TRUCK TRAYS - THE STRONGEST IN EARTH - DT Australia
TRUCK TRAYS - THE STRONGEST IN EARTH - DT Australia
TRUCK TRAYS - THE STRONGEST IN EARTH - DT Australia
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<strong>TRUCK</strong> <strong>TRAYS</strong> -<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>STRONGEST</strong> <strong>IN</strong> <strong>EARTH</strong><br />
AS FEATURED <strong>IN</strong> AUSTRALIAN RESOURCE FOCUS
<strong>DT</strong> HILOAD AUSTRALIA<br />
<strong>TRUCK</strong> <strong>TRAYS</strong> –<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>STRONGEST</strong><br />
<strong>IN</strong> <strong>EARTH</strong><br />
<strong>DT</strong> HiLOAD AUSTRALIA<br />
2 <strong>DT</strong> HILOAD AUSTRALIA: <strong>TRUCK</strong> <strong>TRAYS</strong> - <strong>THE</strong> <strong>STRONGEST</strong> <strong>IN</strong> <strong>EARTH</strong> AS FEATURED <strong>IN</strong> AUSTRALIAN RESOURCE FOCUS 3
<strong>DT</strong> HILOAD AUSTRALIA<br />
At <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, the<br />
company specialises<br />
in dump truck trays<br />
for all rear dump truck<br />
models, including<br />
Caterpillar, Komatsu,<br />
Hitachi, Liebherr, Belaz<br />
and Terex.<br />
Written By Robert Hoshowsky<br />
On mine sites, equipment has to<br />
be tough and built to handle demanding<br />
conditions. All machinery<br />
must be strong enough to handle<br />
plenty of wear and tear, especially<br />
dump trucks at coal, iron ore, and<br />
gold mines, as they haul thousands<br />
of tonnes of materials every day, and<br />
are faced with constant punishment.<br />
At <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong> , the company specialises<br />
in dump truck trays for all<br />
rear dump truck models, including<br />
Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, Liebherr,<br />
Belaz and Terex. Other companies<br />
may make trays for dump<br />
trucks, but few rival <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>’s<br />
Hercules High Performance Dump<br />
Truck Body. Designed to suit all<br />
OEM makes and models, the company’s<br />
trays feature a unique, patented<br />
design, and are built entirely<br />
from a hard wearing steel plate. In<br />
addition to offering superb wear resistance,<br />
the company’s innovative<br />
panel construction is considerably<br />
lighter than other trays, and more<br />
durable, allowing for increased payloads,<br />
less maintenance, increased<br />
productivity and greater bottom<br />
line profitability for the world’s demanding<br />
mining industries.<br />
Designed to suit<br />
all OEM makes<br />
and models, the<br />
company’s trays<br />
feature a unique,<br />
patented design,<br />
and are built entirely<br />
from a hard wearing<br />
steel plate.<br />
Crafted from Flexible<br />
Hardened Steel<br />
There are many reasons for the<br />
company’s outstanding quality,<br />
starting with the superior, flexible,<br />
hardened steel used to make the<br />
truck trays. Arriving at <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>’s<br />
factory in Perth in lots from 500 to<br />
1,000 tonnes, the steel is shipped in<br />
large, flat sheets, then cut, rolled,<br />
and fabricated on-site in WA.<br />
“It’s a quenched and tempered<br />
steel,” says Steve Turner, Sales and<br />
Marketing Manager at <strong>DT</strong> HiLoad<br />
<strong>Australia</strong> Pty Ltd. “Very hard-wearing,<br />
the material is a 450 Brinell<br />
hardness.” Widely used in engineering<br />
and metallurgy, the Brinell<br />
scale is one of the first widely used<br />
and standardised hardness scales.<br />
“It is a very hard steel, but the difference<br />
with our steel and the body<br />
design is that they combine to produce<br />
a flexible and resilient body.<br />
This helps the body longevity.<br />
“It is a very hard steel,<br />
but the difference<br />
with our steel and<br />
the body design is<br />
that they combine<br />
to produce a flexible<br />
and resilient body.<br />
This helps the body<br />
longevity.”<br />
The Hercules trays are made to order,<br />
not mass-produced. “Every one<br />
is made custom specific or mine specific,”<br />
says Turner of the dump truck<br />
trays, which take about six weeks<br />
to complete from start to finish, depending<br />
on production schedules. It<br />
is crucial that the trays are not only<br />
specific to the model of truck being<br />
used, but the mine site the vehicle is<br />
being used at, since hauling different<br />
materials – such as iron ore versus<br />
coal – presents a variety of demands<br />
and requirements.<br />
Once the truck model is determined<br />
and the mine site is established,<br />
the company’s team<br />
of engineers, cutting and rolling<br />
experts, fabricators, boilermaker<br />
welders, fitters, and skilled production<br />
people get to work. Hardened<br />
steel parts are precisely cut,<br />
and a variety of components such<br />
