I was just looking for some feedback on what you think of Volvo's new line of excavators. My only experience has been with Linkbelt, Cat, and most recently we have been going with John Deere. I just priced out some 250 size excavators and volvo's number is hands down the lowest but i'm affaid i might get burned by going with the lowest number.
We are diehard john deere owners but that said in september we got a great deal on a volvo 235. The machine has 2300 hours and all the bells and whistles. So far we love it, great speed tons of power really comfortable and smooth.
I've had nothing but good luck with my 210c. Don't buy a volvo because its cheap(which its not here 3rd to Cat, Deere/Hit. buy because of its warranty I have had a couple little hicups on job sites and volvo pays the dealer to go to site and fix free of charge. Not to mention fuel consumption is lower then any comparable machine I have ever run. In summer 20-25C was running 8.2L/hr digging trench in clay.
I have spent some time on a 210 and a 160. Both were smooth, quiet, and decent on fuel. That being said, they were both slow as christmas and I hated every minute I spent on one. They are not an operator's machine in my opinion.
volvo is a joint venture of samsung and akerman (volvo bought them in the mid 90s) not a bad machine but i dont and wont have one i just dont like them , they are not as good as a hitachi kobelco or daewoo , the boom has a tendancy to crack from side to side just over the main pin, volvo sometimes "forget" to put oil in the swing box on brand new machines, and when a spider gear shatters they tell you you were abusing the machine. the story goes on and on , but i just dont like the color its too dull!
Help needed! Do you know what model is this. look fotos from link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74082197@N03/6678217853/in/photostream/ ann make yous comments there, or send me e-mail to. [email protected] Excavator is in Finland,EU! Somebody did tell me that it maybe is Pel-Job TB355 or Takeuchi TB35S with new painted. If you have any information, or maybe ownwers manual, wich yo can share with me. Iwil be very happy. Many Thanks, Forward.
Agreed and agreed, the over all finish isn't fantastic either, and the cooling and hydraulic system cannot handle excessive heat or dust, so out of the excavator race in my books...
They are no particular pleasure to operate either. lol
Volvo nice machine i'm on 460 good on fuel nice and smooth to operate let the big dog eat
run as fast away from a vovlo as you can they will kill you on the price of parts, we had a 2007 210 diking in are peat feild always over heated and burned more 30% fuel then are 1990 EL 200B dealer told me running a vovlo over are old cat would cover the payments in fuel wow was he off thank god we rented it, gave it back and dealer has never come back in are yard
I will agree the parts can be expensive. That being said I love deere/hitachi and would recomend them first. But owning a volvo and putting about 300 hours on it so far the only problem we had was the sensor that slows the boom down when you go all the way up. It was covered by warrenty and they came out first thing next morning to fix it. I'v run komatsu, cat, deere, hitachi, and volvo. Would take a volvo over a cat or koma. any day.
Intresting opinons and also useful, tks
We bought a brand new EC240CL last year...she's done about 1000 Hours and is a brilliant all round machine. Tonnes of grunt, smooth as silk and comfortable. All the bells and whistles...reverse camera etc, aux, hose burst valves... Second to none.
hi Volvo crawler excavators are manufactured in South Korea the machines use original or licenced production of hydraulics and transmisions, this is the same assembly practice operated by most Asian excavator manufactures. Dont be fooled by the name look at the main parts (Kawaski - Toshiba ect) most are the same.
