Volvo A60H exceeds expectations for CEMEX UK
New 55-tonne articulated hauler delivering great flexibility at Halkyn Quarry in North Wales
THE first Volvo A60H articulated hauler to be sold in Great Britain was delivered to CEMEX UK during November last year and has been pulling out all the stops ever since at the company’s Halkyn Quarry, in Flintshire, North Wales.
Previewed for the first time at Hillhead 2016, the 55-tonne capacity hauler was trialled earlier last year by CEMEX UK to assess the suitability of introducing an articulated hauler of this size to the operations at Halkyn – and it proved to be a success in all areas of the quarry’s production.
Specifically for CEMEX UK, the A60H has had additional features fitted to it including an Ardent fire-suppression system, Groeneveld automatic greasing system and 200mm side extensions coupled to a cantilever tailgate to increase the hauler’s body capacity to 39 cubic metres.
In this configuration the truck is capable of handling all hauling duties on site, which include shifting blasted material from the face to the primary crusher, running under the bins to receive various sized material from the secondary crusher, and large-scale muck shifting in new areas of the quarry.
Since its delivery in November 2017, CEMEX UK have been monitoring the all-round performance of the A60H in terms of its productivity and fuel efficiency, and so far the articulated hauler is exceeding all expectations.
‘Opting for the A60H articulated hauler instead of another 60-tonne rigid truck has been a success here at Halkyn,’ commented quarry manager Andrew Edwards. ‘The A60H is giving us tremendous flexibility in all the areas of our production, whether it is hauling directly from the face, moving secondary material from the bins or working on our developing areas on wholesale muck-shifting duties.’
With the aid of Volvo CE’s Care Track telemetry system, the performance of the A60H can be clearly tracked. In February this year, for example, the A60H carried a total of 27,406 tonnes, with 6.9 tonnes of material moved per litre of fuel burnt.
With its 55-tonne (60-ton) payload, Volvo say the A60H brings a new dimension to reducing the cost per tonne of material moved using tried and tested frame and powertrain designs with the emphasis on fuel efficiency.
The A60H is powered by a 16-litre Volvo engine that delivers 495kW and 3,200Nm of torque, and has a maximum speed of 54.9km/h. It shares the same features and benefits in terms of design and overall layout as its smaller brothers in the Volvo articulated hauler range.
Moreover, with intelligent systems from Volvo, such as MATRIS, CareTrack and the On Board Weighing system, valuable data is on hand to improve on-site efficiency and save costs.
Also, with matched drivetrain, automatic drive combinations, including 100% differential locks, all-terrain bogie, hydro-mechanical steering and active suspension, the A60H optimizes operator comfort and stability during travel, allowing more material to be moved in a shorter time for unmatched productivity.
Likewise, the A60H’s dump support system, Hill Assist and load and dump brake, all help the operator to stay in control at all times, for extra productivity and safety.
