CJD Equipment’s Lindsay Daniels details the company’s partnership with Volvo to offer high performance and low fuel consumption excavators.
Since 1974, CJD Equipment has partnered with high quality international manufacturers to offer a diverse range of products for a variety of industries, from waste to transport and freight.
The company’s ethos – big enough to trust, small enough to care– has been paramount to supporting its customers to solve their day-to-day challenges with durable and versatile equipment.
In the waste handling sector, CJD’s distribution of Volvo EC220D excavators make no exception, with the company collecting the exact requirements of its customers to suit their individual site conditions. The EC220D has been distributed by CJD for more than three years, allowing them to improve their service offering over time. As Volvo CE’s first and only authorised partner for more than 25 years, CJD has continued to take pride in supporting its customers with advanced skills and product knowledge.
Lindsay Daniels, National Product Engineering & Training Manager at CJD Equipment, says that CJD’s ability to listen and understand the needs of its customers is critical to achieving success.
In his role, Lindsay collates the customer’s requirements to ensure any attachments and requirements are fitted within the supplier’s recommendations. For example, with the EC220D, if a customer is after a particular grapple, CJD finds out the material they will handle and its weight and ensures it is within Volvo’s safety guidelines.
“I think what we do well is listen to and understand our customers’ requirements and do everything we can to provide them with the right sized machinery and attachments,” Lindsay explains.
“There’s a fair degree of consistency depending on an operator’s application, whether it be green waste, scrap metal or general waste. It’s just a matter of understanding the application to offer the right option.”
To reduce fuel consumption and therefore operating costs, the Volvo EC220D boasts a 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the previous model. With Volvo’s ECO mode, a new hydraulic system and a premium Volvo D6 engine, the machine does not compromise on performance. Operator modes adjust both engine revs and operator control, maximising fuel consumption.
“The beauty of the Volvo engines is they produce a high amount of torque at very low revolutions per minute so you don’t have to rev the engine and therefore save fuel and keep the noise down,” he says.
Lindsay says that the 10 per cent in fuel economy can be experienced over the lifetime of the machine – more than 10,000 hours of use. Auto engine shutdown automatically turns off the engine to reduce fuel consumption when the machine is inactive for a preset amount of time. A gauge bar also shows instantaneous fuel consumption with average consumption per hour to monitor on different sites and applications.
Hydraulic options offer speed and versatility with the ability to use the machine for a variety of functions. The EC220D also utilises a variety of attachments for versatility, including X1 and X2 auxiliary circuits, quick couplers, direct fit, general purpose and heavy duty buckets and a Volvo tooth system for all applications.
“The machines come into Australia with all of the hydraulic options factory fitted, including two auxiliary circuits and quick couplings, hose rupture valves and boom float so it gives the customer a huge amount of flexibility over the life of the machine,” Lindsay says.
A boom float options also enables the boom to float over the ground without pressure in the boom cylinders and not using pump power to ensure power for other functions.
Lindsay says that the X1 circuit offers the ability to preset 20 functions with preset flows, whether it be a hammer, plate compactor or auger, at the click of a button within the cab.
He says that the hose rupture valves are critical to safety and part of Australian standards, particularly when fitting quick couplings to the machine that allows operators to switch buckets quickly. Besides the hose rupture valves fitted as standard, three-point contact, large door openings for ease of entry and a falling object guard within the cab all work to enhance safety. Lights on the boom also ensure visibility at night. Lindsay says the factory-fitted options save operators time and money.
The spacious cab comprises robust slim cab pillars, large expanses of glass, an adjustable seat and easy-to-access controls to reduce fatigue and boost productivity.
Lindsay says that the noise levels are also significantly low, which enhances operator comfort and alleviates pressure on the surrounding environment. A pressurised air conditioned cab also keeps dust out.
“The EC220D comes with a heavy duty boom and arm sets even for the most arduous of conditions. The arm has protection plates welded on the end of the arm so that the arm doesn’t get damaged,” he says.
He says that centralised greasing also reduces maintenance and downtime as the operator can grease the boom and arm set from two locations as opposed to many. Centralised filters and greasing points also reduce downtime. A cooling system has been designed to work within ambient temperatures in Australia and Lindsay says they are easy to clean and maintain. The radiator, charged air cooler and hydraulic cooler are situated side by side to maximise efficiencies, reduce blockages and aid cleaning. An extra water separator is also available to prevent water from entering the engine and contaminating the fuel.
With after-sales support running 24 hours and seven days a week, CJD is able to support its customers through a vast network of branches in Australia, including major regional towns.
In the meantime, Lindsay says the reliable and trouble-free machines will continue to be a hit with customers in the waste industry across Australia.