Full Metal Bucket

Remote job-sites and high productivity requirements mean customers are looking for maximum uptime at low ownership costs from their large wheel loaders.

Wheel loaders do more than just pull their weight on a job-site. Whether it’s loading trucks, moving mountains of aggregate or backfill, handling material such as marble or tree logs, or working in the pit, wheel loaders can be responsible for moving more material on-site than any other single machine.

In Africa, demand for loaders has risen as new projects come online. “The quarry and ag-gregates industry supports the infrastructure development in the region, where many large-scale projects have started over the past few years,” says Bjorn Westlund, Global Applica-tion Specialist, Load & Haul at Caterpillar, explaining that those projects have driven up demand for both new and used equipment. “Some of those projects are located in remote locations and this can bring its own challenges; however, thanks to telematics and digital technology, solutions and support are more readily available than ever.”

Nevertheless, market conditions in some countries or sectors are currently challenging. 

In North Africa, political uncertainty – elections and forming new governments – has led to delayed investment in infrastructure projects, says Ilkay Fidan, Business Director for Africa, Turkey and the Middle East at Volvo Construction Equipment. “The outlook for 2020 is light-ly positive in North Africa compared to 2019 in general,” he says.

Volvo’s large wheel loaders are used in heavy infrastructure projects, as well as for mining and in the quarry and aggregates business in general, says Fidan. “As a base of demand de-creased, 2019 was a difficult year for some customers in these segments. However, we have seen lately that mining is on the up and demand is increasing.”

The right-size loader 

When choosing a wheel loader, work-sites need to balance the productivity of a larger ma-chine against greater capex cost and higher running costs, especially fuel. Correspondingly, a loader that doesn’t have a large enough capacity can lead to productivity problems such as increased waiting time for trucks.

Making sure you have the right machine for the job is also an important factor for machine durability, notes Westlund. “The Cat large wheel loaders (986K to 993K) are designed to be primary pit loaders working directly at the face, performing consistently and reliably over multiple machine lives and in some of the toughest conditions. Pairing a robust design with a solid preventative maintenance (PM) programme, Cat pit loaders deliver some of the highest machine uptime and availability in the market.”

Making sure you have the right wheel loader for the job at hand is an important factor for machine durability.

Tendayi Kudumba, GM of Liebherr’s Earthmoving Technology Division, says its large wheel loaders are used across Africa for handling heavy materials such as coal, iron ore and chrome, tough applications that require a high level of robustness and reliability. The Ger-man manufacturer has a specialised range of wheel loaders for the African markets, rang-ing from the L 524, with an operating weight of 10,400kg and a tipping load of 7,500kg, up to the L 580, with an operating weight of 24,720kg and a tip load of 18,000kg.

The range is a result of Liebherr’s decades of experience in producing and developing wheel loaders, says Kudumba: “Despite the competition from Eastern Asian and from other inter-national manufacturers, Liebherr wheel loaders have been gaining popularity in Africa.” The mid-range L 550, with an operating weight of 17,350kg, is its top-selling wheel loader, but sales of the L 566 and L 580 in the African market have been growing steadily as well, he says. 

With job-sites often found in remote locations, that creates  additional pressures. “We per-ceive that African customers look for the best possible service network and spare parts availability. This is a key decision factor, not only in erratic phases of the market,” says Kudumba, explaining that Liebherr is in a strong position because it has a dense service network across the continent with several partners all over Africa.

Fuel is typically the highest single operating cost, and in remote operations the distance from refineries and fuel depots has a further impact on cost, notes Westlund. “The current generation of Cat wheel loaders enjoy some of the highest efficiencies of tonne per litre, driving down the total cost per tonne of material moved.”

Preparing for and scheduling preventative maintenance services for a fleet can also be a challenge in a remote location, says Westlund. By using data collection via Cat’s telematic tool Product Link, available with cellular or satellite reporting (or both), the service team can be prepared before coming on-site for maintenance and service.

Lifetime costs add up

The overall total cost of ownership is an especially important calculation for customers buy-ing a new loader, says Volvo CE’s Fidan. “Fuel efficiency, together with repair and mainte-nance costs, are important factors for the customers. In general, country-specific legislation or logistic capabilities create difficulties for customers and dealers. Parts availability is cru-cial for customers’ operations. That’s why a strong brand and dealer footprint are key to success.”

