NARROW VEIN & LOW PROFILE MINING
The project included more than 7 km of tunnel
works, drilling, blasting and concrete works,
among other aspects, to build the required
infrastructure for the underground water power
plant. For transporting the blasted rock material
on one of the tunnel work sites, the LH202
narrow vein loader provided a compact, but high-
performance solution, according to Sandvik.
The LH202 only weighs 8,800 kg. Furthermore,
it can be disassembled into several smaller
pieces to make transport easier to manage,
according to Sandvik. This proved decisive on the
Østerbø project: “The weight of the equipment
sub-assemblies is a critical limiting factor at this
site, as all required material must be transported
to the work site by a helicopter with the capacity
of 3,700 kg.
“Moreover, the Sandvik LH202 dimensions are
well suited for water tunnel preparation, as the
mountain tunnels are often small: the loader is
only 2.1 m high, 1.5 m wide, and 6.2 m long.”
In June 2018, the Sandvik LH202 was first
transported via road from Bergen to the Solnipa
mountaintop. That is also where the loader
disassembly took place. When the disassembly
was completed, the loader components were
transported by helicopter to the tunnel work site
on Rustelvatne.
When the loader parts were received at their
destination, re-assembly on top of the
Rustelvatne took place, in mid-June. Putting the
dismounted pieces back together took two men
three working days, after which time the Sandvik
LH202 was ready for operations.
“The actual operating time of the loader on
the Strupefoss Overføringa became relatively
short compared to the time the equipment in
mines are normally used, as the tunnel drilling,
blasting and rock material carrying (carried out
by the loader) only took approximately two
months,” Sandvik said.
The employees working with the Sandvik
LH202 appreciated the benefits that came with
the EU Stage IV engine the loader was equipped
with.
Asbjørn Fuglesteg, Machine Operator for
Skanska, said: “We have found out that the fuel
consumption of the equipment is low, it can
operate up to five hours on full power without a
need to re-fuel, which is a clear benefit in these
conditions.”
When asked about the future of the
equipment, considering its relatively short period
of use, Gunnar Lofthus, Skanska’s Tunnel
Drillmaster on the site, said: “We are confident
that the loader will find its way to another
construction site. It is typical that the equipment
is disassembled several times as it is moved from
one project to another. The loader is capable and
doing a good job, and I don’t think it will stand
still.”
40 International Mining | JULY 2019
Overprime options
Overprime
Manufacturing has been
making waves in the
Latin America mining
market since it started
manufacturing loaders
for narrow vein mining in
2016, with both diesel
and electric versions of
its 0.50 m 3 /0.75 yd 3
(XLH05) and 1.20
m 3 /1.50 yd 3 (XLH12)
Overprime has manufactured both
capacity loaders
diesel and electric versions of its
currently operating in
0.50 m 3 /0.75 yd 3 capacity XLH05
Peru and Bolivia.
loader
The company has also
developed an XLD80 drill for narrow vein mining
energies”, the company said. The UVB utility
applications. The XLD80 allows drilling in three
vehicle low profile offering includes people
diameters: 60 mm, 75 mm, and 96 mm, with
carriers, a scissor lift, tyre handler, bulk emulsion
lengths exceeding 100 m.
carrier and multipurpose cassette carrier for fuel
All models can be controlled by a remote
and lubes, tools and spares as well as customer
control system, as can its recently-released
made options.
Scaler XSC517. Overprime said: “This is our
The LF3 is a 3.5 t machine, with an engine
latest and most successful contribution to safe
power of 67 kW, and an operational altitude of up
mining.”
to 4,500 m above sea level. The 5 t SLP5.1,
The company added: “Overprime's equipment
meanwhile, has a well-established footprint and
design allows an easy maintenance process. Its
great track record of low running costs and
robust structure and high-quality components in
excellent performance in the southern African
the mining industry allow equipment to maintain
market, the company said.
high productivity in even the most extreme work
GHH also has the SLP 6.2, a 104 kW, 6 t
conditions.”
machine that provides customers with an
application specific, middle sized low profile
option, in addition to the newest addition to the
GHH increases profile
family, the SLP 8. The SLP 8 has the largest
A strategic marketing partner of Overprime, GHH
carrying capacity in its class, excellent ground
Fahrzeuge has been supplying machines to the
low profile platinum, chrome, potash and salt
clearance and unsurpassed visibility and
market for the last 20 years with over 850
ergonomic comfort in the operators’
machines currently operating in the field. In an
compartment, GHH said. “The modular designed
effort to bring the product closer to the customer,
178 kW SLP8 loader will certainly be a trendsetter
for the past five years GHH Mining Machines,
in the low profile market,” the company said. Also
based in the East Rand of South Africa, has been
in the GHH low profile family is the SLP14, a 14 t,
designing and manufacturing low profile and
1.88 m high, 265 kW low profile loader, with the
narrow vein underground mining machines. GHH
best power-to-weight-ratio in its class.
also specialises in rebuilding machines and
This GHH loader offering provides customers
repairing components and providing field
with the benefit of having an interface-ready
support to all operating machines of GHH, Mine
Level 9 Collision Avoidance System retrofit
Master (MM), JH Fletcher and UVB.
option, as well as driver access control, product
GHH Group is a total offering solution provider
monitoring, partial- or full-speed brake interlock,
in this market segment, being able to supply not
anti-roll back, black box recorder, engine
only the loaders from GHH, but also the drilling
protection, operational monitoring and a
rigs and bolters from MM, in Poland (bolters in
communications router (connected machine).
collaboration with JH Fletcher in the US), and the
“This visibility into the daily ‘heath and
associated utility vehicles from UVB, in
performance’ of the machine gives end users the
Botswana.
ability to better manage their underground
GHH’s low profile and narrow vein mining
mining operations, significantly improve safety
diesel loader offering includes, but is not limited
and efficiently manage performance,” GHH said.
to, the LF3 narrow vein loader, as well as the key
MM, which forms part of the GHH Group, also
SLP5.1, SLP6.2, SLP8 and SLP14 low profile
provides drills and bolters for the low profile and
loaders. GHH also has more products in the
narrow vein market. MM’s Face Master 1.4 is a
design pipeline, including those in “alternative
mechanised drill rig for ultra-low seams designed