MINING TRUCKS
hold its own when it comes to hauling on grade
and getting out of the sticky underfoot conditions
sometimes present at these mines. This is also
backed up by the fact two MT6300 ACs previously
operated in the Canadian oil sands.
Liebherr lines up latest technologies
Trolley assist seems to be growing in popularity
and not only in the ultraclass. Austrian iron ore
miner VA Erzberg intends to electrify the main
haul road of its Erzberg mine site and operate a
fleet of T 236 trucks from 2021 under trolley
assist. Liebherr is not new to trolley having eight
T 284 trucks now under trolley at FQM’s Sentinel
copper mine in Zambia and with its large T 284
fleet at Cobre Panama set to operate under trolley
in the coming years. But this deal is significant
involving the much smaller 100 t T 236.
This electrification project would increase
Erzberg life of mine significantly and reduce CO 2
emission on site. The statement added: “Liebherr
is proud to participate and support this
outstanding initiative of VA Erzberg.”
Representatives of VA Erzberg and Liebherr
celebrated this new collaboration at the Liebherr
booth at Bauma 2019 in Munich.
At Cobre Panama, trolley-assisted haulage is a
concept that is being adopted during the early
life of operations. The primary truck haulage fleet
is being delivered “trolley-assist ready” (TA).
Additional pit ramp width has been included in
the detailed pit phase designs to allow for the
physical placement of transformers and catenary
wire poles. In places, these ramps could be
extended onto the waste dumps. At the end of
2018, two Komatsu Mining P&H 4100XPC rope
shovels and 16 Liebherr T 284 trucks were
operating in the Botija Pit. An additional two
4100XPC rope shovels, three ultraclass Komatsu
L-2350 wheel loaders and 14 further Liebherr T
284 ultraclass trucks will be progressively
commissioned during 2019. In total, a fleet of up
to 45 Liebherr T 284s, five Komatsu P&H
4100XPCs has been allowed for.
Back to Liebherr’s main offering, and the
manufacturing hub Liebherr Mining Equipment
Newport News Co says it strives for continuous
improvement to its product line of mining trucks
and excavators. Safety, productivity, and
performance are at the core of these new
features. “Liebherr has been designing,
developing, and servicing high-quality mining
trucks for over 20 years. The Liebherr production
factory in Newport News, VA works to
continuously improve the efficiency and
availability of their mining equipment. This goal-
oriented approach is why customers and
operators around the world prefer Liebherr.”
Investing in the latest product upgrade for the
T 264 mining truck results in a higher payload
capacity of 240 t/265 tons. To maintain
30 International Mining | MAY 2019
performance and increase productivity, the T 264
offers multiple engine options with power ratings
up to 2,013 kW/2,700 HP. “This allows customers
to move more materials in less time, while
supporting the additional weight of the increased
payload. The new front wheel design and upgraded
braking system offer quicker reaction times to
increase safety for operators, particularly when
travelling downhill. The upgraded wheel motors
and rear gear ratio boosts torque and acceleration
to provide similar cycle times with 10% increased
payload. This truck is best matched with the
Liebherr R 996 B (four passes) and Liebherr R 9800
(three passes) mining excavators.”
Existing T 282 C and T 284 mining trucks can
be retrofitted for increased payload and
production capacity. Now capable of hauling
additional payload to reach a total capacity of
375 t/413 tons, “this improvement will allow for
maximisation of productivity, with the added
benefit of enhanced compatibility with Liebherr’s
R 9800 mining excavators in a five pass match.”
“Constantly striving for improvement, Liebherr
provides customers with a choice of engine
options. Tier 4 solutions are designed to reduce
emissions and satisfy global requirements
(established by the EPA for all new mining and
construction equipment). This practical
consideration is an example of Liebherr’s
commitments to customer satisfaction and
environmental sustainability. Tier 4 Final is
already available on the T 264 and the T 284.”
Finally, the new Liebherr Mining Data (LMD)
online portal offers real-time insights and data
regarding performance and availability of mining
trucks. This OEM solution software offers a
single dashboard for improved fleet management
of Liebherr Mining Trucks, so that customers can
track KPIs and generate custom reports. “LMD
now comes standard with all new Liebherr ultra-
class mining trucks, and the hardware kit is
available as a retrofit for the T 282 C generation
mining trucks. Providing end-to-end solutions for
machine data monitoring and analysis is one of
many ways Liebherr continues to improve and
add value for all customers. A few benefits of LMD
include detailed application analysis and
optimisation, increased safety, reliability, and
machine uptime, with reduced maintenance,
repair time, and cost through actionable insights.”
The ultimate in flexibility:
BAS Mining Trucks
It is nice once in a while to divert the focus away
from large rigid mining trucks; after all many
surface mines worldwide employ tipper trucks for
haulage, particularly for long hauls and in remote
regions where if the cost and service support
network for large rigids can be avoided then it
offers a potential solution. One of the most
innovative players in this area is BAS Mining
Trucks based in The Netherlands, and part of EXA
Holding, an umbrella company comprising a
variety of independent companies. BAS says it
can offer in its range, which is customised for
mining but modelled on the Volvo FMX or FH16
trucks, solutions for mine haulage distances from
2 km up to 250 km between the mine and the
processing plant. There are a lot of modifications
made to suit the mining application, including a
different battery box and altered fuel tank location,
Powertronic gearbox, reinforced hydraulic
suspension axle mounting, beefed up new
component frame with special mounting brackets
and completely customised tipper. Single mounted
Goodyear 650/50R24 tyres allow the trucks to
handle a lot of challenging underfoot conditions.
The models include the five axle BAS 10x4
Tipper with up to 55 t payload, the five axle 10x6
Tipper/Pusher with up to 55 t payload and the
six axle 12x6 Tipper with 75 t payload. There is
also a 10x4 Pusher for ejecting ore which is
suitable for both surface and underground
mines.
BAS Mining Trucks recently delivered two new FMX540 10x6 pusher trucks to the Gala Mibrag lignite
mine in Germany. They are achieving a 50% higher productivity and 25% less fuel consumption
than competitor trucks, hauling sticky clay up to 1.5 km one way