turned in recently by his company’s 47.3-ton EC460B.
Recchia is a member of Hutton Construction, the firm charged with placing oversized, pre-cast concrete structures on a site it was preparing for a retail development in northern New Jersey. According to Recchia, his company historically would have brought in a crane to lift and position the pre-cast structures, some as heavy as 23,000 lbs.
Recchia, general superintendent Randy Lovallo and Hutton’s management team put pencil to paper and after brainstorming determined that lifting and placing the pre-cast with the firm’s EC460B was not only possible, but was also a cost-effective alternative to using the crane on several of the walls being built.
“Using the Volvo EC460B on those walls in place of the crane resulted in lower manpower and equipment costs,” Recchia said.
Hutton’s EC460B is equipped with the Volvo S-3 hydraulic quick coupler, which enables an operator to quickly and easily exchange buckets and attachments.
Like other Volvo customers, Hutton has also discovered the benefit of dropping the bucket and maximizing the unit’s already impressive lifting capacity to crane.
“This was a job that offered up some pretty challenging conditions for the Volvo machine,” Recchia said, noting that the project ran through the extremes of winter and summer, “with consistent performance by the EC460B.”
Hutton used the EC460B to load trucks with about 350,000 cubic yards of earth and rock for relocation, install more than 20,000 lineal feet of pipe, and place several hundred oversized pre-cast structures, including modular walls, culvert pipes and chambers. “The EC460B was an exceptional, well-rounded machine that adapted well to each of these various work disciplines,” he said.
Lovallo added he found that the Volvo excavator offered control and was consistent and accurate. “Which is important when there are men working below,” Lovallo said. “That is especially impressive when you consider it was handling structures of that size and weight.”
Hutton Construction, Cedar Grove, N.J., is a heavy civil contractor, specializing in site preparation, underground utilities, water and flood control.
Anthony Recchia, Sr., entered the construction industry in 1962. In the mid 1970s, his construction company took on the title “Hutton,” named for the street on which the business was located. It is now under the guidance of Recchia’s three sons: T.J., Mark and Stephen.
Mark Recchia said he has also been pleased with the craning abilities of the EC460B, Hutton’s first excavator with a hydraulic quick coupler. He noted that by disconnecting the bucket, “it reduces the weight so you get more lift capacity, the sight line is better because the bucket is gone and we gain an additional couple of feet of lift as well.”
In addition to the EC460B, Hutton Construction owns a 29.9-ton EC290B and has recently purchased a EC330B. Mark Recchia said the firm brought in the EC290B to replace an aging Cat 325BL. “It’s a bit heavier and has great cycle times and excellent fuel economy,” he said.
Hutton’s EC290B and EC330B are also equipped with Volvo hydraulic quick couplers and are typically used in underground pipe installation.
Productivity is enhanced by the efficient quick coupler, which Lovallo says enables operators to drop and switch buckets from inside the cab within about 30 seconds.
Hutton’s veteran excavator operator Jerry Leavy ran the EC290B for about a week until he was reassigned to the EC460B. “When I had to leave the EC290B, it pretty much broke my heart,” said Leavy, who has 30 years of experience. “But, the EC460B has been pretty nice.”
A new favorite machine
For many years prior to Hutton adding Volvo, Leavy had operated Komatsu machines. Understandably, after thousands of hours, he said he felt very comfortable on those units.
T.J. Recchia knew that Leavy was partial to the Komatsu, and said that he was curious to find out how Leavy felt about the Volvo.
“It was at our Christmas party when I asked him about it,” Recchia said. “I knew that he was a big Komatsu guy, but he said, ‘Everyday I go to work I like that Volvo EC460B more and more. I look forward to going to work and getting on that machine.’”
Leavy is impressed by the smooth response of the Volvo controls, which he says gives him even more confidence as an operator.
“With some other machines it feels like I’ve got two sledgehammers in my hands,” he said. “Not the Volvo. It’s smooth and responsive.”
Recchia said that smoothness reflects the quality of design and engineering that has gone into the development of Volvo B-Series excavators.
“The ergonometric design of these machines are spot on, requiring little dialing in,” Recchia said.
“This maximizes operator comfort and control and minimizes operator fatigue,” he said. “It all adds up to optimum performance from both man and machine for the entire shift and then some. This reflects significant research and development commitment by Volvo and its engineers prior to putting the machines into production.”
Fuel efficiency completes the package
Marc Dowdell, of L.B. Smith, Somerville, N.J., reports that during demonstration, Recchia was impressed by the exceptional fuel efficiency of the EC460B.
“We demonstrated the EC460B with a medium stick and 5-yard bucket,” said Dowdell, General Manager, L.B. Smith New Jersey. “Not only did the EC460B handle the large bucket flawlessly, but it burned about 15- to 18-percent less fuel that the comparable John Deere excavator working next to it with a smaller capacity bucket.”
All B-Series excavators are equipped with powerful and efficient D12 Volvo engines, which have been modified for construction equipment. Even greater fuel efficiency is gained from Volvo’s optimized hydraulics, which provide necessary power and fine control in even the toughest conditions.
Volvo’s Advanced Mode Control System ensures that maximum hydraulic horsepower and constant engine RPM is maintained.
Mark Recchia confirmed even greater fuel savings on the EC290B, which he says burns on average about 25-percent fewer gallons than a comparable machine in the Hutton fleet.
T.J. Recchia noted that while the Volvo excavators are fuel efficient, there is no sacrifice in power. “What we’ve found with the Volvos is that they don’t want for power,” he said. “They’ve done everything that our operators have asked them to do.”
» Download full PDF