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Digger Man Blog

by Nick Drew  |  Fri 27 Nov 2020

#FlashbackFriday: Dumptrucks from the Archives

Its been a while since I had a delve into the Digger Man Blog archive filing cabinet, so today I thought I would pick out a selection of shots featuring rigid dumptrucks.

#FlashbackFriday: Dumptrucks from the Archives

Rolling off the boat here, we see two examples of a British classic, the 40-tonne class Aveling Barford RD-040. These models were produced from 1984 to 1998 and alongside the RD-035 models around 1,022 were built. 3 different engine options were available, depending on customer preference, a 456hp GM-Detroit Diesel, 450hp Cummins, of the 476hp Caterpillar offering.

This Scottish built Terex 33-11 seen here in the orange livery of Fairclough Mining, was according to my Earthmovers Magazine colleague and Terex aficionado David Wylie, the top Terex hauler in the UK opencast mine sector back in those days.

The Caterpillar 777C a classic truck if ever there was one! The 85-tonne class 777 was first launched in 1975 and quickly stamped its mark on the surface mining industry, with many thousands of them being sold into the sector. The 777C was powered by an 870hp Caterpillar diesel engine and had been uprated by an extra 10-tonnes carrying a load capacity of 47.48 yd3. This example shown was owned and operated by RJB Mining (UK).

First launched at Minexpo in Las Vegas in 1996, the Komatsu 930E had a payload rating of 320-tonnes. This massive dumptruck was one of the first in the industry to be fitted with electric-wheel drive using AC motors. Power came from a 2,550hp diesel engine, which was part of a collaboration between Komatsu and Cummins.

And finally in this batch, Unit-Rig was a division of the Terex Corporation and they produced a range of trucks under the Lectrahaul brand. This example the MT-4400 was introduced in 1995 and was powered by an MTU 396 diesel engine producing 2,467hp. Rated capacity was 260-tonnes, like the Komatsu mentioned above, this truck also featured rear AC electric drive.

Checkout this walkaround video of a long time retired, Unit-Rig MT-100 truck, by the guys over at the PA Mining You Tube Channel. 

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