The latest PL4809D, nonetheless, can travel faster on flat
ground as a result of its significantly improved tractive effort.
When lowering-in, Volvo’s single, straight travel pedal feature
leaves the operator’s hands free to control the boom and winch.
Volvo’s operator-friendly design even allows the operator to
choose the preferred joystick to operate the winch, by simply
selecting left or right via a pattern change control valve.
When terrain conditions or obstacles call for the pipeline
to move from one side of the ROW to the other, the only
adjustment for a Volvo pipelayer is to simply swing the upper
structure to position the boom on the other side. The same
applies should any pipes need repositioning as this 360˚ swing
capability enables it to position pipe anywhere around the
machine.
When the going gets tough
Canadian contractor Surerus operates PL3005D, PL4608 and
PL4611 pipelayers. Veteran operator Rick Gould was very pleased
with the performance of the Volvo pipelayers. “After years of
operating a traditional side boom machine, these took a little bit
of getting used to. They were, simply put … different, but now I
love them. They are versatile, you can literally offload the pipe
and swing it 180˚ to the trench and you can’t do that with a side
boom.”
He went on: “operator visibility is outstanding making
it safer for both the operator and the on-the-ground crew.
It has superior reach and the onboard load management
system is fantastic. And the cab ... who wouldn’t like it ...
air conditioning, heating and a stereo. This is a first class
machine.”
Given the importance of machine stability, the lower centre
of gravity of Volvo pipelayers is a major contributor, in addition
to improving the ability to manage heavy loads. This is achieved
due to the boom being mounted inside the track frame of what
is already a wide and stable platform; the centre of gravity
is further lowered with the addition of hook-on, track frame
counterweights on the PL4608 and latest PL4809D models. The
counterweight design facilitates cleaning in addition to the ease
of hooking them off to reduce machine weight for transportation
where strict weight limits may apply.
On the PL4608/PL4809D a hydraulically variable
undercarriage allows the track width to be increased by
500 mm for additional site stability and simply retracted for
transportation. Should at any point, due to ground conditions,
the machines may need to sit back from the trench, the flick
of a switch can raise the hydraulically elevating cab to provide
excellent visibility into the trench as well as over the work site
and, especially, to any personnel on the ground. The latest Volvo
p l a n t a n d m a c h i n e t e c h n i q u e s
ifting.com
Schoenbeck GmbH & Co. KG
•
Germany
•
Tel. +49 5721 99 44 39-26 • Fax +49 5721 99 44 39-23
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