Philippi-Hagenbuch used last week’s MINExpo 2024, in Las Vegas, to, among other things, highlight its “revolutionary” HiVol® Lowboy Trailer, uniquely engineered for transporting the largest, heaviest off-highway mining equipment quickly, easily and safely.

The HiVol Lowboy Trailer is the only system that provides the capacity necessary to haul ultra-class rated equipment, a standard for mining equipment such as drills, loaders and high-capacity shovels, the company claims. It offers a hauling capacity of 250-2,200 tons (227-1,996 t), far exceeding the capacity of any other trailer on the market.

“Whether providing initial transport into the mine pit, relocating a shovel from one pit to another or hauling a piece of downed equipment to the shop for repair, Philippi-Hagenbuch’s lowboy trailer system is able to move nearly any piece of mining equipment, eliminating the need for multiple vehicles and trailers,” the company says.

Acting as the intermediary between the haul vehicle and trailer, the Vehicle Recovery Tool (VRT) is Philippi-Hagenbuch’s version of a “jeep” that is key to allowing up to 22% more hauling weight than the trailer alone. The VRT evenly distributes the load over the axles and tyres of the VRT, the haul truck and the trailer. By distributing the weight of the load, Philippi-Hagenbuch’s Ultra-Class Lowboy Trailer can haul the larger loads safely.

Transporting large equipment is safe with the HiVol Lowboy Trailer, as well. The VRT and trailer’s wide base provides greater stability and balance for unparalleled control of the load during transport.

While traditional lowboy trailers use a detachable gooseneck that requires more time, manpower and effort to front load the trailer, the HiVol Lowboy Trailer features an innovative rear-load system, designed for safe, efficient loading and unloading for all sizes of equipment. In fact, most pieces can be loaded or unloaded in less than 20 minutes, according to the company.

The trailer’s rear axles drop the deck to the ground level and then swing out as rear loading ramps descend. The equipment “walks” up the ramp for fast, convenient loading. Additionally, the ramp is designed to maintain a consistently flat plane with the deck of the trailer, eliminating apex loading and potential damage to the idlers and rollers on tracked equipment and the trailer. Once a machine has been secured on the trailer, the ramps raise and the axles swing back into transport mode, fully containing the equipment for safe transport. At this point, the deck raises and the trailer is ready to move.

In addition to enhancing safety, efficiency and convenience, the HiVol Lowboy Trailer makes moving large mining equipment far less expensive than traditional means, according to the company. When a machine such as a mining shovel moves under its own power, excessive pressure and unnecessary wear is placed on the undercarriage: tracks, rollers and idlers. Because replacing an undercarriage can cost up to $3 million, in most cases the system easily pays for itself within the first year. While intended to work as a unified system, the HiVol Lowboy Trailer and VRT can operate independently of one another for added versatility.

Philippi-Hagenbuch custom builds every HiVol Lowboy Trailer to fit an operation’s exact needs and expectations. When not used in conjunction with the VRT, the trailer attaches to a haul vehicle with Philippi-Hagenbuch’s standard six-way kingpin style hitch. The trailer and hitch feature a low-maintenance design with minimal moving parts, components and hydraulics for high uptime.

The VRT is the first product of its kind offered to the mining industry, Philippi-Hagenbuch says. In addition to its direct interfacing capabilities when paired with the HiVol Lowboy Trailer, it can be used on its own as a towing device with the ability to tow inoperable off-highway haul trucks with rated capacities of up to 400 tons (363 t) to the shop for repairs or to any desired location within an off-highway environment. The VRT interfaces with the front bumper of the disabled haul truck and lifts the front tyres off the ground, evenly distributing the weight between the rear tyres of the disabled vehicle, the VRT and the prime mover. The VRT’s wide wheelbase provides stability and balance, eliminating the need for a counterweight on the tow vehicle’s chassis and ensuring safe towing with no added pressure on the truck or the haul vehicle.

When used as an intermediary between the prime mover and a Philippi-Hagenbuch Lowboy Trailer, the VRT attaches to the gooseneck of the trailer itself through a lowboy interface point located on the top of the VRT. To disengage, the VRT pivot actuation system hydraulically adjusts the height and pitch of the lowboy interface point and the VRT can be moved out of the way, ready to be used for towing disabled vehicles.

Every HiVol Lowboy Trailer and VRT is completely engineered, built, assembled and tested by Philippi-Hagenbuch prior to shipment at its Peoria, Illinois, factory. Due to their size, both pieces are fully modular so they can be broken down easily for shipment by legal load and reassembly on-site. In addition, the company offers on-site assembly assistance to every customer with a Lowboy Trailer or VRT purchase.

With this being a new product, Philippi-Hagenbuch is looking for the first mine to utilise this innovative lowboy trailer technology within its operation. As an incentive, Philippi-Hagenbuch will provide a residual on every lowboy trailer it sells for the 10 years following to the first purchaser of a Philippi-Hagenbuch HiVol Lowboy Trailer.