I worked on a project with a contractor installing water mains. They had an EC210 and an EC240 and those things were nothing but problems. They both had between 5,000 and 8,000 hours and they blew hoses, had some sort of bad oil leak around the slew ring and the swing motor, and the seals were blown out of the slew rings, and they both started hard in 40 degree weather. Watching/looking over those 2 excavators made a bad impression on me. I would never own one, and there isn't a dealer relatively close. Not to mention our John Deere 230C LC on the same job could run circles around the Volvo EC240
I think Volvo makes a good machine. Strictly from an operating stand point, I ran a Samsung SE210LC-3 for sevral thousand hours at my first full time gig and just loved it. It was getting pretty sells when I got her up over 11k hours but my old boss still runs it everyday and lord knows how much time it's racked in the for years since I left. I ran his well used 210B Volvo for a while till I he bought me a new 240B Volvo and that was a real nice machine. Side by side against our 325C kitty cat I would bury it. Volvo has great power and are stingy on fuel, the '99 Samsung and that 210 Volvo could work pretty hard for 2 10 hour days before fueling. I also ran a 290 Volvo that was real nice as well. The only real down sides to the Volvo's I have run is annoying little stuff breaks, cab componints, switches etc. that make it do the quick coupler don't work or you can switch to one way aux hydro from 2 way, and I've lost high travel on one and low travel on another. On the subject of hammering, my experience is though they dig great, they don't hammer well. Someone correct me but I believe you can order a Volvo with either a bigger or second pump that solves it, at least that's the line of BS I got from the dealer
Coming from a few months experience working at a Volvo and Hitachi dealer while i was in school, the Volvo is not as good of a machine as the Hitachi, but the Volvo is not a bad machine. However, parts are expensive, and everything usually comes separate unless you have a good parts guy. Most of the Volvo problems I saw were wear and lack of maintenance, but to compare, the entire time I was working their, we only had 2 Hitachis come through the shop.
i was running a volvo 210 it was ok even tho i was on a small site and was putting in water and sewer lines, the quick change attachment always messed up and kept blowing the quick change hose. and the quick change it self would always get stuck. when i was working up in fort nelson the boss bought a volvo 360 and returned it after a 100 hours.. mostly becasue it was slow as hell and needed a pilot truck to move it.. might as well have moved the 460 instead.
You can order a 2 pump auxiliary hydraulics. Shouldn't be a problem to retrofit.
Two pump connection The "C" series only need one sol valve to activate the second pump and a VCADS guy to switch it on simple job.
Mate do you still have the same opinion of the Volvo after another couple of years? I am interested in one - cheap compared to other makes but worried about the little things that others do so well.
save yourself alot of money and buy a hitachi or a doosan
Surprised you find a Volvo cheap worked with this product some years most have been pleased with the product
In my opinion Volvo parts tend to be more expensive.
Have had a EC160C for around 4 years (bought new). I actually chose it over brand new Komatsu, Hitachi, and Doosan for one reason. The 6 cylinder motor. It is the same motor that they put in the 210 machines just not as pumped up. And for the record i demoed all four machines first. I personally liked all of the machines, they all had their ups and downs! Honestly i think its personal preference, and what you like now days especially with all this technology.
I forgot dealer support its a big help !!
Been on machines for 32yrs ,been on most of them ....Volvo are prity much up there now,operator comfort and ease of operating ,man these things are so smooth . Cat = 6/10 Doosan= 7/10 JCB = 7/10 Kobleco=6/10 Hitachi=8/10 Newholland =1/10 Volvo 9.5/10
Volvo excavators are made by Samsung and I have one of their TVs and what a nice picture. So I imagine their excavators are pretty good too.
Funny you should say that,my daughter's just bought a 51" Samsung and the pictures stunning in every way....
I think you will find the current series of volvo excavators is derived originally from Samsung Heavy Equipment, volvo bought samsung and discontinued the samsung wheel loaders but further developed the hydraulic excavator. Akerman is a very early european company that no longer appears in the volvo line up, very early volvo excavators where Akerman until the first samsung based models (cummins engine spec) went into production. The volvo excavator is a quality product ive been involved with volvo, hitachi,caterpillar,komatsu,samsung,kobelco,sumitomo excavators. Volvo would be in my top 2 of quality equipment. Yatesy. Cheers mate.
Volvo has begun making great machines I was questioning the Volvo's a few months back myself, but decided to go for one. Was a great choice, priced decent and the customer support is better than the other dealers in my area. I recommend trying/renting one, then buying.
I like mine. It is very smooth and precise. Sips fuel. The operators I hire say its the nicest machine they have been in.
Salut ma putti ajuta si pe mine cu schema hidraulica pentru volvo EC250EL