as the floor plate, ribs of the floor<br />
and the front sheet are rolled. All<br />
elements are then welded together<br />
on a production line.<br />
Unique Curved Floors<br />
Unlike traditional square trays, the<br />
Hercules’ unique floor sheets are<br />
curved, stronger and more durable,<br />
resulting in numerous benefits<br />
to mining companies. Since the<br />
Hercules trays weigh less, dump<br />
trucks experience less wear and<br />
tear, perform better, and use less<br />
fuel. Additionally, loading and unloading<br />
is more even, there is less<br />
clean-up required due to more<br />
accurate tipping, and reduced<br />
dump times. <strong>DT</strong> trays are uniquely<br />
designed and made using panel<br />
construction and they are easier<br />
and considerably less costly to repair<br />
than conventional square box<br />
trays.<br />
At mine sites, common accidents<br />
like impact damage from shovels<br />
happen, but they don’t have<br />
to cause excessive downtime for<br />
dump trucks outfitted with a Hercules<br />
tray. Since the steel used in<br />
manufacturing is more flexible, the<br />
trays are more durable and forgiv<br />
4 <strong>DT</strong> HILOAD AUSTRALIA: <strong>TRUCK</strong> <strong>TRAYS</strong> - <strong>THE</strong> <strong>STRONGEST</strong> <strong>IN</strong> <strong>EARTH</strong> AS FEATURED <strong>IN</strong> AUSTRALIAN RESOURCE FOCUS 5
<strong>DT</strong> HILOAD AUSTRALIA<br />
ing than conventional hard, rigid square<br />
trays. “Damage is quite a bit less on our<br />
bodies, because it will absorb the shock,<br />
it will bend, it will spring, but it will come<br />
back into shape,” says Turner. “On square<br />
bodies, it will crack, or affect the chassis.”<br />
In the event of an accident, Hercules<br />
trays can be easily replaced with a new<br />
side panel, unlike square bodies. “With a<br />
rigid square body, it can be a major repair<br />
or you can just about write the body off,”<br />
explains Turner.<br />
“Damage is quite a<br />
bit less on our bodies,<br />
because it will absorb<br />
the shock, it will bend,<br />
it will spring, but it will<br />
come back into shape.”<br />
Grueling Field Tests<br />
At <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>, the company believes<br />
that one of the best ways to test its trays<br />
is to put them in use at mine sites. During<br />
one particularly grueling 18-month-long<br />
field trial with one of <strong>Australia</strong>’s leading<br />
mine sites, results were benchmarked,<br />
and the performance and savings the<br />
Hercules’ lightweight and durable bodies<br />
offer to the mining industry was evident.<br />
From operational performance to significant<br />
savings through increased load<br />
ability, reduced maintenance, repair and<br />
overall operational efficiencies, there are<br />
many benefits to mines from using <strong>DT</strong><br />
Hercules trays. Truck carrying capacity<br />
improves by 10 to 15 percent. Fuel costs<br />
are lowered 6 to 11 per cent per tonnes<br />
moved. Along with reduced tyre costs,<br />
users can expect a reduction in truck<br />
downtime due to less body maintenance.<br />
Customers also report that spillage is significantly<br />
reduced during, haulage, at the<br />
loading point and at the dump site.<br />
Wear Management Programme<br />
Unlike some other companies, <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong><br />
has a unique Wear Management<br />
Programme, which manages the service<br />
life of the Hercules Trays. On mine sites,<br />
trucks hauling and dumping tonnes of<br />
iron ore, coal and other materials will<br />
all show the effects of wear and tear in<br />
time. In regular square trays, wear maintenance<br />
is costly in more ways than one.<br />
Repairing trays is expensive, and trucks often<br />
experience considerable down time, reducing<br />
mine effectiveness and profitability.<br />
Under <strong>DT</strong>’s Wear Management Programme,<br />
the company’s trays undergo<br />
periodic assessments, with any signs of<br />
wear being monitored and patterned.<br />
When necessary, wear plates or tiles are<br />
installed at varying thicknesses depending<br />
on the wear rate. This adds back only<br />
the weight of steel worn from the floor<br />
(which carries the bulk of the weight and<br />
payload), prolonging the service life of<br />
the body without compromising load carrying<br />
advantages.<br />
“Our philosophy is: wear<br />
first, and then replace.”<br />
“We have a specific Wear Management<br />
Programme, because unlike other bodies,<br />
our bodies don’t require wear liners<br />
to start with, and that’s another area<br />
where we get a significant weight advantage,”<br />
says Turner. “Our philosophy<br />
is: wear first, and then replace. We do<br />
a free wear measure check and report<br />
as part of our warranty within the first<br />
12 months of operation. Providing the<br />
