The largest-ever order for Volvo A40D articulated haulers has recently been completed with Abu Dhabi contractor Al Jaber Establishment taking delivery of 30 units for a desert-rehabilitation project.
The Volvos are hauling almost 2 million cu m a week.
Known as the Ashoosh Farms project, and located near Saih As Sidirah in the north of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the desert will be levelled, irrigated and turned into farms in a venture attributed to the vision of HH Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Al Jaber has been awarded a contract covering an area measuring 5 km by 7 km - approximately 50 per cent of the overall scheme. As well as levelling the ground, Al Jaber is also preparing 98 km of new service roads and maintaining 35 km of existing roads.
The designated areas of sand, consisting mainly of dunes, are levelled with a cut-and-fill method, before being divided into predetermined farming lots.
The recently-delivered A40Ds, manufactured by the Sweden-based Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE), have now joined a huge fleet of on-site construction machinery. Al Jaber has a combined fleet of 140 trucks and haulers, including 20 Volvo A40s which completed a similar project in Al Ain in 1999. All 50 units had been ordered through Volvo's local distributor Al Futtaim.
The original desert lots are levelled by excavating the 'dune tops' and then infilling the depression.
A typical highest point in an area could be almost 200 m above and the lowest no more than 170 m below, datum. All material excavated from the dunes is used to in-fill any depressions. In this way, Al Jaber is able to level the site to a pre-determined level without importing or removing any materials.
''The contractor is employing a quick and reliable method of moving large dunes of fine sand into depressions,'' says a spokesman for VCE. ''Al Jaber is utilising a fleet of 175 dozers, which push sand into loaders. The sand is then transported by conveyor before being off-loaded into a hauler.''
He continues: ''On-site, the Volvo A40D haulers are working alongside excavators to shift 250,000 cu m of sand a day with maximum-heaped loads of 22.5 cu m. Haul distances between excavation area and depressions vary between 1 km and 3 km.
''The 6x6 drive of the A40D is extremely important to the success of the operation. It means that the hauler can be backed into the depression with its rear four wheels in the hole and still successfully pull away after tipping. This reduces cycle times considerably. The haulers are operating for up to 15 hours a day, six days a week.''
The new Volvo A40D hauler incorporates a new hydraulic system for faster dumping, which has proved extremely important on this project, according to Al Jaber.
The new hauler is also powered by a new 12-litre Volvo diesel engine, rated at 313 kW (420 hp). The engine is equipped with two separate cooling systems with thermostatically-controlled hydraulic-powered fans that start up only when cooling is required, the spokesman says.
''A key feature of the Volvo A40 hauler on this project is an oil bath precleaner which extracts up to 90 per cent of dust and sand before it enters the filter. This extends the life of the filter which is checked weekly in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations,'' he adds.
''Al Jaber is one of the world's largest earthmoving contractors and also has one of the world's largest construction machinery fleets. Over the last four years, the company has completed over 2,000 farms on land that was previously desert, the spokesman points out.
Once the farm areas are levelled, Al Jaber lays a mixture of hard sand and water around the perimeter and middle of the farm to reduce sand movement.
The farms are then prepared by the emirate's Agricultural Department with water supply, irrigation and fencing. Soil and fertiliser to a depth of 10 cm is spread across the land and crops such as tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots and corn, can then be sown.
The project at Saih As Sidirah closely follows similar projects at Al Ain. From this initial contract, Al Jaber says it was able to perfect a successful and competitive technique in levelling the sands which resulted in the Saih As Sidirah contract.
Volvo Construction Equipment is a major international company developing, manufacturing and marketing equipment for construction and related industries. Its products - leaders in many world markets - include a comprehensive range of wheel loaders, hydraulic excavators, articulated haulers, motor graders and compact equipment.
VCE is part of the Volvo Group, a world leading manufacturer of trucks, buses, construction equipment, marine and industrial engines, and aerospace systems and components.