Modern Mining July 2015

OFF-HIGHWAY TRUCKS AND EXCAVATORS

to ask,” responds Gillham. “Certainly Bell has no plans to go beyond the B60 at this point but I would guess that if we can go to 60 tons, then 65 tons or 70 tons would not be impossible. It’s all about the application and what the customer needs. Whatever the case, the ADT concept is firmly on the map and has proved to be a game- changer in mining. There’s no question that ADTs have transformed the face of the indus- try, bringing new economies and efficiencies to the mining of deposits of every type and also – and this is an important point – allowing the exploitation of smaller deposits which would probably have proved unviable to mine in the pre-ADT era. “Finally – and I’m talking here with my Bell ‘hat’ on – I think South Africans can take pride in the fact that the ADT industry is one area where South Africa often leads the world. Not too many South African companies can claim to be leaders in their field globally but Bell Equipment is definitely one of them.” Photos (unless otherwise acknowledged) courtesy of Bell Equipment

A Bell B60D at work at a mine in the Rustenburg area.

Bell has retained the proven B50D ‘front end’ in the B60 although with a new engine and transmission. While the B50D and B60 share the same capacity V-8 turbocharged Mercedes Benz M502LA engine, the power output has been increased from 380 kW to 420 kW in the B60. Bell Equipment’s designers have also opted for a 7-speed Allison transmission rather than the 6-speed transmission of the B50D. At the ‘back end’, the back axle is a dedicated 70-ton truck-and-haulage axle from Kessler of Germany while the bin is much wider than a typical ADT bin to achieve the 60-ton capacity and increased loading target. An interesting point is whether the B60 represents a ‘ceiling’ for the ADT. “I’m not an engineer so probably I’m not the right person

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July 2015  MODERN MINING  49