Get FinancingLiebherr R 956, R 960 SME, & R 976 Excavators Working Efficiently In Northern France
Liebherr recently highlighted a trio of excavators weighing over 55 tons (50 metric tons) working in France. The Liebherr R 956, R 960 SME, and R 976 crawlers are getting the job done at demolition sites and quarries in the north and northeast of the country.
The Liebherr R 956
The Vitse company has used Liebherr machinery for three generations. Recently its R 956 excavator dismantled some buildings in Laon in the Hauts-de-France region. The machine is equipped with a 26-foot (8-meter) straight gooseneck boom and GPS control.
The Liebherr R 956 is a 121,475- to 130,955-pound (55,100- to 59,400-kilogram) unit with a backhoe bucket capacity of 1.63 to 4.32 cubic yards (1.25 to 3.30 cubic meters). Its EPA Tier 4 Final- and EU Stage V-compliant diesel engine produces 340 horsepower (250 kilowatts) of power and is highly efficient; Liebherr says it consumes only 7.9 gallons (30 liters) per hour, which is much better than the fuel usage rate of the previous-generation R 954 C.
Managing director Antoine Vitse praises the quality and performance of the R 956 excavator, including its digging force and lifting capacity. Vitse also touts the Liebherr’s reputation, price-performance ratio, and operator comfort level augmented by a suspension seat and sound insulation. The R 956 demonstrates its versatility with tools such as a hydraulic hammer, sorting grapple, and demolition attachments.
The Liebherr R 960 SME
Liebherr builds its heavy-duty SME-series crawlers for quarry work with reinforced undercarriages, along with components and counterweights from larger excavators. The stability from the extra weight allows SME excavators to use larger buckets.
Eiffage Group is using a Liebherr R 960 SME at its largest limestone source, the Bocahut quarry in Haut-Lieu. The Stage V excavator replaces an earlier R 960 SME with Stage IIIB emissions controls. The new machine provides significantly reduced fuel consumption, aided by various engine speed settings and the electronic controls of the machine.
Eiffage’s new R 960 SME loads dump trucks with stone at high cycle rates and an annual production of 3.3 million tons (3 million mt). Production manager Laurent Lobry appreciates that the Liebherr excavator is made in Colmar, France, and has a suspension seat and other comfort features. Eiffage also uses the machine to do preparatory work at the quarry and lay out lanes and embankments.
The Liebherr R 960 SME has an operating weight of 132,280 to 138,560 lbs (60,000 to 62,850 kg), depending upon its configuration. It can use 3.92- to 4.84-cu yd (3- to 3.7-cu m) backhoe buckets or a 4.58-cu yd (3.5-cu m) shovel. It’s powered by a 340-HP engine.
The Liebherr R 976
Another quarry company also replaced its Liebherr excavator with the newest iteration of the same model. Carrières Champenoises of Jully-sur-Sarce acquired a Stage V- and Tier 4 Final-compliant version of the 107-t (97-mt) Liebherr R 976 to remove limestone at a quarry in the Grand Est region. The new model emits less carbon dioxide—a crucial selling point because of environmental regulations at the quarry—and uses less fuel than even its Stage IV predecessor.
The Liebherr-France SAS facility developed three tools for the R 976 in coordination with its quarry customers. A narrow removal bucket, a scaling tooth with a short “made-to-measure” radius, and a pick-up bucket are each compatible with the excavator’s SW 92 quick change coupler. The machine’s backhoe bucket capacity is 2.62 to 8.90 cu yd (2.00 to 6.80 cu m).
The 544-HP (405-kW) engine of the Liebherr R 976 supplies it with high load-bearing capacity and digging power. Electric joysticks provide electronic control of the machine’s hydraulics, and LED lighting improves operator visibility in low-light conditions.
Source: Liebherr