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Max Wild’s Develon DL420CVT-7 Wheel Loader

Max Wild GmbH, based in Berkheim in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, has added a new Develon DL420CVT-7 wheel loader to its fleet. The machine was tested by the company and the feedback from drivers was very positive. The DL420CVT-7 was supplied by the local Authorised Develon Dealer, Süddeutsche Baumaschinen Handels GmbH.

When Roland Wild, Managing Director of Max Wild GmbH, and Thomas Macho, Regional Sales Manager for Süddeutsche Baumaschinen, talked about purchasing a new wheel loader in the class with a 4m³ bucket volume, Macho suggested the DL420CVT-7 from Develon. Since Max Wild had already had a machine from Develon (formerly Doosan Construction Equipment) in the company for several years, which had left a good impression, Max Wild decided to take a new DL420CVT-7 for testing for two weeks.

After an overall positive assessment from the drivers, the machine was taken on long-term rental at the end of the first test period. When the performance continued to be convincing in the second rental period, the wheel loader was purchased and repainted in the Max Wild green company colours by the in-house paint shop.

Roland Wild said, “Our drivers have a right to have a say in the selection of our machines. When they expressed their satisfaction with the wheel loader after the initial test period, we continued testing the DL420CVT-7 on a long-term rental. When the wheel loader was also convincing in this period, we finally decided to buy it.”

One of the operators added, “The performance of the machine was top. For me as a driver, the machine is also very comfortable to use, and together with the low fuel consumption, that absolutely convinced me.”

In the gravel pit
The new wheel loader is used in the company’s gravel pit. There the machine usually performs continuously for eight hours a day. The main tasks range from truck loading to direct quarrying to feeding the screening plant. Roland Wild said, “In the three months since purchasing the machine, we have achieved an average fuel consumption of 12.4L per hour. That is a very good value. We haven’t had any interruptions so far as the wheel loader has proven to be very reliable.”

One of the main reasons for the machine's excellent fuel efficiency is its CVT transmission. Marc Glesius, Sales Manager GSA at Develon said, “The advantages of a mechanical and hydrostatic transmission are combined, which eliminates the disadvantages of both systems. The variable transmission changes continuously from the hydrostatic drive to the mechanical drive as the speed increases and depending on the operational requirements.

“The advantages of the system include, in particular, the excellent traction offered by a hydrostatic transmission and the ability to drive over longer distances with a purely mechanical transmission,” Marc continued. “The fuel savings of up to 30% are thanks to the lower engine speed compared to conventional transmissions, that is necessary to achieve maximum speed and traction.”

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