Ancillary Equipment

Bell has improved the functionality of its wheeled loaders with the addition of an advanced payload system (APS) as an optional extra on the entire seven model range. Bell Equipment UK has worked closely with weighing specialist Loadrite to develop the system, which is designed to be 'plug and play' to offer customers a more cost effective solution to after market weighing systems.

EU legislation has driven engine development over the last 15 years but what will be the main push after implementation of the final stage? Caterpillar believes the answer is sustainability. Introduction of the Stage IIIB engine emissions legislation in January this year resulted in numerous new machines being launched by construction equipment manufacturers at this spring's Conexpo, Samoter and Smopyc exhibitions. This is a pattern that has been repeated every three years since 1996 when the Stage I legisl

Getting the right tyres for a quarry is not just a case of getting the right size for the machine - getting the right tread pattern and compound, as well as the right maintenance, can also affect tyre service life. Claire Symes reports
The high cost involved in buying new earthmover tyres for quarry equipment means that it is an investment that needs consideration to get the right result in terms of productivity and service life. Just specifying the same tyres that a machine was delivered with or fitting t

Advances in gearbox technology delivered synchromesh and more speeds to improve operation of construction equipment on site. In the early days of mechanisation of quarries there were no specially designed off-highway machines to cope with the terrain and heavy loads. Instead there were on-highway trucks that were pressed into service to move material around site.

Many construction equipment manufacturers will be launching new machines or upgrading existing models this year to comply with the latest emissions regulations. Dan Gilkes takes a look at the new legislation. The quarry and aggregates industry is no stranger to regulation and legislation - from health and safety to site planning, every step of the mineral extraction process is examined and recorded in some way.

Michelin has announced the launch of the new XDR2 tyre for rigid dump trucks and the company claims that the tyres offer significant improvements. "The XDR tire is the benchmark on haul trucks in quarries around the world, and has been for many years. This XDR2 tyre builds on that foundation to deliver even more productivity, better performance and unquestioned value, all leading to a lower total cost of tyre operation," said Michelin Earthmover Tyres president Luc Minguet.

Michelin is aiming to strengthen innovation and reduce the time it takes to bring new tyre technology to the market with a €100million investment in a new technology centre in France. Under the plan, the company will consolidate all of its research and development work and laboratories in Ladoux near Clermont-Ferrand in a purpose built facility that expects to be complete by 2017

On-board weighing equipment producer Loadrite has announced that it has signed a deal with UK-based Halomec to be its exclusive distributer in the region. Under the deal, the mobile equipment aftermarket solutions specialist will also help to promote Loadrite's technology in Europe. According to Loadrite, its equipment can be installed on excavators, materials handlers, wheel loaders, conveyors, crushers and screens to provide ultrasensitive, high accuracy weighing with powerful process and data management