Volvo ECR58D excavator: Operator Review

Complete Earthworks is a northern Tasmanian-based earth moving company started by Brett Husband a little over three years ago. The business started with just one small excavator, but the fleet has now grown to include two excavators, wheel loaders and tip trucks.

Husband says the current boom in residential construction around the state is driving demand for compact excavators like the Volvo ECR58D to record levels. In fact, in 2016, over 5500 (across all brands) of these machines were sold in Australia.

"Normally I work six days a week, but more often than not it is now morphing into seven," Husband says.

"We're extremely busy at the moment and you need a spacious, roomy cabin when you're in the machine for eight-plus hours every day."

That requirement for a comfortable cabin led Husband to purchase a new Volvo ECR58D compact excavator to help manage his firm's increasing workload.

Spacious and comfortable cabin

The roominess in the ECR58D's cabin is attributed to the side-mounted engine, which has opened up more space for the cab. At the rear, the large hood allows operators to get unobstructed access to all routine service points, including filters and fluid levels. The fuse box is conveniently located under the seat for easy access.

More importantly, the cabin door can be locked open if required, and is positioned within the perimeter of the chassis to prevent damage.

The cab is mounted on rubber bushings to reduce vibration from the hydraulics and engine, hence reducing operator fatigue.

"Launceston's terrain is extremely diversified; from steep ridges on either side of the river to the low-lying wetlands along the banks of the Tamar River," Husband says.

"In fact, some parts of Inveresk and Invermay are below the high tide level, so we have plenty of variety in our work.

"Because the topography in Launceston goes from one extreme to the other, demand for structural retaining walls and our latest service offering – screw piers – is high.

"The reduced tail-swing radius ECR58D means we can get into tight suburban worksites easily," Husband adds.

"It is especially handy around tight duplex building sites. The large cabin windows provide plenty of vision, which is a great asset when we are building retaining walls."

A thumb-roller control allows the operator to incrementally adjust the hydraulic flow to the attachment for precise operation.

Screw pier installation

"We introduced the supply and installation of screw piers a couple of months back, and that has proved very popular with our clients," Husband says.

"The screw piers are excellent for residential and commercial foundations where there is high sand or silt, highly reactive soil, or in landslip prone areas. They are extremely cost-effective to install and can be installed in any weather condition.

"Conversely, there is no soil to dispose of and the screw piers can even be used in contaminated soil. More importantly, from a safety aspect, there are no open excavations; this reduces the risk of a workplace incident," Husband adds.

"This machine has impressive bucket and dipper digging forces, which means there is plenty of digging power when we need it.

"Overall, it's a very versatile machine for its size."

Fuel efficiency

An auto-idle feature drops the engine speed to idle if the controls are not activated for more than five seconds. The system then returns the engine to pre-selected speeds as soon as the controls are in use again.

"This function really helps to reduce our fuel consumption," Husband says.

"On a building site, the foreman might call me away from the machine for a minute to discuss something, and I'd manually reduce the engine revs before getting out of the machine, but most times the engine would probably still be running at a fast idle.

"That 'minute or so' discussion sometimes turns into an eight or nine-minute meeting. Add that up throughout the day and there's a lot of extra fuel being burnt at idle, so the auto-idle is a great feature for us."

Husband adds that the on-board electric fuel pump is one of the handiest features he's found on the machine.

"At the end of the day, I just pull the truck up next to the machine and place the plastic tube in the truck's fuel tank, flick the switch on the on-board electric pump, and the machine fills itself up," he says.

"It just makes fuelling up so much easier; I love it."

The Volvo ECR58D has two-speed travel. In high range, the travel speed automatically shifts from high to low according to the travel load to make tasks like levelling, backfilling, or manoeuvring building sites easier.

Hydraulics

The load-sensing hydraulics on the excavator are rumoured to be the best in this segment of the market and Husband concurs. He says he has noticed significant fuel savings with this machine, which he partly attributes to the simplicity and efficiency of the hydraulic operation.

"The speed of the hydraulic movements is directly proportional to how I position the multi-function joystick levers," he says.

"So regardless of the load or number of simultaneous cylinder movements, the hydraulic system only supplies the necessary power required, and it happens instantly."

A second independent circuit allowed Husband to install a JB Heli-Tilt coupler that came off his old machine.

"It was only 12 months old and hadn't done much work so it made economic sense to swap it to this new machine," Husband says.

"It also meant that I could keep and utilise all my existing buckets and attachments, which was a terrific bonus."

Verdict

"Sure, there are probably a few other excavators that could do the work we do, but this machine is in a class of its own when it comes to comfort, productivity and economy," Husband says.

"However, combine that with the great back-up service and support we get from CJD's Launceston dealership and we've got a terrific package that enables us to concentrate on delivering exceptional service to our customers.

"At the end of the day, the service we provide to our customers is directly proportional to the reliability of the equipment we operate."