Caterpillar produce 5,000th 793 Mining Truck
Milestone production figure for company’s 250-ton size class surface mine dumptruck
HAVING recently completed the assembly of the 5,000th Cat 793 Mining Truck, Caterpillar say this milestone production figure far exceeds the manufacture of any other brand of 250-ton (227-tonne) size class truck. In production since 1991, truck number 5,000 represents the fifth generation of the 793.
‘The 793 Mining Truck is the core of Cat surface mining vehicles. It has been an integral part of making Caterpillar the leading supplier of surface mining equipment,’ said Jean Savage, Caterpillar vice-president with responsibility for the Surface Mining & Technology Division.
Sudhanshu Singh, global product manager for large mining trucks, added: ‘The success of the 793 supports our belief that it is the most productive and cost-effective mining truck in a wide range of applications.
‘The 793’s success is a direct result of collaboration with customers, Cat dealers and cross-functional teams within the Caterpillar organization, who have worked to optimize the performance of Cat trucks in a wide range of applications.
‘Our very first 793 truck, placed in service 27 years ago, is still in service delivering best-in-class cost per ton.’
The 5,000th 793 truck will be delivered to a mining customer in Australia. The largest populations of 793s operate in Australia, North America and South America, where they work in the extraction of iron ore, copper, coal, gold and other minerals.
Over the years, the 793 has built a strong reputation for durability. One of the longest-running 793s was built in 1992 and has accumulated 173,000 operating hours – nearly 20 years equivalent – working in a mine in the US.
Moreover, more than 100 of most recent generation, the Cat 793F, are now operating autonomously via Command for hauling, the Cat autonomous truck operations system that forms part of Cat MineStar.
Most Cat autonomous trucks operate in iron ore mines in Western Australia, although fleets are also growing in South America and North America.
Delivering productivity increases of more than 20% while improving safety and reducing costs, Cat autonomous trucks have hauled more than 800 million tons (700 million tonnes) since the first such trucks started working about four years ago.
