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May 2017
MODERN MINING
31
EQUIPMENT
launched by Babcock
repairs and servicing of the fully automatic
Allison transmissions that form part of the
backbone of the A60H dump truck.
Vaughan says that six A60H dump trucks
have been ordered by South African custom-
ers while first orders for the EC950E crawler
excavator have also been placed. One of the
South African customers is Burgh Plant Hire,
which placed its order for three A60Hs and
one EC950E at last year’s bauma show. Its
new machines, which are now in the process
of being delivered, will mainly work in the
Highveld coalfields.
“The A60H and EC950E are eminently suit-
able for local mining operations as their robust
drivelines are designed specifically for chal-
lenging applications such as those found in the
Southern African mining environment,” says
Vaughan. “The A60H articulated dump truck
in particular is perfectly suited for opencast
coal mining where short yet extremely steep
ramps have to be climbed to access boxcuts
made through overburden in order to expose
high grade coal.”
The A60H can move more tonnes per hour
and gives 100 % in all conditions. The largest
true articulated hauler on the market, it has a
bigger payload (55 metric tons or 61 short tons)
for heavy-duty applications, delivering up to
40 % more productivity than Volvo’s previous
largest hauler. The Volvo A60H embodies the
full articulated hauler concept and provides
total versatility so that the entire jobsite can be
accessed and steeper gradients climbed.
It works in all seasons, terrains and appli-
cations using tailored machine configurations
and tyres that have been optimised for the
machine. Goodyear, Bridgestone and Michelin
will manufacture the specialised tyres required
for the A60H.
The A60H has several features that will
be familiar to current series A40 operators,
eliminating the need for major retraining of
operators. Operators will only require a short
orientation course and technicians who regu-
larly service other Volvo dump trucks will have
knowledge of many of its elements.
Designed to load the A60H, the other
new machine on display in Middelburg, the
90-tonne EC950E, is Volvo’s largest ever crawler
excavator. It is claimed to deliver best-in-class
fuel efficiency and features a powerful 16-litre
engine, a new electro-hydraulic control system,
Volvo’s unique ECO mode and an ergonomic
operator environment.
With over 424 kN of breakout force and
408 kN of tearout force, Babcock says the
EC950E offers the perfect combination of power
and stability. It features a wide track gauge, long
track length, a retractable undercarriage and an
optimised counterweight, resulting in a well-
balanced, solid machine.
All machine interfaces – including joysticks,
keypad and LCD monitor – are ergonomically
positioned and designed for optimum control
and efficiency. Operators can work with com-
fort and confidence in the most challenging
environments in the comfortable, spacious and
low-noise cab of the EC950E.
Volvo’s durable, high quality buckets are
perfectly matched to the EC950E for dig-
ging in all working conditions. The General
Purpose, Heavy-Duty or Extreme-Duty buckets
are built with wear-resistant steel plates, mak-
ing them well suited to quarrying and mining
applications.
Both machines can be purchased from
Babcock with Customer Support Agreements
offering preventive maintenance, total repairs
and a number of uptime services, while the
latest in Volvo technology is used to moni-
tor machine operation and status, ultimately
resulting in increased profitability to custom-
ers and retention of asset value.
Photos: Arthur Tassell
“The A60H
and EC950E
are eminently
suitable for
local mining
operations as
their robust
drivelines
are designed
specifically for
challenging
applications such
as those found
in the Southern
African mining
environment.”