ST1520 impressive in Australian trials

Consolidated Minerals, owner of the Beta Hunt Nickel Mine, have so far clocked up 4,700 hours on their Scooptram ST1520. The company has been impressed with the vehicle?s availability, productivity, low maintenance needs, and operator comfort.

Mine Manager Michael Aspinall said he was particularly impressed with the speed of the vehicles when they were fully loaded. He says: ?The operators claim that they can bog out (muck out) a heading faster with the ST1520 even though it has a smaller bucket than the other LHDs here, mainly due to the tramming speed. You have the ability to tram pretty much anywhere in second gear, and we haven?t had it overheat while it?s been here.? The ergonomics and driver comfort were also quickly appreciated by the the operators. Aspinall continues: ?For bigger guys in particular, the ST1520 is a lot more comfortable to operate, with it?s foot box arrangement and seating ergonomics.?

For a 15-tonne LHD vehicle, the ST1520 is also relatively slim at only 2,920 mm wide ? allowing access to areas that were previously out of reach for many competing vehicles, and thereby potentially contributing to overall productivity.