Modern Mining October 2017

COVER STORY

a smash hit in local market into territory previously dominated by rigid trucks. The introduction of the new machine is, however, consistent with Volvo’s record of innovation in articulated hauler technology. The company was responsible for pioneer- ing the articulated hauler concept back in the 1960s and has dominated the global market ever since. The payloads of its haulers have increased steadily over the years, an illustra- tion of this being the fact that the first 15-tonne capacity machine built in 1966 can fit into the haul body of the new A60H.

Interestingly, Volvo earlier this year cele- brated the production of its 75 000th articulated hauler. The company claims to have built more than half of the articulated haulers ever made and says that more than 50 000 of its machines are still in regular use around the world, a trib- ute to their durability even when subjected to the most arduous of conditions such as those typically found in mining. Vaughan is excited by the reception the A60H has received. “The fact that we’ve taken orders for 20 of the machines is highly impressive if you consider that we’ve only been marketing them for a short period and that the entire mar- ket for articulated dump trucks in South Africa in a typical year is only about 400 units – most of them smaller-capacity machines,” he says.

“What we’re finding is that customers and pro- spective customers who would previously have gone for a rigid truck are now giving serious consideration to the A60H, particularly for sites with poor underfoot conditions.” He points out that sites of this type are par- ticularly common in South Africa’s Highveld coalfields where short yet extremely steep ramps have to be climbed to access boxcuts made through overburden in order to expose high-grade coal. The first A60Hs to be sold in Southern Africa were ordered by Burgh Plant Hire, a long-stand- ing Volvo customer based in eMalahleni. These

Powered by a Volvo D16F engine offering a maximum power output of 495 kW, the A60H has a payload of 55 metric tons (tonnes).

The EC950E crawler excavator and the A60H made their African debut in May this year at a launch function held at Babock’s newMiddelburg facility.

October 2017  MODERN MINING  19