ON SITE
AST sand quarry close to Cullinan in Gauteng has gone from strength to strength
despite adverse economic conditions in South Africa.
at a cost, which small mining companies
cannot always afford in the initial stages of
their projects. Many of these deals come
at a hefty cost of anything from R90 000
to R120 000 per month, which shrinks
margins significantly. It’s not viable for
us, we cannot afford to pay that kind of
money,” he says.
When AST went looking for mine
equipment four years ago, they stumbled
on a used Bell ADT, bought it for a song at
R280 000, gave it a paint job and replaced
a few engine parts, which Blackmore says
was still in great shape. After working for
just under four years, the old workhorse is
probably worth close to R500 000 today.
“We only replaced some hydraulic hoses, all
the tyres, the exhaust and we overalled the
diesel pump. It didn’t need an entire engine
overhaul, but we consistently maintained
the engine. That engine has been incredible,”
says Blackmore. His advice for buyers is to
negotiate with the seller, and to search for a
machine that has had a hard life, yet, under
the hood, has an engine that looks to be in
tip-top condition.
Blackmore says the brand is a matter
of choice but that AST prefers Caterpillar
excavators, Bell ADTs and Komatsu front
end loaders. The operation did actually
own a Bell front end loader as well, but
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
The sand is used in concrete for Cullinan mine’s underground expansion.
Blackmore says that they had to rebuild
the entire engine and it has never been the
same since.
Stringent maintenance regime
To be able to keep the fleet operating for
as long as they have demands a strict
schedule and stringent maintenance
regime. Depending on the machines, the
mechanics follow manual instructions to
determine the service intervals which is
normally about every 10 000 hours. AST
employs three experienced mechanics
who wear multiple hats and carry out
all service and maintenance activities.
Breakdowns are attended to in-house but
problems that require more intricate work
like hydraulic pistons or cylinders are sent
to engineering companies.
Blackmore says, however, that it is
challenging to keep the fleet going and
maintain the required production rate. “At
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