Hitachi ADT gains traction

The world’s largest articulated dump truck finds its feet in a family-owned coal mine on the West Coast against some of the harshest and most unpredictable weather in the world.   BY GLENN CROASDALE of CablePrice.

Late last year, CablePrice held a working demonstration of the worlds largest articulated dump truck – the 50 tonne rated Hitachi AH500D. Present among the 50 industry guests for the demonstration at J Swap’s Taotaoroa Road Quarry, just outside Cambridge, were Gary Birchfield and his nephew, Steffan Jamieson, of Birchfield Coal Mines.

While impressed with the size and performance of the AH500D’s ability to cart a 50 tonne payload in the dry summer conditions, Birchfield was still concerned that it would not be able to foot it with such a weight on its back during a typically wet West Coast winter. So to prove the trucks ability, earlier this year CablePrice took the AH500D to the Birchfield’s Giles Creek Mine in the Maimai Valley, North-West of Reefton – and it has never left!

The coal at this mine is sub bituminous, low in sulphur and is clean burning – ideal for domestic use. There are estimated reserves of 16 million tonnes of recoverable coal in the current permitted area and the mine currently processes coal at a rate of 100,000 tonnes per annum.

Birchfield’s parents, Max and Betty, began working the opencast Giles Creek coal mine in 1984 with a capacity of about 15 tonne an hour. Since taking over the mine from their parents around a decade ago, the Birchfields’ five children have increased the tonnage by investing in more productive and durable machinery. The mine is now capable of processing in excess of 300 tonnes of coal an hour, however the hard wet winters in the region have restricted the trucking of coal from the pit to the processing plant on top of the site. Until they stated using the AH500D, the mine used rigid trucks that are laid up during bad weather conditions, and 40-tonne ADTs with smaller payloads.

Although there are five shareholding siblings, only three are working directors in the company. Gary Birchfield basically runs the mine, sister Glenys is based in Christchurch at the recently purchased Taylor Coal premises and handles the company’s sales and marketing, while Karen handles the administration at Giles Creek. With other interests, brothers Alan and Evan get involved in major decisions such as plant purchases, planning and development.

After the Birchfields had used the Hitachi AH500D for a while, I travelled to Giles Creek mine in the Maimai Valley and visit the owners of the country’s first 50-tonne ADT to see how it was faring.

On a miserable Autumn morning, it took two attempts before my flight was able to break through the low-settled cloud densely blanketing the West Coast and land at Hokitika. Eventually, I arrived at the mine and got talking with Karen.

The weather was just miserable. Looking out of her porta-com office window at the low fog and heavy precipitation She told me the weather the area was experiencing was the perfect test for the Hitachi AH500D.

“Testing the truck onsite has made a big impact on our decision to buy it,” she told me. “Operating it and being able to know it can do job down in the pit in this weather has made all the difference.”

Gary Birchfield now admits that his initial fears about the the big AH500D not handling the wet conditons under load didn’t hold water, to make a pun out of the region’s nortorious rainfall.

“It handles the ground as good as the 40-tonne ADT’s,” he concedes. “And can carry the same loads as our 50-ton rigid trucks, but operate in poor underfoot conditions where the rigid trucks can’t.”

Because the articulated trucks can keep working in the wet, the pit can stay open, providing continuity of supply for customers, he adds.

Two large rigid off-road trucks were parked up, unable to tackle the slippy mud. With perfect timing, the AH500D ascended the haul road and passed in front of us with a full load of coal on its back, keeping traction and good speed with obvious ease in the muddy conditions.

Operating the AH500D is one of the mines youngest staff members. With quality training and a delicate female touch, 20 year-old operator Danielle Lineham (right) has quickly found herself at home in the company’s newest piece of mobile plant.

“It’s pretty nice compared to the older rigid I was in. It’s a lot more comfy and has a real smooth ride,” she told me. 

This was highlighted as I hitched a ride with Lineham in the surprisingly spacious and comfortable cabin.

“Today the rigid’s wouldn’t have a chance of climbing this,” she says of the steep and increasingly slippery haul road while we wait at the bottom of the pit as the 28.2 cubic metre capacity bin is loaded with overburden.

A toot from the excavator operator signals the bin is full, confirmed by the onboard scales, and the AH500D’s V8 rumbles to life and the 512hp Mercedes Benz engine begins pulling us out from the base of the pit. Fully loaded the six-wheel drive AH500D comfortably ascends the steep access road 80 metres above the base of the pit to the overburden dumping site about 200 metres ahead of us. When carting coal, Lineham travels the 2.5 kilometre haul road, climbing a further 120 metres to the coal processing plant near the mine’s entrance.

As she completes a tipping cycle and the automatic bin lowering mechanism kicks in to cushion a soft bin lowering, Lineham says that one of the other things she likes about the truck is its simplicity of use.

It is also economical. When it comes to moving tonnes per litre burnt, the Hitachi AH500D is great on fuel with potential for real savings in this area.

Reliability was also on the Birchfield’s minds when it came to the purchase. With a long history of having run Hitachi machines in their operations, the family already had a lot of faith in both the brand and CablePrice as their service provider.

Because of their relative isolation, they also took out a four year extended warranty and service contact on the AH500D with CablePrice. Gary Birchfield says the service contact takes away the hassle of holding stock of oils and filters and allows them to concentrate on mining.

The Birchfield’s have invested a lot into the infrastructure of their coalmine over the past five years and the Hitachi AH500D has already proved a valuable asset in increasing production.

“Now we’re reaching a stage where we’re going deeper in the pit its good to know that with the AH500D we have that continuity of supply during bad weather,” Gary Birchfield says. “And I have to say – being able to work through that last weather bomb proved that!”