Guidelines on what to look for in a dump truck when it comes to buying one. 

Dump trucks are widely known for transporting loose material (such as sand, gravel, or dirt) for construction. However, one can only make the optimum usage of dump truck only when as a user he knows the capacities of the dump truck. In order to have the best quality dump truck, there should be a right choice of engine, transmission, axle configuration and related features.

Whether you plan to buy a new truck or search for the best-fit used model, here are some ideas to help you

Productivity and fuel efficiency are the key
There are many factors that together determine which Dump Truck is best for a customer. Ultimately, operational economy matters -the main objective of any customer is to produce as much as possible while incurring least cost/cubic meters or cost per tonne over lifecycle of the truck. Performance and efficiency both equally matters. Speaking about the important factors that are to be considered before buying a dump truck, G V Rao, Director – Product, Brand & Marketing, Volvo Trucks says, “The parameters like productivity and uptime, which directly relates to the production; the cost parameters like fuel cost, maintenance cost, vehicle acquisition and finance cost; and product’s lifecycle, all play very important role in deciding customer’s overall purchase decision.”

However, Rao feels that out of all these parameters, productivity and fuel efficiency are the two most vital factors about the truck that go hand-in-hand to decide operational performance and efficiency and must be prime consideration for any purchase. In support of his views, Rao adds, “Fuel accounts for more than 50 per cent of overall operational cost. In addition, the superior service support to ensure higher uptime is another vital parameter considered about the brand a customer is choosing to purchase.”

Safety, up-time and driver comfort
Safety, up-time and driver comfort are three of the attributes that customers most appreciate when buying mining tippers as per the spokes person of Scania.  Mining is one of the few operations that runs round the clock. Due to strict time lines of the projects, customers rely heavily on the up-time of their tippers to meet their targets. Speaking further about the trippers by Scania, the spokesperson adds, “Scania tippers are known for its reliable and durable aggregates which can provide excellent up-time for customers.”

One of the major corner stone of Scania products is its Modular design philosophy. Scania’s modular design philosophy allows the flexibility of tailoring trucks to suit the customer’s application specific demands. This in turn ensures that the customer’s operational needs are met by Scania tippers. Additionally Scania places a very high importance on driver safety. Scania cabins have undergone and passed one of the world’s most stringent cab safety test -the ‘Swedish Cab Impact Test’. Scania cabs are subjected to swinging pendulum tests for both frontal crash and rear crash as against certain other standards that require the pendulum test only for frontal safety.

Need for having a holistic viewHighlighting the need of a holistic view when it comes to buying a dump truck or a mining tripper, Siddharth Kirtane, Head Sales & Marketing – Value Trucks, Mining Business, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd says that typical Eicher Mining Trucks customers get a holistic view on their business. He adds, “They recognise the importance of good drivers and value high uptime and productivity. They value technologically advanced trucks and high safety standards and are interested in trucks and services that secure total profitability over the lifetime of the truck.”

Lower cost of ownership and higher vehicle availability
Emphasising on the points that are to be focussed on while buying a tipper truck, Sominder Singh, Vice President, Domestic Sales, Product Management & Network, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd says, “As tippers are used in extremely strenuous conditions it is crucial for customers to have trucks that are reliable, have higher uptime and grade ability to remain profitable. Hence, the lower cost of ownership and higher vehicle availability are key factors to be considered before buying a tipper truck.”

Handling tough demands and deep mining
Speaking about the most advanced tipper truck by BharatBenz, Singh says, “BharatBenz 3143 CM is the most advanced tipper from our product portfolio. It can withstand the tough demands in the deep mining segment. The 3143 CM is a strong contender in the deep mining segment that comes with the trusted and proven OM 457 Mercedes-Benz engine, with a 12 litre capacity and six-cylinders delivering 430hp.”

