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A new 52-tonne Hitachi excavator marks further expansion for Rosco Contractors at Echo mine. BY GLENN CROASDALE.
“To open up the Wellman Basin we needed something with “size, power and grunt,” explains Rosco. “In selecting the 353hp Hitachi ZX520LCH- 3, it meet the needs of all of the various components of the job and it is a strong machine with excellent track gear, which is necessary for mining operations.” When the ZX520LCH-3 was delivered by CablePrice (Greymouth), Rosco sent it to Stillwater where an opportunity had arisen to ‘daylight’ a railway tunnel alongside HRS/Downers of Wellington. Situated on a fault line, the job required careful blasting and mass-excavation of the hillside to expose the deteriorating brick-lined tunnel, before demolishing it and stabilising the remainder of the hillside for secure and unobstructed safe passage for rail transport for the coast. It was at the Stillwater jobsite, 40 metres above State Highway 7 on the hillside overlooking the Grey River, that I caught up with Barney Archer – Rosco’s, long-time friend, co-owner and operator of the ZX520LCH-3. Chatting beside the cab of the excavator – which sports his nickname “Biguns” on its right flank – Barney says, “Coming from a 35-tonne machine, the new Hitachi seems slower,” but quantifies that by adding, “being a bigger machine, it’s not surprising.”
Barney’s comments are evident as two quick loads of the 2.7 cubic metre bucket are dumped into the waiting trucks bin before Barney gives the driver the toot. The truck pulls out and Barney slews quickly around for another load, and then waits for the next truck to back in. Upon completion of its maiden job at Stillwater, the ZX520LCH-3 will head to the Wellman Basin to perform the job it was bought by Rosco and Barney to do; to open up the new opencast mine for Francis Mining Company. After all, mining is Rosco Contractors primary business and at present, mining on the coast is booming. After talking with Barney I headed north to visit Rosco at his depot just outside the historic mining town of Reefton. As we get talking Rosco explains that on the back of continued strong demand for coal, the expansion of Echo really took off when he introduced a 120-tonne Hitachi EX1200-5 mining excavator and three 65-ton Hitachi EH1100-3 off-road dump trucks into the mine three years ago. The impact he says, was immediate. “We had been up at Echo stripping the overburden, but my frontline machine was only 45-tonne. I brought the larger machinery a year and a half ago – the 120 tonne digger and the 65 tonne dump trucks – and since then the team has been very busy and have increased productivity.”
Rosco’s fleet comprises of more than 55 pieces of plant, including excavators from 250 kilograms to the 120-tonne EX1200-5. Add to this wheel loaders, rigid and articulated dump trucks, power screens, large jaw and cone crushers, wheeled and tracked dozers, large mining dozers, graders, rollers, as well as on-and-off-road trucks, including truck and trailer units for coal cartage, 6x4 gravel trucks, and a variety of auxiliary trucks such as water, fuel and a hiab truck. Although he runs a number of brands in his fleet, which he refers to as a “liquorice-all-sorts”, he admits to a preference for Hitachi machinery. Rosco’s son Logan says he’s had “the orange injection” and suggests that they’ve had a better run out of their Hitachis, to which Rosco agrees, adding that reliability and suitability for the job are definitely the key factors in his decision to purchase Hitachi, and were again the main reasons he chose the ZX520LCH-3.
With the new 52-tonne Hitachi about to move into the Wellman basin, it seems the next stage in Rosco’s mining expansion is in good hands!
Q&M Vol.7 No.3 June-July 2010 |
Through substantial investment in large-scale mining equipment in the past three years, West Coast mining contractor Rosco Contractors has increased production from the Francis Mining-owned Echo opencast coalmine, north-east of Reefton. Their latest investment – a new 52-tonne Hitachi ZX520LCH-3 heavy-duty mining excavator – was purchased as the frontline machine for the opening up of the Wellman Basin (just a stone’s throw away from Echo mine) for open cast mining, in owner Ross ‘Rosco’ Moore’s latest expansion.
You would be remiss to confuse his comments as a criticism, or a weakness, of the new Hitachi, because what Barney really appreciates about his new, larger digger is its productivity: “I like the amount of earth this machine is able to move in a short time.”
Rosco says they have a whole hill to move at the Echo mine and adds, “The work is being completed within the timeframes given by Frances Mining Company, and director/owner, Brent Francis, is very happy with the results of the current production rate.”
“I’ve been very pleased with the EX1200-5, and the 65 tonne dump trucks as they have exceeded the needs of the job requirements and increased productivity. CablePrice has also provided excellent back up support and service.”