Calder Masonry has chosen a seventy-five tonne Volvo EC750E excavator as production increases at its sandstone quarry in northern England.

Established in 1994, Calder Masonry acquired the Britannia Quarry and production facility in Morley, West Yorkshire eighteen months ago from its previous owners. Since then, it has uncovered fresh reserves of the local Woodkirk Yorkshire buff sandstone, to which it has sole rights. The company has invested heavily as part of a strategy to significantly increase production and sales.

The new Volvo excavator’s primary function is to prise out sandstone blocks in situ, weighing an

ything up to thirty tonnes, using both the ripper tooth and bucket. These are then carried to the cutting sheds and sawn into slabs which are then either sold on to the trade nationwide or used by Calder for the production of other building products including walling, paving, window/door surrounds and bespoke commissions such as fireplaces and memorial stones.

The EC750CE has a 16-litre Stage-III V-ACT engine developing 533 nett hp, and a maximum torque of 2,570Nm is achieved at 1,350r/min. This, in conjunction with the machine’s advanced hydraulic system, is designed to ensure maximum fuel efficiency is achieved through every work cycle.

Calder’s EC750E has been equipped in Mass Excavation configuration complete with a hydraulic coupler, heavy-duty 4.4m³ extreme rock bucket, and heavy-duty ripper tooth. This configuration provides a maximum breakout force of 383kN, and a tearout force of

 337kN.

The combination of the 6.6m boom and 2.9m dipper arm (mass excavation) gives a maximum reach of 11.46metres, and a dig depth of 7.2metres.

“Our Woodkirk Yorkshire buff sandstone is a high quality and extremely versatile material that is used in all types of applications ranging from large-scale public projects over a number of years, to building material for commercial and residential properties down to bespoke fireplaces and other stone features,”  said Calder Masonry MD Ian Howgate.

Calder is one of the largest producers of dimensional Yorkstone in the UK, supplying Woodkirk stone across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.