LOAD & HAUL
Cat truck at the Boliden mine in Sweden
and 1MWh of stored energy) does mean that the pack is capable of storing enough energy. Mogalakwena has a journey from the top of the open pit to the bottom that generates in the region of 90KWh of energy, which is around the same as a fully charged Tesla Model S or Jaguar I-Pace battery. Testing will begin at the mine later this year.
ELECTRIC DREAMS Te result of nearly two years testing conducted with four 795F AC trucks using 700m of electric trolley line at Boliden’s Aitik mine in Sweden, Caterpillar’s trolley assist system is now
available for retrofit. It also fits on the 794 AC, 796 AC and 798 AC.
Te idea is a simple one: when the
vehicle is in the most demanding part of its route it’s electrified via the pantograph. In this application, there is a 10% gradient on the ramp out of the pit, and when on the trolley the truck saves up to 40 litres of diesel fuel per kilometre of trolley line. Fuel costs are cut by 90% when it’s hooked up. It’s faster too – Cat reports speed-on- grade increases as much as 100% versus the diesel-only mode, so up to 28kph fully loaded. When not needed, the pantograph has a quick-drop feature to allow the vehicle’s normal height to be restored.
Jonas Ranggård, a programme manager at Boliden says, “Availability has been high despite the arctic conditions, and we’ve had good support from Caterpillar and all other partners involved. Tere are few projects that can show both environmental and productivity improvements of this magnitude. Tis is why Boliden has decided to expand the trolley infrastructure in Aitik and equip its entire 795F AC truck fleet with trolley assist systems.”
CHANGES ON THE 457 JCB has made several updates to its 457 wheeled loading shovel. As well as
NEW WHEEL LOADERS J
ohn Deere has expanded the L-Series Wheel Loader range with four new models: the 444L, 644L, 644L Hybrid and 724L. Power is up on the outgoing K-Series models and there are improvements to the cab, better electrohydraulic (EH) controls and a more advanced HVAC system. Two levels of trim are now offered: standard or premium.
The front Z-bar linkage has
been redesigned to give the driver a clearer view ahead, also load levelling is improved. The hinge pin height on the 724L’s standard Z-Bar has been raised by 3in compared with the K-Series, increasing clearance when dumping the load. It’s controlled by a single lever
joystick with up to six different functions. l
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