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Gold Rush

Locally made track pads to be on Discovery Channel

Photo from Volvo Gold Rush Excavator fact sheet The Volvo Gold Rush Excavator — 10th Anniversary Edition — has a number of unique features, including these gold track pads made right here in Warren.

When people all over the nation see a fancy new excavator, created for and decked out in homage to the Discovery Channel show Gold Rush, they’ll see gold track pads made right here in Warren.

The Volvo Gold Rush Excavator — 10th Anniversary Edition — has a number of unique features, according to a release from Volvo.

At 20 tons, it’s part of a new weight class for Volvo.

It has a custom paint job by AkzoNobel. The paint alone is valued between $5,000 and $7,000. The final clear coat includes millions of bits of mirror.

The custom, premium leather seat is air-conditioned

and heated. It is embroidered with Discovery Channel and Gold Rush logos and the signatures of Gold Rush stars Tony Beets, Parker Schnabel, and Rick Ness.

Photo from Volvo Gold Rush Excavator fact sheet The Volvo Gold Rush Excavator — 10th Anniversary Edition — has a number of unique features, including gold track pads made right here in Warren.

Then, there are the track pads.

“Volvo approached us at World of Asphalt trade show,” Superior Tire and Rubber Corp. Project Lead Kevin Rotondelli said.

“Track pads are designed to provide protection of asphalt and concrete surfaces from damage caused by steel tracked construction machinery,” according to Rotondelli.

Among its product line, Superior offers CUSHOTRAC Clamp-On track pads in rubber and polyurethane. “Polyurethane provides advantages in the work-life of the product,” Rotondelli said.

Volvo went with the poly.

Superior’s typical track pads are black.

“We dyed the polyurethane gold to match the theme,” he said. “Gold all the way to the steel plate.”

The excavator with its Superior track pads will tour the country, visiting Volvo locations. According to Rotondelli, the closest known approaches to Warren County will be at Highway Equipment Company in Ephrata and Drums, Pa., Sept. 1 through 7, and at Volvo Construction Equipment Global in Shippensburg from Sept. 22 through 30.

The excavator and cast of the show will meet up at the Construction Industry Expo — Conexpo 2020.

“We are told this machine will be auctioned off at CONEXPO in Las Vegas,” Rotondelli said. “It will likely not be used on the show, but, will be featured in the opening credits.”

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