A majority of off-highway mining haulers and dumpers plying across the world comes invariably from one company: Caterpillar. India is no exception, with the company being active since the 1930s and manufacturing 60, 100 and 240-ton mining trucks for domestic and international markets.
At the recently held International Mining and Machinery Exhibition (IMME) 2018 in Kolkata, CAT displayed a 777D dumper that has clocked over 66,666 hours of working in one of the deepest open-pit mines under severe conditions since its commissioning in 2004. The dumper is under Maintenance and Repair Contract (MARC) with CAT’s dealer Gainwell.
With just 3 engine overhauls and 4 transmission overhauls so far in 14 years, the 100-ton truck has achieved a current availability of 87.02 per cent, with the Gainwell team achieving lower life cycle cost with higher equipment availability and utilisation. CAT claims that the truck did not face any unforeseen failure in any sub-assemblies during its life cycle, nor any structural fatigue in the frame area. The machine can work well up to 100,000 hours, the company adds.