TECHNOLOGY
Leon Louw
With a new Mercedes engine , the B40E has more grunt to negotiate the ups and down of haul roads on a quarry .
“ The systems and information we can offer you today is more sophisticated than in the past and paves the way for more autonomous control in the future .” in terms of operating costs and reliability going forward ,” said Gary Bell .
A significant upgrade
“ The Bell B40E is a significant upgrade from the D-series ,” says Du Pisanie . Bell started manufacturing the new trucks at the end of September last year and according to Du Pisanie , the new design includes a number of noteworthy changes . The truck ’ s front end hosts a brand new Mercedes OM471LA ( MTU 6R 1300 ) engine . Du Pisanie says that the new engine is more fuel efficient , has more power , and runs a lot quieter than the older D-series engine . “ The B40D engine generates 335Kws , while the Mercedes engine in the B40E puts out 380Kws of power , so the difference in strength of the engine is quite significant ,” says Du Pisanie .
There are a number of other improvements on the E-series . For example , the D-series uses a six-speed Allison transmission , while the E-series truck is driven by a seven-speed transmission from the same suppliers , which means there are smaller gaps between the ratios and that in turn results in improved performance and better fuel consumption . All of the new
E-series trucks boast wet brake systems . Bell has isolated the wet brake oil and separated it from the axle oil , implying that customers can use a commonly available oil for each subsystem in the axle . This feature will benefit quarry operators , especially in remote regions of Africa .
Higher payload results in better productivity
In addition to the improvements underneath the cab towards the front end of the truck , the bin in the back of the latest model is bigger to allow for a larger payload . The B40E is able to carry a payload of 39 metric tons in comparison to the 37 metric tons that the D-series could load , which results in improved productivity and lower cost per tonne . “ We have basically made the bin bigger . The flat sections at the bottom and the sides of the bin are wider . In addition , the sides are also a bit higher . The result is that the bin capacity has increased from about 22.5m 3 to 24m 3 . When we initially designed this truck , the primary goal was to offer our customers a lower cost per tonne solution ,” says Du Pisanie .
QUARRY SA | JANUARY 2017 _ 29