DT Hi-Load high performance dump truck bodies

Introduction

Matching the optimal mining equipment to the application can provide substantial gains when striving for ambitious load and haul production targets at opencast mining operations. The most fundamental requirement is maximising the payload hauled by the truck fleet every cycle. Have you considered the mass of your dump truck bodies and the potential payload gain if they were lighter yet still durable?

The Product

The DT Hi-Load dump truck body, characterised by its curved and flexible structure, provides the opportunity to maximize the payload on your haul truck without exceeding the original equipment manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight limitation. Manufactured completely from anti-abrasion steel, the structure provides high strength for impact resistance while flexing slightly to effectively dissipate energy during loading, reducing fatigue damage. The curved floor assists to automatically centre loads, with the curved canopy discouraging canopy loading and improving operator safety.

Desarrollos Tecnológicos S.A. was founded in Santiago, Chile in 1994 with the idea to make a lighter design for dump truck bodies. The following 20 years saw 10 development phases of the DT Hi-Load product resulting in increasingly lighter and more durable dump bodies for many of the largest mine sites across the globe. DTSA ensures optimal payload for various applications and loading equipment by offering custom designed bodies which can be fitted to all original equipment manufacturer truck models ranging from 40 ton to 380 ton (including Hitachi, Caterpillar, Liebherr, etc). Total cost of ownership is competitive as the modular construction of the body allows for individual component replacement at overhaul stage while replaceable liner tiles protect against abrasion.

Manufactured in Africa

The DT Hi-Load product entered the Southern African mining market in 2014 through a partnership with Komatsu South Africa, shipping bodies in kit form from Chile to be assembled in country. Subsequently Komatsu South Africa’s local fabrication partner has become a licensed manufacturer of the DT Hi-Load dump body allowing for a completely African built product, which can be shipped complete or nested in a split pack fashion for easier transportation to site. Over one hundred and eighty DT Hi-Load bodies have been locally manufactured for Southern African mining customers to date, where full overhaul and component replacement services are offered.

Case Study

A large opencast mine in Southern Africa requested assistance in maximising productivity of their 295-ton rated payload haul trucks. Through Komatsu’s continuous improvement engagement with the customer and assessment of the operation, it was found that large fragmentation and abrasiveness of the loaded material had resulted in the addition of substantial steel plates to protect and reinforce the standard dump truck bodies. This had resulted in a very heavy dump body with frequent material remaining stuck in the body after dumping (carry-back), further reducing efficiency.

Komatsu’s continuous improvement team identified that this site was operating at the lower end of the payload spectrum when benchmarking average payload against global operations utilising the same truck model. Through ongoing engagement with the mine, a custom DT Hi-Load body was designed to withstand the sporadic impact from large material fragmentation and the high abrasion conditions unique to this operation. The DT Hi-Load body introduced weighed 38 tonnes, 18 tonnes lighter than the reinforced bodies on site.

Continuous monitoring of payload across the fleet indicated superior performance of the DT Hi-load body. Slight changes to the liner package protecting the body were collaboratively developed with the mine for subsequent bodies as the benefits of payload maximisation became apparent. Over the following three years, half of the fleet had been converted to DT Hi-Load bodies and average payload increased by seven percent for this fleet. Through sustained effort in optimizing dump body mass, maintaining durability and overhauling their dump bodies, the mine managed to achieve their production targets at a competitive total cost of ownership rate on their dump truck bodies.