MAC Surfacing Ltd based at Tipton in the West Midlands has chosen two new Volvo wheeled P6870C pavers for its hire fleet based on a growing reputation for product reliability and performance according to the company’s sales manager Mark Hibbert.
Established back in 2004 as a paver hire business and starting out with mini pavers, MAC Surfacing has expanded its business to become a nationwide hirer to the road surfacing industry offering a complete package including pavers, planers, transport and other related equipment along with supplying labour.
The last five years have seen rapid growth in the business with the requisite need to increase the paver fleet. These latest Volvo P6870C’s brings the total to 20 machines. “We were looking for a highly specified paver together with a backup that was second to none,” comments Mr Hibbert. “We’d been keeping a watching brief on the Volvo product for a while and considered that its reputation for reliability and performance coupled with Volvo’s willingness to support the product plus high profile third party endorsements was sufficient for us to opt for our first two Volvo pavers,” he continues. “So far the first two machines out on long term self-drive hire haven’t disappointed our expectations and more importantly, haven’t disappointed our customers’ expectations either, so a very positive start.”
The P6870C is powered by a Volvo D6 Stage IIIB compliant 175hp engine and at its heart features the EPM II – an Electronic Paver Management system which incorporates a ‘Settings Management’ system allowing the operator to store up to twelve parameter settings for the major functions such as screed temperature, tamping & vibrating, conveyor, auger & paving speeds. The machine has other unique features such as the ‘Smart Power’ offering optimum power for the job in hand together with 6×6 ‘Smart Drive’ technology for unparalleled continuous independent traction control over all six wheels. Even on the most difficult bases, tractive forces are automatically adjusted according to the weight of material in the machine’s 12 tonne capacity hopper. The machine demonstrates a high degree of manoeuvrability thanks to the ‘Active Steering’ feature with an inside turning radius of just 2.5 metres.
Screed performance is a distinct feature on Volvo pavers. The P6870C has a variable screed width of between 2.5 and 5 metres in standard configuration but can be fitted with optional extensions to provide a generous width of 9 metres. The machine has a theoretical output of up to 700 tonnes per hour at varying screed widths and depths.
With both machines engaged on long term hires to surfacing contractors, operator comfort and user friendliness was another important factor in MAC Surfacing’s purchasing decision along with some additional optional extras. For instance, the steering wheel, which allows for a particularly sensitive control of the machine, can be placed in various positions around the EPM II (Electronic Paver Management) control panel. The rigid all weather roof which has fibre glass roof extensions as standard was ordered with the optional hydraulically operated lowering system and for night time work, the machine has been equipped with Xenon and additional LED lighting giving superb all round illumination of the work area. For added safety around the machine, emergency stop buttons that can isolate and kill the engine have been installed on either side of the hopper.
MAC Surfacing, with its headquarters located at Tipton in the West Midlands is a family run business with many years of experience within the asphalt industry. The company is almost unique in providing self-drive paver hire but equally can provide a complete one stop shop including road crews and all the ancillary equipment. The company specialises in a complete service ranging between long term hire partnering to offering one to two day spot hires for smaller urban and private requirements.
