New mining truck designs continue to enter the market, offering mining customers alternative options from the conventional rigid model. Australia’s Loadpro Pty Ltd is headed by founder and Managing Director, Ron Schliebs, formerly of Haulmax. Under Loadpro, he has developed a new and he says more efficient X60 mining truck design over the last four years, which is about to be released to the market. Prototypes have been tested in Indonesia and will soon be under test in Australia.
The truck offers an alternative to the three designs used in mining, namely ADTs, off highway rigid trucks, and extra heavy combination vehicles; all with their own sets of disadvantages. Schliebs lists the design advantages of the X60 as: low maintenance long life enclosed wet brakes; a mid-mount engine with lower centre of gravity, better access for maintenance and reduced cab noise; a low long chassis suited to larger bodies and vessels; power to weight ratio for optimum vehicle performance and efficiency; ergonomic ROPS cab with maximum visibility for confident operation; improved tyre wear through suspension geometry with smaller tyre sizes; and low maintenance hydraulic suspension incorporating roll stabilisation.
The new truck design is described as “suitable for extended hauls with steep gradients, wet, slippery and soft ground conditions delivering high vehicle utilisation.” It has a low centre of gravity essential for safe operation in challenging environments and is “designed to deliver efficiency with low operating costs resulting in cost-effective haulage. When transporting bulk material there is more emphasis today on reducing cost per tonne per kilometre. With haulage one of the highest costs in open pit mining there is more focus than ever to ensure your equipment is delivering the lowest cost possible.”
Loadpro has a choice of three classes of truck design for short, medium and long hauls and off-highway applications. The Loadpro X60 is described as suitable for extended pit to port hauls of up to 30 km. “It is suitable for steep gradients, wet slippery and soft ground conditions delivering improved vehicle utilisation. Its low centre of gravity is results in greater operational safety. It is also particularly suited for use as a platform for support applications such as mine service vehicles, fuel and lube water cart and explosive delivery.”