Singh also says that the 3143CM also features automated manual transmission for an improved driving experience, intelligent maintenance system with integrated diagnostic system that constantly monitors the vehicle condition. It also has advanced safety features to help improve active and passive safety.

Throwing light on the key factors, Singh adds, “The key differentiators that BharatBenz offers in this segment are its low acquisition, running and maintenance cost. The BharatBenz 3143CM is available in two variants 19.5Cu.M rock body for overburden removal and 32Cu.M box body as coal carrier.”

As per his claims, the truck is capable of operating in challenging terrains and is crafted for Indian usage patterns. As the working conditions at mines can become exhausting for drivers, as per company claims, the tipper cabins are air conditioned, spacious comfortable and DGMS(Directorate General of Mines Safety) Compliant. The safety cab is tested for crash and impact with crash element concept (CEC). “The tipper possesses superior features that perform exceptionally well in harsh and tricky terrains, which includes navigating through steep and sharp turns, lofty hills and narrow roads,” says Singh.

Some latest CVs
Along with the tips, the experts also shared some of their offerings in the dump truck vertical. Let’s take a look at what they offer.

Volvo FMX 480: maximum productivity at affordable cost
Sharing the details about the most advanced dump truck, Rao says, “We offer two innovative solutions – Volvo FMX 480 10×4 with 26.1 cubic meter dump body, built on 5-axle chassis platform. Either of these dump trucks has its own unique value proposition. It is our most advanced truck as it offers maximum productivity at an affordable cost and better operational efficiency to our customers for overburden transportation.”

The Volvo FMX 480 dump truck is built on a robust FMX platform and is configured with a massive 520 HP engine and offers a steady flow of power and torque of 2500 Nm uphill and massive braking power downhill to even out the gradients. “The fully synchronised manual gearbox with close and well balanced gear ratios, makes it easy for the truck to climb steep gradients smoothly even under heavy loads,” says Rao explaining the technical details.

Rao believes that it is the innovative 5-axle configuration that consists of the steerable tag axle which is packaged on strong chassis that enables the high load carrying capacity of the truck. “The optimised chassis dimension with short wheelbase provides benefit of sharper turning on mining roads. Higher capacity load body results into benefits of high productivity and lesser fleet size,” he says.

Eicher’s Pro 8031XM: Strengthening mining applications
“Mining is tough business, where the operating conditions change every other day. Therefore, what you need is a tipper that can handle these challenges and yet deliver value,” says Kirtane. VE Commercial Vehicles has come up with Eicher Pro 8031XM. As per the company claims, it will deal with the issues like overburden or mineral transport, short leads or long, flat roads or gradients.

Giving details about the tripper, Kirtane says, “With several advanced features like fuel efficient driveline, robust chassis for higher reliability, a world class cabin that is designed keeping the driver in mind for higher productivity, and several safety features compliant to DGMS requirements, the new Eicher PRO 8031XM is a tipper that suits a variety of mining applications with ease.”

Kirtane claims that the new Pro 8031XM has been designed keeping variety of mining applications in mind. In support of his claims, Kirtane adds, “The product has been designed and developed in collaboration with Volvo Group and is powered by state of the art VEDX8, 7.7 litre engine delivering 330 HP, which is based on Volvo Group’s global platform. The engine itself has a characteristic of flat torque curve over a very wide range of 1200 to 1650 rpm, which means you have the torque available from a very low rpm.”

The Pro 8031XM comes with several class leading features like fuel coaching and Eicher Live telematics solution as standard. It is also compliant to various DGMS requirements for mines safety thru standard and optional fitments, as per the company claims.

Scania’s P 410 tipper: Aiming the over-burden movement
P 410 tippers by Scania are aimed at over-burden movement across mines in India. The company claims that P 410 offers features such as Opticruise, a fully automated gear change system, and 13 liter 410 HP engine capable developing peak torque at lower engine RPM.

Conclusion
Dump Trucks selected after proper inspection and systematic implementation of the above tips will indeed give the best results.