R974 - AJ Lorusso

Job Report
R 974
The R 974 loading shotrock in West Roxbury,
Massachusetts.
Situation
S.M. Lorusso & Sons, Inc is a family owned company
headquartered in Walpole, Massachusetts producing
crushed stone, sand and gravel. Lorusso operates six
quarry locations throughout southeast Massachusetts
and Cape Cod; one site has been in operation since
the mid 1800s and still has great potential for future
digging.
S.M. Lorusso & Sons is currently in its fourth
generation and run by Tony Lorusso and his son, A.J.
Lorusso; the operations on Cape Cod are run by
Tony’s brother Sam Lorusso and his children, Laura
Peterson, Sam Jr. and Paul Lorusso. S.M. Lorusso &
Sons has maintained its success through seamless
operations and maximizing resources. All aspects of
the company are carefully monitored to ensure
optimum production levels are being achieved.
Task
!
Performance
Reliable equipment and quick cycle times are major
factors that must be considered when trying to
optimize production. Lorusso’s machines work 9
hours a day, 5 days a week producing crushed stone,
sand and gravel with a portable rock crushing plant as
well as stationary crushers.
Since purchasing the R 974 in January, Lorusso has
experienced an increase of 10-15% in production.
Comparing a 6 yd bucket on the excavator to a 8 yd
bucket on the loaders, Lorusso was surprised and
very pleased with the outstanding performance of the
R 974.
For years, Lorusso used wheel loaders to either load
directly into the rock crusher or load trucks which feed
the rock crusher. When Lorusso planned to switch
loading with the wheel loaders to excavators, durable,
reliable and efficient equipment was a necessity.
Lorusso said, “The excavators give you the ability to
place the load. Placing the load makes a huge
difference, there is less spillage and less cleanup.
You have a clear view of the size rocks that are being
placed in the crusher, reducing the risk of oversized
rocks going into the crusher and slowing production.”
!
Solution
Lorusso purchased two R 974s, Liebherr’s large
crawler excavators, to take over loading the trucks
and loading directly into the portable crusher. Lorusso
chose a machine sized slightly larger than needed so
it would not be running at 100% capacity all the time,
decreasing the amount of wear and increasing
longevity. Lorusso also chose the Liebherr because it
has a lower operating cost per hour than other
manufacturers. Switching to the crawler excavator as
the main loading tool also decreases Lorusso’s
reliance upon rubber tires.
Liebherr’s crawler excavators have excellent digging
forces, bucket fill factor and very fast cycle times.
Lorusso said, “We’ve never had a backhoe that size
before and there were a lot of skeptical people that
didn’t think it would work. Now they can’t believe how
fast and how strong it digs.”
Liebherr Construction Equipment Company
4100 Chestnut Avenue, Newport News, Virginia 23607
PH: 757-245-5251, Fax: 757-928-8701
www.liebherr.com, E-Mail: [email protected]
The excavator is 20 –30 seconds faster than a wheel
loader when loading 60 ton trucks. The operators
prefer to use the excavator for loading and they have
also commented on the comfort of the cab and how
smoothly it drives; Lorusso is pleased because the
operators’ productivity levels remain high through the
end of the day.
Lorusso has been very pleased with the after sales
support he has received from his local dealer, Tools 4
Hire. “So far it’s been excellent. I have not had any
issues, but they take care of everything. They are
stocking a lot of parts and what they don’t stock they
receive very quickly.”
Technical Data
R 974 B Litronic
Engine ____________________ Liebherr D9408 TI-E
Engine Output __________________ 395 kW/537 HP
Operating Weight _____________179,680-194,440 lb
Gooseneck Boom ________________________ 23’8”
Stick ___________________________________ 9’6”
Bucket Capacity _________________________ 6 yd3
Printed in the USA by Letton Gooch #####-6-30-2006 Subject to change without notice.
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