Capital Equipment News January 2018

Into the RDT space? While the lower end of the ADT scale is seemingly under challenge from construction-type vehicles, the heavier end of ADTs seems to be challenging the terrain where 60-80 t rigid frame trucks have always operated. What is the key competitive edge of the ADT over the rigid dump truck (RDT) in such applications that require this size of haulers? Evertsson says an articulated hauler can operate in all weather conditions – dry or rainy – without having the risk of sliding off the haul road. The year-round usage gives higher machine utilisation rates and higher annual production. “On new mining projects, you could design the haul roads differently – make them shorter with higher grades. This could lead to shorter cycle times and higher production with higher fuel efficiency,” says Evertsson. “Thanks to the low ground pressure on articulated haulers you could back up to the dumping edge and without using a crawler dozer to push the material over the edge. An articulated hauler is designed for uneven ground conditions with all- wheel drive – therefore you have no stress on the frame and structure of the hauler, combined with efficient drive combination for continuous production without stops,” adds Evertsson. Miller shares the same view, saying that ADTs can often operate in a wider range of weather and ground conditions. They don’t require the same level of haul road/load- ing area/tipping area maintenance as rigid trucks, and this also ties in with their ability to work on steeper grades. He, however, re- iterates that each machine type has its own benefits. Lundberg says when mining or quarry haul routes are well established, rigid haulers are the most cost-effective product choice for moving large volumes of material on long- term, continuous running cycles or projects. He says contractors prefer the lower opera- tional cost, via reduced maintenance and the durability of a rigid hauler that makes for an efficient lower cost per tonne. However, when insufficient haul routes/ roads are in place to support rigid haulers, then larger ADTs would be preferable. This is because of the all-wheel drive capability, which gives the ADT more traction in adverse road and weather conditions, allowing it to work on steeper grade inclines. “ADTs are more manoeuvrable, enabling the machines to work on smaller scale sites where limited space is an issue,” he adds. Castle says a rigid truck can move more earth but can’t operate in challenging under- foot conditions such as during heavy rains. “With a large ADT you have the best of both

KEY TALKING POINTS

Michael Miller, Caterpillar Articulated Trucks Application Specialist: “Machine application and utilisation is different between construction-type tippers and ADTs, and if you need a truck to work in all terrains, all weather, all of the time, an ADT is still the best choice.”

Pontus Evertsson, director of sales support for articulated haulers and GPE wheel loaders at Volvo CE Sales Region EMEA: “An articulated hauler is designed for uneven ground conditions with all-wheel drive – therefore you have no stress on the frame and structure of the hauler, combined with efficient drive combination for continuous production without stops.”

Erik Lundberg, business manager – sub-Saharan Africa at Terex Trucks: “When you compare ADTs to construction-type tippers, you will see that there is a significant difference in the capabilities of the machines. When an application calls for a true off-road truck, an ADT will always be preferable as this type of machine will be able to perform in conditions where construction-type tippers wouldn’t be effective.”

Brad Castle, Bell Equipment product marketing manager: “With a large ADT you have the best of both worlds – the benefit of being able to move more for less, plus all-year round productivity because of the high flotation tyres achieving maximum ground contact due to the oscillation and articulation provided by an ADT.”

worlds – the benefit of being able to move more for less, plus all-year round productivity because of the high flotation tyres achieving maximum ground contact due to the oscilla- tion and articulation provided by an ADT,” he says. Castle adds that an ADT generally has lower fuel burn and tyre costs. He says Bell has previously conducted some tests, run- ning its B60E alongside 60 t RDTs and found that the B60E had much lower fuel burn and its tyre costs are more cost effective. How big will an ADT get? Growth in sizes of ADTs has been ongoing for at least a decade now, and that trend is showing no sign of abating. Just how big will an ADT get in future? Castle believes a 2-axle ADT could potentially grow a lot bigger but doubts if it would be feasible for a 3-axle ADT to get much bigger than a 60 t truck, due to manoeuvrability, tyre scuff on the middle axle tyres and the steering cylinders performance. Miller is of the view that ADTs may get

bigger than the size of machines we are see- ing now, but ease of transport, tyre choices and powertrain capabilities will likely dictate how large they may end up. “The evaluation of loading tools and passes matched to larg- er ADTs will also likely be a consideration,” says Miller. Lundberg is of the view that OEMs will closely watch the progress of the recently launched 60 t ADTs before making any deci- sions on further expanding the size. According to Evertsson, the Volvo A60H is finding more and more acceptance in the market as Volvo CE has proven during demonstrations and also in intensive pro- duction environments that the 60 t behemoth keeps the promises and delivers the wanted results. “Often the job site conditions limit the us- age of bigger articulated haulers. For exam- ple, the turning radius is not given at certain banks in a quarry or even the receiving hop- per at the processing plant is not designed of larger capacity articulated haulers,” con- cludes Evertsson. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JANUARY 2018 11