The Dodge Ram diesel pickup’s
Cummins engine was approved by
the US Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA) in the 1990s
and began work underground in 1996,
when Canyon Fuels used them to
replace its Isuzu light-duty truck fleet
(Isuzu had dropped out of the
underground mining market) at its
SUFCO operation in Utah. The
SUFCO longwalls were operating
12 miles from the portal and quick
transport was a necessity. The Ram
pickups proved to be reliable and
their use soon spread. Many mine
operators were surprised to learn that
the Ram underground trucks were the
same as those sold to the general
consumer, the only difference being
the modifications made to operate in
the underground environment. This
made warranty repairs, parts and
supply easy and as close as the
nearest Chrysler dealership.
Chrysler also builds Jeeps. Jeep
was founded in 1941 and has been
manufacturing off-road and military
vehicles for longer than any other
brand. The original Jeep flatfender
MB/GPW were the primary
command, light reconnaissance and
utility vehicles for the US and its
allies in World War II. Jeeps are
renowned off-road vehicles and, in
many parts of the world, a 4x4
off-road vehicle is referred to as a
‘Jeep’ no matter what its brand. Jeeps
are famous for their strength,
durability and off road performance.
Historically, these tough little
utility vehicles have been used
underground at some locations. In
autumn 2008, General Chemical Soda
Ash Partners contacted Joe Betar,
owner of Classic Motors in Richfield,
Utah, regarding a suitable
replacement for its fleet of aging
Jeep CJ-7s and YJ Wranglers, which
they had been running underground
with various diesel engines swapped
into them for decades. General
Chemical was just beginning to
purchase underground versions of the
Ram pickup, but also needed
something smaller and more
manoeuvrable for certain applications.
Betar contacted Robert Goldenthal,
a recently retired powertrain executive
with Chrysler, who had been
instrumental in managing the
underground Ram truck project, and
asked for help. At the time, Betar had
no idea that Jeep was building the
J8 military vehicle based on the
popular JK Wrangler Unlimited, or
that Chrysler produced a diesel-
powered Wrangler of any kind.
Goldenthal was able to set up a
meeting with Stephane Cloutier, then
the director of the Jeep J8 programme,
in Moab, Utah, in Easter 2009. As he
had done earlier with Goldenthal
when working on the Ram truck
underground project, Betar convinced
Cloutier of the value of a
J8 underground vehicle and Cloutier
was able to get corporate approval to
move forward with the
J8 underground project.
Delays in getting MSHA approval
on the diesel engine prevented the
first underground J8s from entering
mining service until early 2012, at
which time 35 J8s went into service at
various mines in the US. While the
original MSHA approval process was
taking place, the J8 engine was
revised, which in turn required a new
MSHA approval. This delayed
delivery of additional J8s for
underground mining until the
summer of 2014 when the revised
Figure 1. J8 flatbed configured for use in a US coal mine.
Figure 2. Two-door and four-door J8s modified for low seam operations.
24
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World Coal
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June 2015
