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Agricultural spec Volvo wheeled loader

Built specifically for farming, PHR Farms’ new agricultural specification Volvo L70H wheeled loader is equipped with a specialised list of features. Boasting a third hydraulic function, agricultural specification Volvo wheeled loaders support a wide assortment of agricultural attachments.

Additionally, a Torque-Parallel linkage system provides high breakout, tilt-in and lifting forces, while the parallel movement also contributes to greater load stability. Equipped with a formidable silage clamp attachment, the L70H’s primary summer role is to load and compact grass into PHR Farms’ silage clamp, which ensures that there is plenty of feed available for livestock all throughout winter.

Explaining the scale of this role, PHR Farms co-owner Rob Joules stated, “Throughout the summer, I’ve got nine trailers rolling in 14 tonnes of grass for up to 12 hours each day. I then put this up into the clamp, compacting it as I go, and making sure we fit in as much as we need. There’s a lot of pressure on the machine to do this job, and the L70H has to work flat out five to six days in a row, but it’s built for it, and just puts up with it.”

Developing up to 853Nm of torque, the L70H’s Stage 5 D6J Volvo engine should ensure it is more than capable of loading, lifting and pushing anything PHR Farms requires it to, while the wider agricultural tyres and full coverage mudguards enable it to access any area on either of PHR Farms’ two sites.

The L70H also makes for easy servicing, as its automatically reversible radiator fan allows for self-cleaning of the cooling units, and the added feature of slide-out cooler installation enables further speed of cleaning. When asked what features he has found particularly impressive on the L70H, Rob explained, “It’s got better all-round visibility, axle cooling and a bigger cooling pack than previous machines we’ve had. It also has a purpose-built transmission, as well as a high-speed hydraulic pack and coolers. The cab, climate control and boom suspension are also brilliant.

“It also has an optional diff lock, which I can click on and off as I need it, so it’s not binding the machine up all the time, and I’ve also found the tearout force to be brilliant,” Rob continued. “I can load the fork up with as much grass as I can get on it, and it’ll still climb that clamp, no matter how steep. I also find it’s better balanced than our previous machine as well, so it doesn’t feel light when I have no load on the front; it’s a very well-proportioned machine,” Rob concluded.

Providing considerable peace of mind, PHR Farms has opted for a Level 2 Customer Support Agreement, which ensures that its new L70H’s uptime is maximised through proactive servicing from SMT GB’s team of mobile engineers. This Customer Support Agreement also provides PHR Farms with the financial security of working to a fixed cost per month.

Based near Ashford, Kent, PHR Farms is a family-run dairy farm with over 1,500 head of dairy cows split across two sites. Established in 2002, PHR Farms now owns one of the largest herds of cows in the UK, and produces over 9.5 million litres of milk per year.

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