Liebherr wheel loaders on the job in Switzerland

Every year, the Verein für Abfallentsorgung (Association for Waste Disposal, or VfA) processes around 50,000 cubic meters of green waste in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. A decomposition process lasting several months results in fine, fresh compost, which is refined by the company Terre Suisse, one of several customers, in further processing steps to form high-quality substrates and potting soil.

Both the latest generation and older models of mid-sized Liebherr wheel loaders play an important role in this production process, especially when it comes to loading and heaping soil.

Terre Suisse has been relying on Liebherr’s wheel loaders since as early as 2003. That is why they use new and older models of the mid-sized Liebherr wheel loaders in the processing, including an L 538 from the latest eighth generation. It heaps a variety of material, mixes and loads it into screening plants and onto lorries.

During processing, the new L 538 has smooth running performance, increasing operator comfort, Liebherr says. The hydrostatic travel drive also has a higher maximum torque at a lower nominal speed. Its high-power delivery is especially evident when heaping soil, which is important for an efficient work process.

The latest generation of medium-sized wheel loaders, L 526, L 538 and L 54,6, impress with a particularly robust, powerful lifting gear paired with z-bar kinematics, according to Liebherr. As a result, Terre Suisse achieves fast cycle times and dynamic work movements when handling soil and compost, including with the high-dump buckets, which the company mainly uses when loading lorries and screening plants.

To avoid contamination, the L 538 changes attachments when handling different materials. To achieve this, Terre Suisse uses the fully automatic Solidlink quick coupler, an optional attachment available for mid-sized Liebherr wheel loaders. This allows operators to quickly and efficiently switch between mechanical and hydraulic attachments from the cab safely, all at the touch of a button. Liebherr says this can save time and reduce the risk of accidents.