wear is managed and the floors are maintained,<br />
the bodies will require minimum<br />
maintenance.”<br />
At <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong> , the company is capable<br />
of manufacturing customised trays ranging<br />
from 80 o 360 tonne super truck capacity,<br />
and everything in-between. “We<br />
can build up to about 250 cubic metre<br />
capacity,” says Turner. “This is why it’s<br />
mine-specific; it depends on the density<br />
of the material. But we can build 225,<br />
190… it really depends on the material, so<br />
we don’t overload the truck.” Floor thickness<br />
varies with the material the dump<br />
trucks are required to carry.<br />
Weight Advantage<br />
From the quality of the steel they<br />
use to the skills used to cut and assemble<br />
them, there are many advantages<br />
for mining companies using<br />
the Hercules trays, with the greatest<br />
being weight. Putting it simply, lighter,<br />
more durable curved trays mean<br />
dump trucks can carry more payload,<br />
increasing profitability over typical<br />
rigid square trays.<br />
Putting it simply,<br />
lighter, more durable<br />
curved trays mean<br />
dump trucks can<br />
carry more payload,<br />
increasing profitability<br />
over typical rigid<br />
square trays.<br />
“We can offer on average a 10 to 15 per<br />
cent weight advantage, which purely<br />
relates to the payload,” says Turner.<br />
“On a smaller truck, you get an extra<br />
10 to 15 per cent in them; on a larger<br />
truck, you’re talking 50, 60, 70 tonnes<br />
extra. Our bodies are lightweight because<br />
of how they are engineered and<br />
designed, not just taking steel out of<br />
it.” By making trays lighter, there is<br />
no need to add tailgates or other unnecessary<br />
“dead weight,” resulting<br />
in greater productivity, safer hauling,<br />
and lower operating costs.<br />
Since <strong>DT</strong> <strong>Australia</strong> focuses its development<br />
efforts on the Hercules<br />
range, the company’s Research and<br />
Development focusses on making its<br />
trays more durable, lighter, and of<br />
the highest possible quality. “This is<br />
our own patented design, and all our<br />
dollars go into continually improving<br />
this body, so that’s a significant benefit,”<br />
comments Turner. “Our product<br />
is engineered and designed to<br />
be used in all types of mining applications<br />
all over the world. Through<br />
our engineering and design work<br />
solutions, we believe our bodies offer<br />
greater longevity, and higher payloads<br />
because they are lighter. There<br />
are others out there, but the curved,<br />
innovative design of the Hercules<br />
has evolved over 10 years and we are<br />
producing our Phase IX body. Our<br />
competitors simply don’t reach our<br />
performance levels. No one else can<br />
tick ALL the required boxes!”<br />
Additionally, the company offers firstclass<br />
service, and a solid, 12-month<br />
warranty on all structural parts, with<br />
checks of all welds, joints, pivot areas,<br />
and main rails. “We measure the<br />
floor thickness to see what’s worn,<br />
and with that, we can determine how<br />
quick it’s wearing, and when the likelihood<br />
of the need for some wear management<br />
would need to be applied.<br />
Depending on the abrasiveness of<br />
the material, that could be anywhere<br />
from 5,000 hours to 30,000 hours. To<br />
apply our wear package is minimum<br />
work. To apply big plates of steel to a<br />
square body is a major job, very costly<br />
and requires longer down time.”<br />
Just as the company<br />
has evolved over<br />
the years, so has the<br />
Hercules tray.<br />
Just as the company has evolved<br />
over the years, so has the Hercules<br />
tray. Even with countless tests and<br />
computer analysis, the true test<br />
comes from being out in the mines.<br />
“That’s the only way to get a true<br />
indication,” says Turner, “and our<br />
bodies are becoming more and more<br />
popular. We’ve got over 1,000 bodies<br />
worldwide now, and some of those in<br />
excess of 50, 000 hours old, so we’ve<br />
got a very good history in all types of<br />
materials and conditions of how these<br />
bodies perform, and what can be expected<br />
with life and maintenance. It’s<br />
really been a work in progress.”<br />
6 <strong>DT</strong> HILOAD AUSTRALIA: <strong>TRUCK</strong> <strong>TRAYS</strong> - <strong>THE</strong> <strong>STRONGEST</strong> <strong>IN</strong> <strong>EARTH</strong> AS FEATURED <strong>IN</strong> AUSTRALIAN RESOURCE FOCUS 7
<strong>DT</strong> Hi-Load <strong>Australia</strong><br />
435c Dundas Road<br />
Forrestfield<br />
Western <strong>Australia</strong> 6058<br />
Phone: +61 8 9365 6888<br />
Email: info@dthiload.com<br />
www.dthiload.com<br />
8th floor, 55 Hunter Street | Sydney NSW 2000 | PO box 4836 | Sydney NSW 2001<br />
Ph: 02 8412 8119 | ABN 93 143 238 126