In February 2023, Hyundai Doosan Infracore celebrated production of the 10,000th Articulated Dump Truck (ADT) from the company’s plant at Elnesvågen outside Molde in Norway. Plus there was even more to acknowledge with the 10,000th unit as it is the first machine in Europe to officially carry the colours of the company’s new DEVELON brand which replaces the Doosan construction equipment brand.
As well as the DEVELON branding, the 10,000th ADT also carries an extra special design, which harks back to the origins of the ADT range. A time well before Doosan and even the Moxy era, back to the Viking ADT model, 12 of which were produced by the company, Øveraasen, in the time before Moxy took over production. This is recognised by a Viking ship motif on the tailgate of the 10,000th unit, a DEVELON DA45-7 model.
Over the years, a number of different ADT models have been produced at Molde, including the D15, 5222B, 6225B, 7235, MT40, MT41, DA40 and now, today’s models, the DA30-7 and the DA45-7. Rosendal Maskin AS, the Authorised Dealer for Norway, has supplied ADTs since 1987, and has delivered a total of almost 500 of the 10,000 so far produced. According to the Molde Plant Manager, Jan Roger Lindset, the 10,000th ADT with production number 851951 has been purchased from Rosendal Maskin AS by the Rental Group in Norway.
Production began at the Molde plant in 1972 when the business was called Glamox. Since then, the brand has had a number of names such as Moxy, Moxy Industrial, Brown Engineering, Moxy Trucks, Moxy Engineering and in 2008, the name changed to Doosan when the South Korean manufacturer bought the factory and the product. In 2021, Hyundai Heavy Industries bought the Doosan construction equipment range including the ADT line, and the name of the business was changed to Hyundai Doosan Infracore (HDI).
There are currently 150 employees at the Elnesvågen plant, but with both DEVELON and Hyundai ADTs now being produced at the factory, the workforce is expected to expand to meet an expected 40% growth in production.
The DEVELON ADT range comprises two 6×6 models – the DA30-7 and DA45-7 Stage V compliant machines – the DA30-7 has a payload of 28 t, while that of the DA45-7 is 41 t. The range was extended at Bauma 2022 with the launch of a new 4×4 version of the DA45-7 ADT, intended to compete with rigid dump trucks (RDTs) in the 40 t class.
Like all DEVELON ADTs, the DA30-7 and DA45-7 models feature an articulation hinge positioned behind the turning ring to provide equal weight distribution to the front axle even during maximum steer articulation. “This combined with a free-swinging rear tandem bogie ensures equal distribution of weight to each wheel and guarantees permanent 6-wheel contact and drive for equal power distribution and excellent performance particularly on difficult terrains such as soft ground, uneven surfaces, very steep slopes, tight turns or a combination of all of these difficult conditions.”
Collectively, the forward turning point, the unique tandem bogie and the sloping rear frame results in ‘best in class’ rough and soft terrain capabilities. The unique body shape and sloping frame ensure equal load distribution on all the wheels making these machines the best haulers for soft terrain work. The design of the articulation also provides equal load distribution on the wheels on both the left and right hand side when turning, which is very important for the traction and stability of the machines. All of these outstanding features are available on the DEVELON Stage V DA30-7 and DA45-7 ADT models.
In the new 4×4 ADT, the front truck and cab unit is the same as in the original 6×6 model, with modifications being made on the rear dumper unit only. Featuring a ZF EP8-420 transmission, the 4×4 DA45-7 is a two-axle ADT with twin wheels at the rear, and with a dumper section similar to that on RDTs in the 40 t class.
“With superior operation on poorer roads, smoother surfaces and steeper terrain, the aim of our new 4×4 machine is to challenge RDTs in the 40-tonne class, by providing a dumper product that delivers much more than RDTs,” says Beka Nemstsveridze, ADT Product Manager at DEVELON.
As well as performing better in conditions that are tough for RDTs, the new 4×4 DA45-7 ADT has a width of less than 4 m to avoid the need for special transportation and offers a better turning radius than a comparable RDT. “The shorter turning radius and the design of the rear dumper unit, which is more suited to carrying flat and heavy rocks, provide particular advantages in the mining and tunnelling industries.”
The latter are growing markets for ADTs, and include pioneering, short-term mining projects, quarrying and contract mining industries, especially those in southern Africa, the UK and Australia. Construction and bulk earthmoving contractors involved in roads, dams, airports, landfills and development projects are also large users of ADTs. Together these areas make the ADT market a wide and varied one, thereby ensuring a large customer base.
