Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/699963
EquipmentWorld.com | July 2016 19 T he Equipment World Spec Guide reveals the rapid progression of ADT sizes. In 2006, the smallest ADT was the JCB 714 at 14 tons, while the largest was Cat's 740 at 42 tons. During that year, most models were in the 20-to-less-than-30-ton size classifications. By 2015, the smallest truck was the John Deere 250D-II at 25.6 tons and the largest was Bell's B50D at 50 tons. The 40-ton-and-over size classification also had the most models: 12. And two introductions at Bauma this year added to the heavier end of the scale: the Volvo A60H and the Bell B60E. Growth in sizes of ADTs has been going on for at least a decade, and that trend shows no sign of abating in 2016. Who needs 60 tons? The market for 60-ton ADTs is well-defined: high production, large sites with room to ma- neuver a 60-ton truck, and soft or unimproved underfoot conditions. In the past, these criteria would have applied to few locations, but as industrialization and development continue to spread across the world, more sites qualify. "Indonesia was our target market initially," says Eric Fatyol, product manager for Volvo ar- ticulated haulers in North America. "But since Bauma, where we unveiled our A60H, we've had quite a bit of interest globally." Quarries, open-pit mines, and large earthmoving opera- tions are the best match for the A60H. Fatyol says these customers have been using smaller ADTs, such as the Volvo A40G, or rigid-frame trucks of 60 tons or larger. It's not just the largest sites that can accom- modate Volvo's new 60-ton hauler. Although the A60H offers 40 percent more capacity than the 43-ton A40G, it is only 17 inches wider, 37 inches longer, and 10 inches higher than the A40G. Ground pressure is nearly identical; the A60H has 33.25R29 tires and the A40G has 29.5R25. Bauma was also the first showing of the Bell B60E outside of Africa. The front chas- sis is borrowed from Bell's B50E, but the rear chassis is all new and a departure from typical ADT design. Where most ADTs have tandem rear axles and 6 x 6 drive, the B60E has a single rear axle with dual wheels, sort of a super-dually, and has 4 x 4 drive. The ratio- nale is that 60-ton trucks are not going into truly tough environments where smaller ADTs BIGGER IS BETTER " TO NEW LEVELS Is bigger better? The articulated dump truck (ADT) market thinks so.