Contents of Engineering & Mining Journal - FEB 2012

Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr

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SUPPORT EQUIPMENT
Tracks and Treads: Dozers and Loaders Dig into Production Support Roles
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor
The capabilities of bulldozers and wheel loaders are, literally, yards apart. With one designed to push and the other designed to lift, they appear to have little in common. In the mining sector, howev- er, these two types of machines are linked by some mutual characteristics: they both fall into the category of support equipment, lending their specialized design strengths to the goal of making life easier for primary production machines such as shovels and trucks; and in mining applications, they rely mostly on power and mass to move large volumes of material, thus posing a chal- lenge to OEMs facing customer expecta- tions for improved economy of operation in each new model. In the simplest terms, you can't move a lot of dirt with- out a lot of machine.
Despite the constraints posed by the need for machine mass to move moun- tains, dozer and loader suppliers continue to find ways to improve fuel economy, reli- ability, operational flexibility and driver ergonomics. Not only do equipment designs continue to evolve, but the sector itself has seen notable changes in brand ownership as well as the entry of new play- ers in the global market. At the top end of the loader-capacity spectrum, for exam- ple, LeTourneau Technologies, builder of the largest production wheel loader in the world—the 587,800-lb (266 622-kg), 2,300-hp (1715-kW) L2350 'Gen 2'— was acquired by Joy Global in 2011. And more recently LiuGong, a large Chinese construction equipment supplier, acquired a well-known Europe-based dozer manufacturer, seeking increased exposure in a wider market landscape. The new-product stage has been quiet in recent months, as manufacturers hold back on potential rollouts until later this year when MINExpo 2012, the world's largest all-mining equipment exposition, draws near. However, mining-class units introduced over the past year or so are, in
www.e-mj.com Komatsu WA1200-6 loader.
some cases, making their opening appear- ance in various market regions. Komatsu, for example, recently shipped the first unit of its updated WA1200-6 wheel loader to go to a North American mining operation. According to Des Jarvis, prod- uct marketing manager for Komatsu's mining-class loaders, this machine will be delivered to a Canadian customer. The -6's are built at Komatsu's Ibaraki plant in Japan, which opened in 2007 and is dedicated to production of large wheeled equipment, mostly for export. The WA1200-6, Komatsu's
largest
loader, was announced in September 2010 and officially entered the market in early 2011. The new version included improvements such as 26.2-yd3 standard bucket capacity; a new, EPA Tier 2 emis- sions-compliant diesel, better integration of engine and transmission for perform- ance and economy; higher reliability of major components; and enhanced opera- tor environment and serviceability. Other
notable features included a switch to variable displacement steering pumps for more efficient power management, and the standard equipment list was expand- ed to include a payload meter with regis- ter and tracking functions. Service weight for the WA1200-6, at 216,000 kg (476,000 lb) is about 5% more than its predecessor, the WA1200- 3. A new boom design provides increased dump clearance, and although its rated breakout force rating is the same as the -3, Komatsu claims the -6 is consid- erably more stable, with static tipping load rating increasing by several thous- and kilograms. The WA1200-6 also offers significantly higher air cleaner capacity, along with ground-level service points. Komatsu's wireless VHMS (Vehicle Health Monitoring System) has been renamed Komtrax Plus throughout the product line and is included on the -6, accompanied by a new, more intuitive operator display inside the cab.
FEBRUARY 2012 • E&MJ; 63
Mining requires massive machines, capable of continuous operation in tough The newest loader and dozer models offer performance levels designed to me
conditions.
et the challenge.