Modern Mining June 2016

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PRODUCT News
56 MODERN MININGJune 2016
Expertise comes with tried and tested
experience, which for Cat mid-sized track-
type tractors makes Rail Plant Hire an
expert in this field as one of the southern
hemisphere’s largest dozer fleet owners.
“In fact we’re even more specialised
since our fleet predominantly comprises
Cat D6R units,” explains Chris Barclay, MD
of Rail Plant Hire, which currently owns
and operates more than 62 dozers.
The company has a well-established
contractor base in the construction and
Dozer specialist adds Cat machines to its fleet
mining sectors and recently expanded
its fleet with the addition of four new
Cat D6Rs. Five D8Rs were also acquired
towards the end of 2015 for deploy-
ment within the mining segment.
As Barclay explains, the company
caters for both short-term hire as
well as longer term contracts for proj-
ects ranging from new power station
developments to national highway
construction.
“Historically we’ve worked nationally One of Rail Plant Hire’s recently acquired Cat D6R
units adds to the expanding dozer fleet.
and internationally, and continue to support
our customers on cross-border projects.”
Alongside its mainstream activities, in the
past 12 months Rail Plant Hire has also partici-
pated in two Caterpillar pilot programmes in
conjunction with Southern African Cat dealer
Barloworld Equipment. The first is the field
testing of a new type of Cat undercarriage sys-
tem, and the second a performance trial on a
Cat D6R Series 2 track-type tractor.
As Barclay points out, when it comes to
testing and real-life application, machine site
matching and operator proficiency are espe-
cially important for dozers. This is particularly
the case when it comes to the longevity of
their undercarriage systems. Simply put, the
average cost for track maintenance over the
life of a dozer will typically equate to around
40 % of its original purchase price, assuming
correct utilisation. In the wrong hands, it will
end up costing a lot more.
Underscoring these statements, Rail Plant
Hire employs a specialist technician who
focuses exclusively on undercarriage inspec-
tions and assessments across the company’s
dozer fleet.
“We monitor our overall availability closely,
but in the event that a machine does go down
in the field, we have back-up units in place
and prefer to change-out rather than conduct
in-situ repairs,” says Barclay.
Leveraging off Caterpillar’s second and
third life rebuild design philosophy, Rail Plant
Hire’s maintenance team is fully equipped for
machine overhauls and follows the latest Cat
maintenance handbooks. All Cat units are also
registered on the Cat S·O·S™ fuel and wear
analysis programmes.
“Overall, our machines deliver excellent
mechanical availability and the D6 remains a
versatile dozer well-suited for the plant hire
industry,” Barclay adds.
Barloworld Equipment, tel (+27 11) 929-0000