Sandvik Mining is preparing to make its new TH551 and TH663 underground trucks commercially available. Following their unveiling at the MINExpo 2012 trade show in Las Vegas, US, last year, the trucks have been undergoing field evaluation and will be ready for release in September.
The TH551 is a 51t capacity underground truck designed for 5m x 5m declines, and the 63t capacity TH663 is designed for 6m x 6m declines. The TH663 has been specifically matched to Sandvik’s LH621 underground loader, while the TH551 is matched to the LH517 loader.
Mark Ryan, Sandvik Mining’s product manager – trucks explained: “While the TH551 comes standard with a Volvo TAD1642VE-B engine rated at 515kW, it is also available with a low-emission Tier 4i technology Volvo TAD1662VE rated at 515kW as an option. In addition to significantly reducing the costs caused by underground ventilation, this environmentally friendly engine option will markedly improve underground working conditions, while also combining outstanding torque characteristics with low fuel consumption.”
Sandvik said that the benefits of the Tier 4i engine option have been highlighted by customers during field evaluations. Felix Gaul of Wolfram Bergbau un Hütten, which has been trialling a TH551 at its tungsten mining operation at Mittersill, near Salzburg in Austria commented: “All our heavy machines have to be equipped with diesel particulate filters for underground operations. With the Tier 4i engine of the truck this is not necessary any more, resulting in savings of about €100,000 over the lifetime of the machine.”
www.mining.sandvik.com
