THE first CASE 651G wheel loader in the UK has been snapped up by Wastewise, an FCC Environment company.
The machine has gone to work at an organic waste reprocessing site near Crewe, in Cheshire. It joins a fleet of CASE wheel loaders at the facility including a 1021G XR and two 721G XR shovels. The wheel loader replaces a third 21G XR and is said to offer similar productivity in a smaller, more compact package.
The 651G was designed to fill the gap between the 621G and the 721G. Based on the smaller model, with the same 128kW (172hp) engine, the slightly heavier 651G is described as boasting increased loader performance, reinforced front and rear chassis sections, and heavy-duty axles that can be supplied with a choice of differential options.
Running primarily on slippery concrete, Wastewise has taken the machine with limited slip differentials in both axles to maximise traction when travelling and when digging into the recycled material.
The hinge pin height is 100mm higher and the XR (extended reach) machines have longer loader arms for additional loading clearance into bulk trailer, while a new curved bucket is designed to offer improved material retention. Other waste specification items include reversible cooling fans, venturi effect air filtration, reversing cameras and radar systems.
The larger 1021G has also been equipped with a radar dynamic automatic braking system to prevent the machine from reversing into unseen obstacles.
The site near Crewe takes garden and food waste from local councils. With additional sites in Willerby, East Riding of Yorkshire and in Esholt near Bradford, the company recycles around 250,000 tonnes of organic waste each year, converting organic waste into organic soil improvers, growing media and topsoils.
The fleet of wheel loaders are used to move organic material through the entire process and finally onto outgoing articulated trucks as PAS100 soil improver destined for agricultural and horticultural markets.
All of the CASE equipment has been supplied by Warwick Ward on a five-year fully supported lease deal. This is the second back-to-back five-year agreement between Warwick Ward and Wastewise for the supply of wheeled machinery into the Crewe facility.
“Overall, we will have had 10 years working with Warwick Ward, which should tell you something about how well both Warwick Ward and the CASE equipment have performed over the past five years,” said Wastewise general manager Steve Wardell.
The CASE machines are expected to operate for up to 2,400 hours a year, or 12,000 hours over the five-year period.
The dealer has installed fire prevention equipment on the machines and the loaders have been equipped with roof-mounted BMair cab filtration systems to provide operators with a cleaner working environment. They have auto-lube systems and there are additional working lights along the side of the cab roof to provide improved visibility in the composting tunnels.
