TECHNOLOGY
negotiations in progress with different
mining companies in the country; there will
be some Rock Hawgs in South Africa soon.
Does the Rock Hawg come with any
warranty or after-sales service?
The Rock Hawg is covered by a standard
warranty of one year / 1 000 engine hours.
Standard warranty extensions are available
(up to three years / 3 000 hours). Special
warranty extensions can be provided
according to customers’ needs, and they are
usually linked to contracts for service and
maintenance. All scheduled services are
carried out by the local Tesmec team.
The productivity of a single Tesmec Rock Hawg can be more than three times that of an
excavator of the same weight (or up to 15 times a 25-ton class excavator).
can be equipped with the dust suppressing
system (optional).
The Rock Hawg machine, using a
laser system to control digging depth, can
produce a very smooth and gently inclined
surface. The inclination can be easily
controlled directly on site, and a one- or
two-degree slope can be imposed on the
excavation floor, allowing any emerging
water to be drained towards a sump for
dewatering operations.
What contribution does the machine
make to health, safety, and environmental
performance?
The Rock Hawg is environmentally
friendly. The levels of dust and noise are
significantly lower than that generated
by explosives. Vibrations and shocks
caused by surface miners are negligible,
with no danger to existing structures. The
use of explosives is subject to increasing
regulations and restrictions — using
surface miners avoids this problem, and no
special permit is necessary.
Does the Rock Hawg have specific
maintenance requirements?
Like any earthmoving/mining equipment,
maintenance is vital to keep machine
availability at its highest level. In the
operating and maintenance manual of
the Rock Hawg, all the periodic controls,
maintenance, and preventive refurbishment
are listed in detail.
Undercarriage and digging attachments
(drum and chain) are the parts that need the
highest care, since they are in direct contact
with the excavated material/ground and in
case of highly abrasive material, they can
18 _ QUARRY SA | JULY/AUGUST 2018
be more subject to wear compared to other
machine parts.
How long is a Rock Hawg expected to
last when used regularly in the mining
industry?
Provided that scheduled maintenance is
executed as per Tesmec instructions, a Rock
Hawg can last more than 30 000 hours.
Overhauls and replacement of some major
parts (such as the diesel engine, hydraulics,
and undercarriage) of course have to be
executed in-between.
Is the Rock Hawg available in
South Africa?
The Tesmec Rock Hawg has not been
introduced in South Africa yet, but we
are sure there is a huge potential for its
successful application. Tesmec has several
What advice would you give users to get
the most out of the Rock Hawg?
Operators must be properly trained to
operate the machine in a more productive
way. Machine service, greasing, and
periodic maintenance must be properly
managed to maximise mach