Hillhead 2018: Liebherr XPower® wheel loaders in quarrying operations
18.06.2018
Liebherr L 586 XPower®
Source: Liebherr
Topping the range of Liebherr wheel loaders, the 33 tonne L 586 XPower® has recently been finding friends in a number of quarrying operations around the UK. This includes Hanson Aggregates which has a number of the machines, one of which is at work as St George Quarry near Abergele. Both Quarry Manager Lee Williams and regular operator Edwin Roberts have been amazed at the new wheel loader’s fuel consumption, or rather the lack of it. They suspected that the LiDAT monitoring system was faulty when it showed that the machine was only using 11.7 l of fuel per hour. “This is far better than we thought it would be and is far less than any of the previous machines we have used on site,” Lee Williams commented. “We have been very impressed with the reliability of the machine too,” he added.
The L 586 XPower® boasts the pinnacle of engine and transmission technology in the form of a 6-cylinder D936 engine and an XPower® CVT transmission. This combination allowed Liebherr designers to keep the engine low and to the rear of the machine, replacing the large counterweight. This reduction in physical mass, and therefore weight, equates to a significant fuel saving. The Liebherr diesel engine delivers 358 HP at a maximum of 1800 RPM. This low revving ability matched to the XPower® driveline has impressed Edwin with its power and ease of control. Edwin Roberts has operated wheeled loaders for over 40 years and is therefore well qualified to give his experienced view on the L 586 XPower®: This is simply the best wheeled loader I have driven,” he said.
An L 576 XPower® equipped with a 5.2 m3 bucket on Z-bar linkage is being tasked with loading a fleet of 40 tonne capacity articulated dump trucks with material at a North Wales quarry for a major aggregate producer on a contract for fabrication and quarry services contractor Thor Atkinson, where it has impressed with its fuel efficiency by using just 12.4 l/h.
Liebherr L 576 XPower®
Source: Liebherr
At close to 26 tonnes the L 576 XPower® wheel loader is powered by a 292 HP Liebherr 6-cylinder diesel engine positioned low to the rear of the machine to give it excellent weight distribution and balance, which eliminates the need for additional counterweight. The addition of AdBlue and SCR technology enable it to meet the latest Tier 4f emission standards. A fuel-efficient engine combined with state-of-the-art transmission is key to the low cost per tonne produced. The current operator of one of the L 576 XPower® wheel loaders commented that it is very easy and comfortable to operate and is hardly using any fuel. And Thor Atkinson Contracts Manager Colin Scott said: “I know from my experience that the Liebherr wheel loaders are superb on fuel and that they perform better than similarly-sized machines from other manufacturers.”
Hillhead 2018, stand Z6
