Gloucestershire-based Valley Trading Ltd has purchased the first new generation Doosan DL200-3 Stage IIIB compliant wheel loader in the UK from Kellands (Plant Sales) Ltd, based at Bridgwater in Somerset, the authorised dealer for the Doosan Heavy, Bobcat and Montabert product ranges in South West England.
Based at spacious facilities on the Babdown Industrial Estate near Tetbury, the Valley Trading materials storage and waste recycling business is run by the husband and wife team of Reino and Barbara Kahkonen. As well as efficiently processing around 50,000 tonne of material a year on the site, Valley Trading also supplies aggregates and hires out skips, tippers and grab lorries.
Reino Kahkonen commented: "We have had good operational experience with our existing Doosan machines and, combined with the excellent package and support from Kellands, this greatly influenced our decision to purchase the new 2.0 m3 capacity DL200-3 wheel loader.
"This machine is busy working most of the time in our covered waste transfer station, and joins a 2.5 m3 Doosan DL250 wheel loader that's been operating at our site for over 5 years now. At the point that the new DL200-3 model arrived, the slightly larger DL250 wheel loader had worked an impressive 7340 hours without any major problems."
The Doosan wheel loaders at Valley Trading are critical to the operation as they are constantly loading, moving and discharging different materials as they arrive, are processed and then dispatched. The machines are working for much of the time between 7 am until 5 pm, six days a week so durability and reliability are essential to maintain the material flow.
Power for the new generation DL200-3 wheel loader is provided by a Doosan DL06K 'common rail' 6-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine rated at 119 kW (160 HP). This engine meets the latest Stage IIIB engine emission regulations through the use of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) after-treatment technologies.
The new loader also features a 4-gear ZF powershift transmission (with automatic and manual modes), new ZF limited slip Type II differential axles and load sensing controlled hydraulics with variable piston pumps. A hydraulically driven, automatically reversing fan is fitted as standard and swing-out side doors provide easy access to the rear for cleaning out the new one-block radiator.
In order to optimise fuel consumption for different applications, the new DL200-3 model provides its operator with the choice of three working modes - Eco, Normal and Power. An Eco bar provides information about fuel consumption in relation to machine performance in real-time. If Auto Idle is activated, engine speed goes down about 200 rpm after 10 seconds if there is no machine movement. This feature can help reduce fuel consumption by up to 8%.
The new generation DL200-3 wheel loader features an improved cab that provides better visibility thanks to a wider front glass section and an extended wiper blade area. Now that the reservoir for the wiper water is located on the outside of the cab, space inside has been increased, providing more foot room.
Access to the new cab has been made easier and inside there is an improved instrument panel that has an integrated VCU (vehicle control unit). The control panel has been redesigned and it allows operators to select the information they want to have displayed.
Data such as pressure, temperature and engine speed can be monitored in real time. The operator and service staff are able to get detailed information via the Special Menu. This is useful to Valley Trading which employs two fitters to carry out machine and vehicle servicing on-site.
The DL200-3 wheel loader has also gained an improved colour screen to display the image from the rear view camera. This picture is very clear and it usefully incorporates red horizontal lines to provide an indication of the distance that objects are behind the machine.
To aid material retention in the bucket, the DL200-3 wheel loader comes as standard with Doosan's Load Isolation System - a very useful feature according to Valley Trading. Reino Kahkonen favours the use of automatic greasing which he has on his latest trucks. So the new loader has been fitted with the optional SKF Vogel Auto Lubrication system.
Reino Kahkonen added: "Mark Rudge is the operator on the new DL200-3 wheel loader and he says he finds it is a quiet and comfortable machine. I think the DL200-3 wheel loader is a really nice machine that has plenty of power to dig into our material stockpiles. I am also delighted with the support we receive from Kellands which is a good company to deal with."
With depots in Bridgwater and Camelford in Cornwall, Kellands (Plant Sales) Ltd is the authorised Doosan, Bobcat and Montabert dealer for the whole of South West England, covering the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and Gloucestershire.