Rokbak says its RA30 and RA40 articulated dump trucks (ADTs) are proving a very big hit in the US market.
“Rokbak is seeing huge demand for its RA30 and RA40 articulated haulers in the US,” says Robert Franklin, Rokbak’s director of sales – Americas. “The US is leading articulated hauler demand globally with huge infrastructure spend. There is a lot of construction activity at the moment around house and road building, so we are keen to meet with customers and discuss how the RA30 and RA40 can help with these projects.”
The 28.9-tonne maximum payload RA30’s new transmission and high-performance 276kW engine improves fuel efficiency, operator comfort and, with 1880Nm maximum torque, delivers power when operators need it. The new transmission retardation system is combined with exhaust brakes and fully enclosed oil-cooled multidisc brakes to cut operating costs and increase safety and stability. The RA30’s drivetrain is also said to be perfectly balanced to provide excellent performance and productivity in all hauling conditions.
Ground-level test points, a fully tilting cab and an electronically raised hood make the RA30’s servicing quick and easy – maximising uptime. Furthermore, Rokbak’s bespoke Haul Track system gives RA30 hauler operators more visibility and control of their machines, with live data viewable on desktop computers or mobile devices. This allows companies to protect their investment even when not on-site.
The 38-tonne maximum payload, 331kW high-performance-engine-equipped RA40 is a heavy-duty articulated hauler said to make light work of large-scale quarry, mine, and construction jobs, offering high capacity and claimed high performance in the toughest conditions.
The RA40 benefits from the same transmission retardation system, fully adaptable drivetrain, easy maintenance, and Haul Track system as its smaller RA30 sibling. The RA40’s planetary gear transmission is said to deliver smooth, efficient gear shifting, cutting fuel costs and increasing operator comfort – even under the most challenging conditions.
With sustainability in mind, the Rokbak event booth materials are all recycled or reusable. Two 40ft customised shipping containers, adorned in the recognisable Rokbak aesthetic, will be used for meeting rooms and product information displays. Following the event, these will be shipped back to Motherwell, Scotland, for reuse at future events.
Global ADT specialist Bell Equipment says that, four years after commencing extensive testing, its autonomous technology is now at the adoption stage with more customers in the United Kingdom, South America, and Australia set to introduce autonomous Bell ADTs on their worksites during 2023.
“We’re extremely excited to have reached the adoption stage,” says Bell Equipment product manager Brad Castle. “Right now, we are working closely with one of our UK customers. They are a leading mobile plant supplier and earthmoving contractor that has a large existing fleet of Bell ADTs and is looking to initially install an autonomous system onto two B30Es for a quarry application. Initially, they will be introducing autonomous ADTs on two of its sites as part of a continuous drive to improve safety.
“At the same time, we have a mining customer in Australia who will be introducing five autonomous Bell ADTs later in the year. Both these customers have chosen xtonomy as their preferred guidance system.”
Castle says that providing autonomous-ready machines will be a part of Bell’s core business in the future, but in terms of sensing and guidance systems the company has decided that it makes more sense to partner with market leaders and innovators, as it does with drivetrain, hydraulics, and electronics technologies in Bell trucks.
“Bell currently has two approved service providers, xtonomy based in Europe and Pronto AI in the United States, both of which can work with Bell customers from anywhere in the world,” he adds.
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has released a new aftermarket option update – Downhill Speed Control – for the Volvo A60H articulated hauler.
The Downhill Speed Control update will further enhance the A60H’s already leading class comfort and control – helping to increase safety and efficiency on site by allowing operators to maintain their control and speed. The update is available as an aftermarket retrofit kit for all the A60H machines in the aftermarket, with new machines having the feature as from the factory.
Downhill Speed Control works by helping the operator to maintain a constant speed downhill and is easily adjusted by either the brake, retarder or accelerator pedal. The function is controlled by the new combined engine brake or Downhill Speed Control switch. It is activated by pressing the lower part of the switch, indicated by the symbol and the speed is set to the current machine speed when releasing the accelerator, brake or retarder pedal. A conversion kit is required to make the functionality available on older machines.
As well as providing enhanced safety, comfort and productivity in all conditions, it also benefits customers by reducing brake-disc wear, as well as activating the best combination of Volvo Engine Brake and service brakes. The feature is also already available on all G-series haulers.
Italy-based Perlini has introduced the new “little one” in its hauling range, the 26.5-tonne DP265WD.
Perlini says the new dump truck has been developed by combining the company’s decades-long tradition in mining haulers with the latest technologies, such as new control electronics, modern GPS monitoring and electronic weighing systems to produce a versatile, economical and reliable vehicle.The manufacturer states: “With ‘small’ dimensions, the new Perlini DP265 is the ideal vehicle for quarries and public works, the width of less than 3m also allows road transport without the need of special transit permissions or escorts.”
It adds that the vehicle is equipped with the usual Perlini features, including the brake/retarder system with oil-bath brakes, oil-pneumatic suspension, and typical Perlini stability and comfort. It is also equipped with a Stage V Scania DC09 engine and an Allison 4430ORS transmission with updated electronics.
After 50 years of production, the Elnesvågen plant outside Molde in Norway, where the Doosan range of articulated dump trucks (ADTs) is produced, is celebrating the completion of the 10,000th machine to be built at the plant. According to plant manager Jan Roger Lindset, the Doosan ADT with production number 851951 will be delivered to Rental Group in Norway.
Production began at the plant in 1972 when the business was called Glamox. Since then, the brand has had several names, such as Moxy, Moxy Industrial, Brown Engineering, Moxy Trucks, and Moxy Engineering. In 2008, the name changed to Doosan when the South Korean manufacturer bought the factory and the product. In 2021, Hyundai Heavy Industries bought the Doosan construction equipment range, including the ADT line, and the name of the business was changed to Hyundai Doosan Infracore (HDI).
There are currently 150 employees at the Elnesvågen plant. With both Doosan and Hyundai ADTs now being produced at the factory, the workforce is expected to expand to meet an expected 40% growth in production. The Doosan ADT range comprises two 6x6 models - the DA30-7 and DA45-7 Stage V-compliant machines - the DA30-7 has a payload of 28 tonnes, while that of the DA45-7 is 41 tonnes. The range was extended at bauma 2022 Munich with the launch of a new 4x4 version of the DA45-7 ADT, intended to compete with rigid dump trucks (RDTs) in the 40-tonne class.
Doosan Infracore is replacing the Doosan brand on its construction equipment and introducing its new brand named Develon which is now in a transition period.
“When coming up with a new name, we had many ideas that could represent our brand’s direction and value,” says Hyundai Doosan Infracore CEO Young-cheul Cho. “That is why we came up with the combination of the two words ‘Develop’ and ‘Onwards’. We believe these words show the brand's purpose to advance the development of our world with new products and solutions.”
