Chinese heavy-duty truck maker Sinotruk (CNHTC) has unveiled an off-road wide body mining vehicle at the recently-held International Mining and Machinery Expo (IMME) 2018 in Kolkata. The company has imported few units of the mining truck for initial trials with Indian customers and plans to assemble them locally in future.
Mr. Jeet Kasar, Country Manager – India, Sinotruk International, said that the new product is targeted at companies and contractors involved in mining projects in the country. “With coal mining picking up, there is definite demand for mining trucks in India, with buyers eyeing fully-loaded and efficient dumpers”, he shared. Sinotruk entered the Indian market with its 31-tonne on-road tippers in 2014, bagging orders for over 60 trucks for mining operation in and around Telangana.
The Mine King is powered by a 12.4 litre 480 hp diesel engine born out of MAN technology, although built by Sinotruk. A fully-automatic Allison 4600 ORS transmission delivers the engine power to the wheels. Mr. Kasar stated: “The 98 tonne GVW truck is specially designed for heavy mining operations, with its large 30 cu.m rigid body capable of taking on two 31-tonners in terms of productivity”.
“Mining dumpers have clear cost and efficiency advantages; on-road tippers are not designed for mining, which results in unwanted maintenance costs and operational inefficiency”, he added. The company claims that the truck’s load-oriented design will appeal to mine operators in India, especially in the place of on-road tippers.