Mid-sized and larger wheel loaders are used for a wide variety of applications.

When buying a Liebherr machine, African customers benefit from low operating costs over the entire life of the machine, says Kudumba, in particular due to low fuel consumption. “Compared to conventional wheel loaders of the same size, the Liebherr hydrostatic driveline achieves a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 25%.”

Another advantage of the driveline is the hydraulic braking action, he explains. “The service brake only acts as a support and is therefore subject to hardly any wear. Additionally, the automatic self-locking differentials prevent wheel spin, reducing tyre wear and operating costs sustainably.”

Cabin comforts

Operator comfort is an important consideration for manufacturers – after all, the operator spends almost the entire working day in the cabin, notes Kudumba, who says the Liebherr wheel loader cabin is designed with the machine operator in mind. “The displays, controls and operator’s seat are carefully coordinated to form an ergonomic unit. The optional air-suspended operator’s seat offers high seating comfort and relaxed working.”

The Liebherr control lever allows all working and manoeuvring operations to be performed with a high degree of precision and sensitivity, he says. “This means accurate and safe han-dling, and the left hand always remains on the steering wheel, increasing safety at the job-site.”

Other safety considerations include all-round visibility and an engine hood design optimised for viewing, while the cabin offers roll over protective structures (ROPS) and falling object protective structures (FOPS), especially important in tough mining applications, says Kudumba. “In case of an emergency, the optional electro-hydraulic emergency steering sys-tem serves as a contingency system.”

The functionality and user-friendliness of Volvo wheel loaders make it easier for the opera-tor to be more productive, so much so that operators who operate a Volvo wheel loader of-ten do not want to change to another brand because of the comfort and productivity of Vol-vo machines, says Fidan. Customers in Africa and Europe enjoy the same high-quality cab, he notes. The Boom Suspension System available on Volvo machines also ensures safe and comfortable operations in bucket applications, leading to increased productivity.

Westlund points out that the controls are placed within easy reach of the operator in the Cat cabins, while the Cat wheel loaders come standard with seat-mounted STIC steering and EH implement controls that reduce the force needed to operate the linkage, reducing stress and fatigue.

“Those same controls are now paired with our next generation of seats with enhanced ad-justability, heated and ventilated cushions, and air suspension. Combining our electro hy-draulics controls with impeller clutch pedal for rimpull control and throttle lock operation, operators have a single pedal operation and precise fingertip control, reducing complexity and increasing productivity,” says Westlund.

The right tool

Key considerations when selecting a bucket for a wheel loader include material density, abrasiveness, fragmentation of shot, bucket fill factor and pass match target, says Westlund. “We offer a broad range of bucket sizes to accommodate for densities, allowing our customers to hit target payload. We also provide additional wear packages to handle abrasive materials. The key is selecting a bucket that will meet production requirements while still providing adequate life. It is a balance.”

Serviceability and robustness are even more important for machines on remote job-sites.

The use of other attachments can equip a wheel loader with efficient tools for specific tasks. In order for customers to be able to work with a variety of attachments, Liebherr of-fers two different types of lift arm variants for its loaders - the Z-bar linkage and then the parallel linkage (on the L 524 and L 538), or the industrial lift arm (on the L 550 and L 580). “The standard Z-bar linkage provides a large torque in the lower region of the lift arm. This is the ideal prerequisite for conventional wheel loader applications, for example for break-ing out material from a pile and transporting it to a crusher,” says Kudumba.

Meanwhile, the parallel linkage or industrial lift arm has a parallel guide arrangement and especially high torque in the upper lifting range, he says. “This is the best solution for indus-trial use as it allows large attachments, such as high-dump buckets or log grapples, to be fitted. Moreover, parallel linkage and the industrial lift arm are well suited to working with a fork,” he explains.

Although by far the highest demand is for single-bucket specifications, says Fidan, custom-ers understand the versatility advantage of a wheel loader where there are changing envi-ronments on job-sites. “Volvo is a pioneer in attachment bracket applications and enjoys a high market share where they are necessary, such as in the marble industry,” he says.