The first Hitachi ZW220-5 wheeled loader in Europe has been delivered to Norwegian company Farbu & Gausen, which specialises in road and railway construction projects, and electricity contracts on a national basis.
The new ZW-5 machine has already been dispatched to a limestone quarry that its owner rents from Hall Farm, close to its base at Kjerknesvågen, located along the Trondheimsfjord on the Inderøy peninsula.
Farbu & Gausen has had a licence from the local government to extract 400,000m³ of materials from the site since 2003. The limestone is blasted periodically and then the company’s
Three different grades of materials are produced on the site: 0/20mm for the top layer on road construction projects; 20/50mm for drainage work in house construction, and 50/120mm for the base layer on new roads. However, the size of the materials can also be prepared to order.
The new Hitachi ZW220-5 wheeled loader is the only machine based at this site, with support from the company’s fleet of Hitachi Zaxis excavators as and when required. It is used to load trucks for the delivery of the finished materials, 90% of which are produced for the company’s private road and general construction contracts.
“The reliability of the ZW220-5 will help us to maintain our reasonable running costs,” says managing director Even Gausen. “It is not only user friendly and comfortable to operate, but it also has a better loading capacity than the previous machine. With increased efficiency, it is more economical and already making a positive impact on our business.”
The machine’s operator, Anders Fossum, has worked for the company since 2003 and says: “I’ve only got positive feedback on the new Hitachi wheeled loader. It is powerful, fills the bucket well and is very stable when moving with a full load. Overall, I find the cab to be extremely comfortable and this also helps to make it easy to drive.”
Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe)/HCME presented the new ZW220-5 wheeled loader at
The ZW220-5 has an operating weight of 17,700-18,030kg and a bucket capacity of 2.4-3.5m³
Its cab is said to be more spacious than the previous model and its heated air-suspension seat slides further back to provide more leg room, while the tilting telescopic pop-up steering column has been repositioned to create additional space, and the air conditioning system regulates the temperature inside the cab. An optional filter is available for industrial waste job sites and sound insulation reduces noise levels from the local environment.
To enhance safety on the job site, the ZW220-5 offers greater visibility from the operator’s seat by thanks to a pillar-less windshield and large sun visor.
The ZW220-5 wheeled loader complies with EU regulations on emission standards, and has a 7.8litre six-cylinder water-cooled turbo engine with power rated at 145kW.
“A new clutch cut-off system allows for smooth operation when it is loading,” says HCME.
“Two simple work modes provide an appropriate level of performance for a particular task. In Standard mode, the engine speed is controlled, which allows for smooth and efficient acceleration during loading, regular operations and travelling on level terrain. Fuel consumption is reduced by up to 10%. The P mode is useful when greater traction force is required for heavy-duty excavation and travelling quickly uphill.”
Tadayoshi Aoki, HCME engineer for wheeled loaders, says: “We believe that the new wheeled loader not only meets our customers’ expectations of high quality and reliability, but also provides a safe working environment, a comfortable cab with easy-to-use controls, and overall, a machine that responds quickly and precisely.”
