PRODUCT FOCUS
coal mining contract, this time south of
eMalahleni. And again, this innovative
mining contracting company leads the
way with four new Bell B60E ADTs.
When we asked Francois Miller, Trollope
Mining Services plant manager, what their
reasoning was, he said: “We had to look at
the calculation of either six B40E ADTs or
four B60E ADTs; in the end, we decided to
have fewer tyres on the ground and chose
the four larger Bell B60E ADTs.
“We still have the original Bell B60D
ADTs and the first three have now given
us over 10 000 hours of sustained service
each, and the fourth machine, which came
later, has done just over 4 000 hours,” he
adds. “We enjoy the B60D ADT’s positive
all-wheel drive traction and great fuel
consumption of between 28 and 30 litres
an hour, which is very good for a machine
of this size, and believe the newer design
of the Bell B60E ADT will reflect much of
the same, if not better,” says Miller.
The newer generation Bell B60E ADT
is indeed packed with new features such
as an electronically controlled direct-drive
fan that provides superior cooling, standard
onboard weighing, which is accurate to 5%,
and automatic traction control. The operator
works from a cab that has been rated to
have the best ergonomics in its class and
from there, experiences the assurance of
added safety brought on by the automatic
hill hold function and neutral park brake.
Before starting the Bell B60E ADT, the
operator views the daily service checks on
22
JANUARY 2019
screen. A ‘tip-safe’ feature prevents the
aesthetically improved bin from operating
at unsafe angles or when overloaded.
When shutting down the engine, the
turbocharger benefits from an automated
spin-down feature.
“At our new coal mining contract,
the four Bell B60E ADTs are part of
an 80-strong fleet comprising ADTs,
excavators, water carts, graders, and
dozers, and we work two 10-hour shifts,”
Miller says. “They are used to hauling
both overburden and coal over distances
that vary between 700 metres and three
kilometres. They are returning much the
same fuel burn rates as the Bell B60D
machines at between 28 and 30 litres
an hour, which perfectly fits our dry rate
fuel cap per tonnes mined.”
Although the Bell B60E ADTs are
fitted with onboard load indicators,
individual loads are not recorded, as
bank cubic metres (BCM) have more
meaning to the client.
The Bell B60E ADTs have been
bought with standard warranties and
all servicing under warranty gets done
by Bell mechanics working out of
Middelburg. Since their arrival on this
site at the end of July 2018, they had,
by mid-October, clocked up some 1 500
hours of service, which points to their
high mechanical availability.
Owners and operators of earthmoving
equipment agree on one important
aspect of sustaining operations and
that is life of tyres. Miller agrees and
expands on this important fact. “Yes,
we did buy the Bell B60E ADTs for their
superior 4 × 4 traction, but compared
to rigid trucks with the same carrying
capacity, the Bell B60E ADT’s tyre wear
is about 65% better,” he says. “We’ve
analysed this on especially the load-
bearing rear tyres and on a rigid truck
with the same carrying capacity as a Bell
B60E ADT, the tyre wear comes in at
R6.93 per tyre per hour, while the Bell
B60E’s figure drops down to R4.65 per
tyre per hour.”
Miller mentions that each tyre gets
a serial number, and tread depth and
tyre performance are both measured
monthly. Indications are thus that after
10 000 hours, the rear tyres on a Bell
B60E ADT should have only worn 45%.
“This means that while we plan on
running a Bell B60E ADT in its ‘first
life’ up to 18 000 hours, we should get
between 12 000 and 13 000 hours out of
the first set of tyres. We ascribe this to
the fact that with the articulation, there
is no scuffing of the tyres when turning
and, due to the truck’s oscillation joint
and all-wheel drive traction, the front
wheels are always in contact with
the ground.”
“It all comes together for us as
innovative design, solid build, and above
all, superior traction and exceptional tyre
life, make for a great truck in the Bell
B60E ADT,” Miller says. ■
www.plantonline.co.za