TRUCK TRAYS - THE STRONGEST IN EARTH - DT Australia

DT HILOAD AUSTRALIA
ing than conventional hard, rigid square
trays. “Damage is quite a bit less on our
bodies, because it will absorb the shock,
it will bend, it will spring, but it will come
back into shape,” says Turner. “On square
bodies, it will crack, or affect the chassis.”
In the event of an accident, Hercules
trays can be easily replaced with a new
side panel, unlike square bodies. “With a
rigid square body, it can be a major repair
or you can just about write the body off,”
explains Turner.
“Damage is quite a
bit less on our bodies,
because it will absorb
the shock, it will bend,
it will spring, but it will
come back into shape.”
Grueling Field Tests
At DT Australia, the company believes
that one of the best ways to test its trays
is to put them in use at mine sites. During
one particularly grueling 18-month-long
field trial with one of Australia’s leading
mine sites, results were benchmarked,
and the performance and savings the
Hercules’ lightweight and durable bodies
offer to the mining industry was evident.
From operational performance to significant
savings through increased load
ability, reduced maintenance, repair and
overall operational efficiencies, there are
many benefits to mines from using DT
Hercules trays. Truck carrying capacity
improves by 10 to 15 percent. Fuel costs
are lowered 6 to 11 per cent per tonnes
moved. Along with reduced tyre costs,
users can expect a reduction in truck
downtime due to less body maintenance.
Customers also report that spillage is significantly
reduced during, haulage, at the
loading point and at the dump site.
Wear Management Programme
Unlike some other companies, DT Australia
has a unique Wear Management
Programme, which manages the service
life of the Hercules Trays. On mine sites,
trucks hauling and dumping tonnes of
iron ore, coal and other materials will
all show the effects of wear and tear in
time. In regular square trays, wear maintenance
is costly in more ways than one.
Repairing trays is expensive, and trucks often
experience considerable down time, reducing
mine effectiveness and profitability.
Under DT’s Wear Management Programme,
the company’s trays undergo
periodic assessments, with any signs of
wear being monitored and patterned.
When necessary, wear plates or tiles are
installed at varying thicknesses depending
on the wear rate. This adds back only
the weight of steel worn from the floor
(which carries the bulk of the weight and
payload), prolonging the service life of
the body without compromising load carrying
advantages.
“Our philosophy is: wear
first, and then replace.”
“We have a specific Wear Management
Programme, because unlike other bodies,
our bodies don’t require wear liners
to start with, and that’s another area
where we get a significant weight advantage,”
says Turner. “Our philosophy
is: wear first, and then replace. We do
a free wear measure check and report
as part of our warranty within the first
12 months of operation. Providing the
wear is managed and the floors are maintained,
the bodies will require minimum
maintenance.”
At DT Australia , the company is capable
of manufacturing customised trays ranging
from 80 o 360 tonne super truck capacity,
and everything in-between. “We
can build up to about 250 cubic metre
capacity,” says Turner. “This is why it’s
mine-specific; it depends on the density
of the material. But we can build 225,
190… it really depends on the material, so
we don’t overload the truck.” Floor thickness
varies with the material the dump
trucks are required to carry.
Weight Advantage
From the quality of the steel they
use to the skills used to cut and assemble
them, there are many advantages
for mining companies using
the Hercules trays, with the greatest
being weight. Putting it simply, lighter,
more durable curved trays mean
dump trucks can carry more payload,
increasing profitability over typical
rigid square trays.
Putting it simply,
lighter, more durable
curved trays mean
dump trucks can
carry more payload,
increasing profitability
over typical rigid
square trays.
“We can offer on average a 10 to 15 per
cent weight advantage, which purely
relates to the payload,” says Turner.
“On a smaller truck, you get an extra
10 to 15 per cent in them; on a larger
truck, you’re talking 50, 60, 70 tonnes
extra. Our bodies are lightweight because
of how they are engineered and
designed, not just taking steel out of
it.” By making trays lighter, there is
no need to add tailgates or other unnecessary
“dead weight,” resulting
in greater productivity, safer hauling,
and lower operating costs.
Since DT Australia focuses its development
efforts on the Hercules
range, the company’s Research and
Development focusses on making its
trays more durable, lighter, and of
the highest possible quality. “This is
our own patented design, and all our
dollars go into continually improving
this body, so that’s a significant benefit,”
comments Turner. “Our product
is engineered and designed to
be used in all types of mining applications
all over the world. Through
our engineering and design work
solutions, we believe our bodies offer
greater longevity, and higher payloads
because they are lighter. There
are others out there, but the curved,
innovative design of the Hercules
has evolved over 10 years and we are
producing our Phase IX body. Our
competitors simply don’t reach our
performance levels. No one else can
tick ALL the required boxes!”
Additionally, the company offers firstclass
service, and a solid, 12-month
warranty on all structural parts, with
checks of all welds, joints, pivot areas,
and main rails. “We measure the
floor thickness to see what’s worn,
and with that, we can determine how
quick it’s wearing, and when the likelihood
of the need for some wear management
would need to be applied.
Depending on the abrasiveness of
the material, that could be anywhere
from 5,000 hours to 30,000 hours. To
apply our wear package is minimum
work. To apply big plates of steel to a
square body is a major job, very costly
and requires longer down time.”
Just as the company
has evolved over
the years, so has the
Hercules tray.
Just as the company has evolved
over the years, so has the Hercules
tray. Even with countless tests and
computer analysis, the true test
comes from being out in the mines.
“That’s the only way to get a true
indication,” says Turner, “and our
bodies are becoming more and more
popular. We’ve got over 1,000 bodies
worldwide now, and some of those in
excess of 50, 000 hours old, so we’ve
got a very good history in all types of
materials and conditions of how these
bodies perform, and what can be expected
with life and maintenance. It’s
really been a work in progress.”
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