Volvo Construction Equipment: 4 Tips & Tricks for Smooth Operations

When you run a construction operation, your equipment is at the absolute core of everything that you do. Given the extreme significance of your collection of heavy equipment and the utmost value it brings to each project you take on, you must get to know each of your machines quite well, learning the ins and outs as time goes on.

Not only will doing so allow you to use them to their full potential and enhance their effectiveness and efficiency on every job site, but it will also help you to keep them functioning at top performance and heighten their longevity. That way, you can maximize the use you get out of them and optimize the return on your investments into them.

What should you consider when you have Volvo equipment?

The best way to truly get to know any piece of equipment that you have in your fleet is to use it at every opportunity you get. However, there are also helpful tips and tricks to have up your sleeve, which vary from one piece of equipment to another.

The following are some useful tips to help improve your operations regarding various popular Volvo machines:

Tips for Volvo Crawler Excavators

These excavators run on two endless tracks rather than on wheels. Companies use them for mining and heavy-duty construction jobs. If you have a Volvo crawler excavator, these tips and tricks will come in handy:

1. Using a Boom Float

The optional Boom Float function is a feature that can relieve pump pressure from the cylinders when you lower the boom so that this pressure can be reallocated for other purposes, resulting in faster cycle times, improved fuel efficiency, and more accurate grading.

You can activate the boom float with the assigned switch on the right-hand joystick, which will trigger the indicator light on the display. The boom float will automatically be engaged when you push the joystick down and hold it there.

This feature is ideal for leveling and compacting soil simultaneously without making frequent adjustments to keep the bucket in contact with the ground. Boom float is also helpful in hammering applications, as it will reduce vibrations, thus lowering the wear and tear on the machine.

2. Using Work Modes

If you are using a Volvo crawler excavator, there are various integrated work modes that you can use, which include Idle Mode, Fine Mode, General Mode, and Heavy Mode. All these worker modes are integrated into a single dial, making them easy to use on any job site.

When you start up your machine, it will be in Idle Mode, although there are two options to select. The first is at 800 rpm, and the second, which is good for a faster startup, is at 1000 rpm. The next mode, Fine Mode, also has two settings: the first is optimal for grading work, and the second will give you the maximum pressure needed for trenching work and lowering a trench box into the ground.

There are four General Modes that you can access, each of which goes to a different RPM to provide you with various levels of power. Adjusting these modes will help you dial in the exact power you need for particular digging and excavating jobs when even slight shifts in power can make a big difference.

The last mode, Heavy Mode, is best for heavy tasks, as it will give you all the power you need to do things such as digging dirt for the first time in a heavy quarry.

Tips for Volvo Wheel Loaders

Wheel loaders use an arm to lift and lower a bucket and are best used to move or load various materials, such as soil, rock, sand, or debris, into or onto other types of machinery. The following tips will improve the way you use your Volvo wheel loader:

1. How to Best Use Load Assist Operator Coaching

Load Assist is a Volvo program that you can take advantage of while operating a wheel loader to receive real-time payload data and other machine information. The Operator Coaching function of Load Assist will help you to use your machine to its full potential by showing you exactly how actions influence productivity and efficiency.

To make the best use of this feature, it is a good idea to start by setting and saving operator goals, such as the idling overactive time, braking over distance, throttle position, and amount of lock-up achieved as you work to keep an eye out for pop-ups that will let you know how you are doing concerning your goals and Volvo Co-Pilot will provide real-time advice for you to follow.

2. How to Increase Loading Efficiency

Did you know that your Volvo wheel loader has built-in functions designed specifically to improve cycle times? One of these features, boom kick out, can be simply activated with the stroke of a lever and will have the boom stop at a predetermined point while lifting various materials on a job site, which is especially handy to use if you have to load a truck at the same height for an extended time.

Another feature that is good to make use of is return-to-dig, which can also be activated easily with the switch of a lever and will allow you to return the bucket to the same position every time, as you can set the position that the boom will lower to before filling the bucket at a pile.

How Great West Equipment Can Help You Build Your Volvo Fleet

Before you take advantage of the helpful tips mentioned above that will improve the productivity and efficiency you achieve on your job sites, you need to get your hands on some of the latest and greatest Volvo construction equipment.

If you need a reliable Volvo construction equipment dealer, you can count on Great West Equipment, as we have a wide selection of new and used Volvo equipment of all types, sizes, and functions. We also have a team of knowledgeable equipment experts who offer guidance and suggestions regarding the best Volvo equipment to get the job done based on the projects ahead of you.

Whether you are looking to buy Volvo equipment to add to your fleet or you simply want to rent some machines to try them out or use them temporarily, we have got you covered.

For more information about why we are the best Volvo construction equipment dealer around or to learn more about the different types of Volvo equipment that we have in stock, call Great West Equipment at 1-833-730-0613 or contact us here.