Bringing Down the House Volvo's EC380EHR and EC480EHR reach new heights of productivity

Volvo Construction Equipment has released the new EC380EHR and EC480EHR high reach demolition excavators, designed and built to suit the needs of this demanding task, offering maximum safety in all demolition applications. A frame-mounted Falling Object Guard (FOG) and safety windows ensure safer operations when there is a risk of the cab being struck by debris, and rear and side-view cameras provide a complete view of the jobsite at all times.

Produced at the Volvo industry-leading manufacturing facilities, these machines are fully supported by the company’s global service and spare parts network to increase uptime.

Designed to dismantle, the EC380EHR and EC480EHR are equipped with robust components and a powerful Volvo Tier 4 Final engine to ensure these machines keep working shift after shift. They have been built with a sturdy undercarriage and an improved working range over 360°, reducing the need to reposition the machine and maximizing production efficiency. The heavy-duty, hydraulically extendable undercarriage can be retracted for ease of transportation and expanded for ultimate stability on-site, in a matter of minutes.

Volvo has committed itself to the demolition segment with single source manufacturing of its high reach excavator products with all the safety and quality that customers expect from Volvo. In addition to demolition-specific high reach excavators, Volvo also offers demolition-guarding accessories for standard excavators ranging from Volvo EC220 models, up to EC700 that are factory-fitted and available through the Volvo spare parts network.

“Our dealers are ready to support the demolition segment with the full, global backing of Volvo,” said Walter Reeves, District Sales Manager, Volvo Construction Equipment.

Bringing down the house

With a robust structure, heavy tool weight and outstanding hydraulics, the EC380EHR and EC480EHR ensure a strong performance in the toughest of demolition projects. The latest generation of Volvo high reach excavator benefits from improvements to the machine structure and hydraulic system, each optimized to carry heavier attachments, and the maximum pin height has been increased to widen the working range for ultimate productivity. In addition, a new electro-hydraulic system uses intelligent technology to control on-demand flow for accurate controllability and excellent fuel economy.

The EC380EHR and EC480EHR are equipped with a variety of features dedicated to heavy-duty demolition, offering ultimate protection for the machine in this extreme application. A micro-mesh screen on the doors and engine cowl keeps out particles and boosts engine performance and full-length track-chain guards prevent sharp objects from lodging in the tracks. Swing-ring protection guard protects the swing-ring bearing seal and grease piping from damage by rebar, timber or other debris.

These machines have been designed to get to work quickly and efficiently — it typically takes one engineer only three to four hours to set up the machine from the trailer to work with the Volvo quick assembly system. These machines can be equipped with a dust suppression system with a 7.9 gallon-per-minute (30 lpm) hydraulic lifting pump, eliminating the need for a separate solution. Two or four programmable nozzles provide a fine mist that traps dust, and the water system can also be used for cleaning the machine with the high-pressure water gun mounted behind the cab.

Further bringing efficiency to the jobsite is CareTrack^® — the Volvo Construction Equipment telematics system that gives fleet managers remote access to a wide range of machine monitoring information to save time and money. The EC380EHR and EC480EHR come standard with a free six-year subscription to CareTrack on new purchases. With CareTrack, fuel costs can be reduced, machine and operator performance optimized and service and maintenance proactively managed to maximize uptime

Dismantle in comfort

For industry-leading levels of comfort, the EC380EHR and EC480EHR are equipped with a high-visibility Volvo cab and carefully placed cameras, ensuring the ultimate in both productivity and safety. Ergonomically placed controls and a shock-absorbent air suspension seat ensure high levels of operator comfort.

These machines feature a hands-on tilt function, with buttons located on the joysticks to allow the operator to easily adjust the angle of the tilting cab without removing their hands from the joysticks, ensuring an unobstructed view of the working area from the new, high-visibility care cab designed for demolition duties. This view is further enhanced by two cameras mounted on the arm, displayed on an eight-inch monitor for a thorough view of the attachment and working area. To ensure the operator is always working within the machine’s limits, a total moment indicator warns when the machine is approaching the maximum safe working load.