A Weidemann 2070CX50 compact wheeled loader has been delivered to the Purbeck, county Dorset, southern England-based Lovell Stone Group for use at its recently acquired Hartham Park underground quarry in Corsham, county Wiltshire.
Lovell Stone owns and operates a total of five quarries across south-west England and the new facility will produce premium Hartham Park Bath stone with a potential capacity of up to 4,000m³/year which will be supplied to masonry companies throughout the UK.
As part of a major capital investment programme at Hartham Park, the Weidemann articulated loader is a small but important element. The previous operator of the quarry had used a skid steer loader for the lighter duties involved such as moving small blocks of stone and general fetch-and-carry duties. After trials, the Weidemann unit was chosen.
The quarry workings at Hartham Park are some 20m underground and the only access is via a steep ramp up which stone blocks are winched on a wheel-mounted trolley. Unlike some of the larger equipment used in the mining operation, the Weidemann machine was small enough to be lowered down the shaft without the need for dismantling.
Supplied by local dealer New Forest Farm Machinery, the 2070CX50 supplied to Lovell Stone is powered by a Perkins diesel engine developing 35.7kW at 2,600rpm driving all four wheels via a two stage 20km/hour hydrostatic transmission. Weighing in at 3,270kg, the machine offers a maximum tipping load of 2,058kg and a maximum pivot point reach of 3.222m.
Weidemann has been a subsidiary of Wacker Neuson since 2005.
