Volvo Expands and Upgrades Its Fleet of Demolition Machines
Published: 15/1
Volvo Construction Equipment demonstrated its expanded and upgraded line of demolition machines at a Customer and Press day in November, 2024, attracting more than 200 attendees from around the globe.
On November 5, Volvo Construction invited the European industry press and global key customers from all over the world to its Volvo in Demolition event at the company’s demo facility in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Held to coincide with the Word Demolition Summit in nearby Stockholm, the event also featured suppliers of demolition and recycling equipment used with Volvo’s machines or at the workplace itself. They included Demarec, Dynaset, Genesis, Holms, Hammerglass, Husqvarna Construction, Mantovanibenne (MBI), MB Crusher, Oilquick, Open S, Rotar, Rototilt, and Steelwrist. Volvo showed two new crawler excavators with straight demolition booms—the 30t EC300 and EC400, the latter being a completely new 40t machine that replacing the EC380E straight boom, while the 30-ton EC300 straight boom is the enhanced model following the previous generation EC300E straight boom.
They have both been designed to deliver the highest levels of productivity in demolition applications, all the while retaining the quality and comfort of their standard counterparts. And now thanks to an updated design that brings the customer into the future, as well as a host of additional safety and performance improvements, this duo are the perfect partners for outstanding reach and stability on demolition jobs.
Volvo CE Product Manager for Demolition Equipment, Martijn Donkersloot said the new machines embody the very best in demolition strength. Starting with a solid foundation of a new modern design that provides operators with best-in-class comfort and visibility, we have also packed in a number of outstanding features to ensure the toughest of demolition jobs can be carried out with greater ease, safety and performance,” Donkersloot added. The updated machines offer a height advantage with an increase in reach of approximately 30% over standard digging-based models. With a heavier counterweight, which can be easily detached using a hydraulic removal feature when moving from site to site, they also ensure outstanding stability during tall tasks.
Thanks to the new-generation machine base, they also enjoy a 14% improvement in fuel efficiency and a 10% increase in engine power for the EC400 straight boom over the machine it replaces. The new state-of-the-art cab environment is more spacious and packed with new features, ensuring optimum comfort and visibility. Meanwhile improved controls, an electric joystick and travel pedal allow precise controllability for the operator. The significantly updated cab is as safe as it is comfortable, with enhanced protection against falling debris with its robust roll over protection system and frame-mounted Falling Object Guards that can also be swung out to help clean the front window. And with .5-i (12mm) thick single-piece high-impact resistant glass, the windows not only provide a clear view but the best possible protection. Despite their impressive strength across demolition tasks, the machines are versatile enough to be used across a number of other tasks, such as digging, site management, and truck loading, even loading high-sided trucks thanks to the extended reach of their longer booms. Maintenance is made easy with hydraulic oil and return filter changes extended to more than 1,000 hours.
New features also come as standard including a bigger auxiliary return line for faster attachment movements and, in an industry first, the case drain line feeds returning oil back into the tank and not to a case drain circuit. Also included in the upgrade are impressive technological advantages such as the Auto Power Boost, boom-and-arm bounce reduction and the ability to adjust boom-down speed, and boom-swing and boom-travel priority.
A reversible cooling fan helps to protect vital machine components from damage through overheating in dusty demolition environments. In addition, the unique factory-fit dust suppression system removes the need for a separate truck for pumping water, with its optimized positioning of water spraying nozzles helping to capture dust at the earliest opportunity.
Elevating demolition strength with improved high reach excavators
Volvo also has paired the EC400 and upgraded EC500 with high reach features to bring customers into the future and raise the bar on strength, productivity and operator comfort across demolition applications. The new EC400 high reach and EC500 high reach excavators replace the previous generation EC380EHR and EC480EHR models. Donkersloot said the new models, “have been designed to efficiently respond to customer needs, which we found out after talking to many customers and operators all over the world, and because we make our own machines from start to finish, every detail has been carefully considered and improved to ensure the best possible performance.”
Benefitting from the new generation update, these machines enjoy a 15% fuel efficiency improvement due to engine pump optimization, better ground level access and longer service intervals, more precise controls and a quieter working environment. And thanks to the Smart View with optional Obstacle Detection, the working environment is safer for operators and other on-site workers too.
On top of the modern advantages provided by the new generation design, these enhanced models boast several innovative engineering updates specific to high reach excavators. These include a prolonged working range brought about by an extension boom concept, which offers greater variation in which the equipment is put to work, and by the machines’ structure and hydraulic system, which have been optimized to carry heavy attachments.
The hydraulic lines have also been optimized for demolition, through the increase in size of the X1 return line, which reduces the back pressure of the attachment, and a dedicated drain line for the attachment to improve oil leak rates from the rotating motor-attachment.
The tailor-made Demolition Assist tool provides visual and audible alerts on working range and stability information for demolition configurations, while an HD integrated front view camera display ensures maximized productivity and operator comfort. With Demolition Assist, the machine can accommodate new functionalities to be introduced in the future.
In addition, the purpose-built cab offers optimum visibility, perfect for high reach demolition work, while the scratch-resistant, one-piece, P5A classified, front window and the reinforced roof window are both easily cleaned with an optimized wiper system for each.
The machine is also ergonomically improved due to increased functionality in the control levers, like for example the optional Comfort Drive Control, tilting function for the cab and all kinds of smart switches.
Volvo high reach excavators are built to ensure maximum safety in all demolition applications. Their robust structure, great stability, even with heavy tool weight, and outstanding hydraulics ensure a strong performance in even the toughest of demolition projects. The electro-hydraulic system uses intelligent technology to offer accurate controllability, high productivity, and excellent fuel economy, while a hands-on tilt function and ergonomically placed controls make it even easier to get a productive day’s work done.
Versatility is also assured due to the machines’ compatibility with the wide range of Volvo and external supplier attachments. A clever attachment management system stores the settings for up to 20 different hydraulic attachments. Furthermore, it is also easy to change from an ultra-high reach boom to a standard digging configuration, so the excavator can remain busy even outside of high-reach tasks. The new Volvo crawler and high reach excavators will be available for order in spring 2025.
