All new pipe layers

Volvo Construction Equipment has launched a range of five pipe layers with lifting capacities from 20 to 150 tonnes. Unlike traditional pipe layers, which are based on tracked dozers, Volvo has adapted models from its crawler excavator range.

A statement from Volvo said these machines, “Represent a major technical advance when compared to traditional tracked tractors with side booms, the basic design of which originated in the 1930s and has changed little since.”

By using excavators as the base model, Volvo's pipe layers offer full 360° rotation, and can lift at any point in this circle. This compares to traditional fixed boom pipe layers, which can only lift over one side.

Volvo also says its machines offer greater stability and lifting capacity than traditional dozer–based machines. The largest machine in the range, the PL7015, has a 150 tonne lift capacity, which Volvo says is +41% more than the lift capacity of the largest dozer–based pipe layer ever produced.

Boom lengths on the machines range from 7,3m to 11,3m, depending on the model. All five machines feature a Load Management System (LMS), which ensures safe lifting conditions and prevents tip–overs at all points in the load chart.

The five model range is based on Volvo's crawler excavator range, with the model number designating the base model and lifting capacity of the pipe layer. For example, the PL2102 is based on the 21 tonne EC210 excavator, and has a 20 tonne lift capacity. Other models are the PL2904, based on the EC290 with a 40 tonne capacity, the PL4608 and PL4611, both based on the EC460, offering 80 tonne and 110 tonne lift capacities respectively, and the PL7015, based on the 70 tonne class EC700, offering a 150 tonne lifting capacity.