Just one year after the presentation of the Metso Truck Body during Bauma 2019, BIA in Belgium says it has delivered the first two Komatsu HD605-8 mining trucks to have been equipped with this innovative solution. “This is a real world first on a dumper in this category and a continental European first for this type of tipper in general. BIA is particularly proud to assist its customers in reducing operational costs with this unique Metso product.”
The BIA group is active in the sale and service of equipment for public works, mines, quarries and transport. It operates in Europe (Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg) and in more than 20 African countries. BIA employs more than 1.300 people, including more than 850 engineers and technicians.
The Metso Truck Body is distinguished by a standard body with a lighter but very resistant design with a rubber wear coating. Its specific rounded shape combined with the use of high-strength steel, makes it possible to obtain a 20% to 30% lighter body without sacrificing rigidity. The Metso tipper designed for the Komatsu HD605-8 rigid truck weighs 6 t less than the standard version fitted with a liner. This weight reduction translates into 10% additional payload and therefore offers greater efficiency from the first load cycle. Likewise, during empty bucket journeys, the dumper will consume less fuel because it is simply lighter. Finally, thanks to its rounded shape, less residue remains in the bucket, avoiding transporting unnecessary weight. The additional cost of the Metso Truck Body can be recovered in a few months. On a machine that remains in operation for 15 years, the return on investment is therefore very important.
In addition to the direct impact on performance, the Metso Truck Body has other advantages, especially for the operator. The impact and noise of rocks falling into the bucket during loading is not ideal and can also cause fatigue after a while. However, the rubber coating absorbs up to 97% of the vibrations and up to 50% of the noise, making the cabin a much more pleasant place to work.
Ordered in bare chassis, the trucks were first prepared at the BIA Service Centre in Fleurus. Metso delivered the bodies direct to the customer site where BIA technicians took care of mounting them on the chassis. The first two Komatsu dumpers with the Metso Truck Body are put into service at a porphyry quarry in Walloon Brabant in Belgium. This very hard and abrasive rock has a major impact on conventional tippers, mitigated by a thick rubber coating. On a conventional truck body, the high weight of this protection is at the expense of the maximum authorised load so as not to overload the vehicles. On the Metso Truck Body the weight of the additional coating is offset by the lighter construction, allowing the trucks to be loaded to their maximum capacity.
As a Metso distributor, BIA offers Metso rubber protection as a “retrofit” solution on all brands of trucks. This coating is designed to maximise operational time and truck performance and reduce maintenance costs. The life of a Metso body can be six times longer and thanks to its modular concept, only worn elements must be replaced during maintenance. The installation of a complete Metso Truck Body on any brand is also one of the possibilities offered by BIA.
