Naturally, the difficulty of loading
a narrow truck body with high
sidewalls translates into a slow,
painstaking process that can increase
cycle times and impact the
productivity of the mine. Custom
truck body manufacturers consider
the weight and volumetric capacity of
the material being hauled to design a
body that provides a larger loading
target, a lower centre of gravity and
a much more comfortable experience
for both the loader operator and
the driver.
A custom body boasts superior load
stability and operator safety. In
addition to having a lower centre of
gravity, a properly designed custom
body offers better weight distribution
– roughly one third of the weight on
the front of the truck and two thirds of
the weight on the back, reducing
unnecessary tyre wear and
maintenance issues. Additionally, a
wider truck body allows the massive
stripping shovel to reach the floor of
the body – providing a low loading
height and minimising the risk of
equipment damaging the sides of the
truck body. This also means less impact
on the body when the material is
loaded, as well as a reduced chance of
equipment damage. From a safety
standpoint, dropping the loads from a
lower height reduces its impact on the
floor by as much as 30%, making the
loading process more comfortable for
the truck operator, shift after shift, day
after day. In turn, the custom design
also reduces overall cycle times.
Perfect timing
While an additional 5 min., 1 min. or
even 30 sec. might not seem like a big
deal, the effects add up quickly. For an
athlete who shaves 30 sec. or 1 min. off
their race time, it could make the
difference between a first and third
place finish. In hauling cycle times, that
monetary benefit can be the deciding
factor between a good year and a great
year.
For example, if a mine’s complete
cycle time is consistently 40 min. using
a generic body, each truck completes
approximately 36 loads per day. By
switching to a custom coal body, this
mine might shave 10 min. off its cycle
times, resulting in the completion of
48 loads per day, per truck. With each
truck carrying 200 short t per load,
increasing the number of trips by 12
meant that each truck carries 2400 more
short tpd. Now consider a large fleet
size of 250 trucks, that is 600 000 more
short tpd, which equates to an increase
of about 219 million short tpy of coal
using custom truck bodies.
Running, winning the
marathon
Incorporating custom truck bodies into
the service fleet might seem like a
daunting race to run. It might even
seem like running a marathon. But
consider how a runner would perform
when wearing a pair of casual shoes
– shoes that were not specifically
designed for running. He or she
might cross the finish line, but
certainly not in first, second or even
third place. Whether you are choosing
a pair of running shoes, or custom
truck bodies, it makes all the difference
in participating in or winning a
marathon .
Engineered to provide operator stability and safety, high-performance coal bodies are
designed to keep one third of the weight on the front of the truck and two thirds of
weight on the back of the truck.
High-performance coal bodies are able to increase an operation's hauling rate by 10 to
15% compared to alternative or traditional coal bodies.
46
|
World Coal
|
June 2015
