Lafarge Aggregates Choose Terex Dumptrucks
A fleet of new Terex trucks for quarry operations throughout England and Wales
In a significant deal for Terex UK Ltd, Lafarge Aggregates have taken delivery of a fleet of new Terex trucks for various quarry operations throughout England and Wales. The deal includes two of the new ‘Generation 7’ TA30 articulated dumptrucks and a mixture of TR40, TR45 and TR60 rigids.
At Mountsorrel Quarry, near Lafarge’s headquarters in Leicestershire, the two 27-tonne capacity TA30 articulated units have replaced three older Cat and Moxy machines, and are used primarily for delivering finished products from the hopper bins to the stockpiles. For this particular application it was important that the trucks should have both payload-carrying ability and be able to drive through the narrow entrance to the overhead bins, so they were specified with narrow (23.5R25) tyres, 400mm body-side extensions and an auto-latch tailgate.
Between them the two trucks are hauling 30,000+ tonnes a month on medium-length round trips of about 1km. This, say Terex, represents a noticeable improvement in productivity per machine, largely attributable to the higher power of the latest Terex units, which gives them better climbing ability with full loads on the grades and allows them to maintain good cycle times.
Further afield, at the Welsh limestone quarries of Llynclys and Graig, new Terex rigid trucks with heavy-duty rock bodies are reported to be performing well. Llynclys Quarry, near Oswestry, has taken delivery of a 41-tonne capacity TR45 to work alongside an identical machine installed 12 months ago, while at Graig Quarry, in North Wales, a 55-tonne capacity TR60 hauling up a steep 500m long grade from a deep bench has helped boost production.
In a completely different application at the 300,000 tonnes a year Marfield Quarry, near Masham in North Yorkshire, the sand and gravel deposit is excavated and dispatched mainly to concrete plants in the greater Leeds area. Here, a new 36-tonne capacity TR40 rigid truck is loaded straight from the excavation by a 36-tonne hydraulic excavator and has a relatively easy undulating round-trip haul of about 1km. However, being the sole transport unit on which the 1,700-tonnes-a-day crushing and screening plant depends, reliability is crucial.
‘These recent fleet acquisitions are part of a rationalization programme,’ explains John Close, Lafarge Aggregates’ technical services director. ‘We are replacing some of our older mobile equipment with more efficient and reliable new machines, and where possible reducing the overall size of the fleet holding.
‘Improving basic reliability is one of the key factors in increasing and maintaining continuous production efficiency, and it is one of my main aims. For that reason I favour simplicity in equipment wherever possible, and not over-sophistication where it is not really required.’
According to Mr Close, around 80% of all machine stoppages are minor problems that can often be attributed to simple electronic warning system failures, and more often than not are false alarms which create unnecessary and avoidable downtime.
‘I am certainly not against progressive equipment development,’ he says, ‘but I do want good, solid machines which will keep on doing the job day after day. These new units are living up to my expectations…and I know that Terex also have the back-up resources in the field to provide technical and product support when required.’
Terex UK Ltd, Watford Village, Northants NN6 7XN; tel: (01327) 705621; fax: (01327) 871704.
In a significant deal for Terex UK Ltd, Lafarge Aggregates have taken delivery of a fleet of new Terex trucks for various quarry operations throughout England and Wales. The deal includes two of the new ‘Generation 7’ TA30 articulated dumptrucks and a mixture of TR40, TR45 and TR60 rigids.
At Mountsorrel Quarry, near Lafarge’s headquarters in Leicestershire, the two 27-tonne capacity TA30 articulated units have replaced three older Cat and Moxy machines, and are used primarily for delivering finished products from the hopper bins to the stockpiles. For this particular application it was important that the trucks should have both payload-carrying ability and be able to drive through the narrow entrance to the overhead bins, so they were specified with narrow (23.5R25) tyres, 400mm body-side extensions and an auto-latch tailgate.
Between them the two trucks are hauling 30,000+ tonnes a month on medium-length round trips of about 1km. This, say Terex, represents a noticeable improvement in productivity per machine, largely attributable to the higher power of the latest Terex units, which gives them better climbing ability with full loads on the grades and allows them to maintain good cycle times.
Further afield, at the Welsh limestone quarries of Llynclys and Graig, new Terex rigid trucks with heavy-duty rock bodies are reported to be performing well. Llynclys Quarry, near Oswestry, has taken delivery of a 41-tonne capacity TR45 to work alongside an identical machine installed 12 months ago, while at Graig Quarry, in North Wales, a 55-tonne capacity TR60 hauling up a steep 500m long grade from a deep bench has helped boost production.
In a completely different application at the 300,000 tonnes a year Marfield Quarry, near Masham in North Yorkshire, the sand and gravel deposit is excavated and dispatched mainly to concrete plants in the greater Leeds area. Here, a new 36-tonne capacity TR40 rigid truck is loaded straight from the excavation by a 36-tonne hydraulic excavator and has a relatively easy undulating round-trip haul of about 1km. However, being the sole transport unit on which the 1,700-tonnes-a-day crushing and screening plant depends, reliability is crucial.
‘These recent fleet acquisitions are part of a rationalization programme,’ explains John Close, Lafarge Aggregates’ technical services director. ‘We are replacing some of our older mobile equipment with more efficient and reliable new machines, and where possible reducing the overall size of the fleet holding.
‘Improving basic reliability is one of the key factors in increasing and maintaining continuous production efficiency, and it is one of my main aims. For that reason I favour simplicity in equipment wherever possible, and not over-sophistication where it is not really required.’
According to Mr Close, around 80% of all machine stoppages are minor problems that can often be attributed to simple electronic warning system failures, and more often than not are false alarms which create unnecessary and avoidable downtime.
‘I am certainly not against progressive equipment development,’ he says, ‘but I do want good, solid machines which will keep on doing the job day after day. These new units are living up to my expectations…and I know that Terex also have the back-up resources in the field to provide technical and product support when required.’
Terex UK Ltd, Watford Village, Northants NN6 7XN; tel: (01327) 705621; fax: (01327) 871704.
