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New 35-t-capacity tow tractor responds to industry needs

3rd July 2015

By: Mia Breytenbach

Creamer Media Deputy Editor: Features

  

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High-end telescopic handler distributor and rough- terrain equipment company Manitou Southern Africa has augmented its mining equipment product offering with several new machines that were launched in the local market during the first half of this year.

The product launches have included the ManiTrax 35 t tow tractor, which was showcased for the first time at the Electra Mining Africa expo in September 2014 and officially launched in February this year, says Manitou Southern Africa MD Lindsay Shankland.

The tow tractor, a utility vehicle with a towing capacity of 35 t, has been designed for hauling, towing and transporting equipment, tools, skids and tanks in underground mine applications.

“The ManiTrax is the largest underground tow tractor that has been made available to the market, with traditional hauling capacities around only 7 t or 8 t. Manitou has, therefore, recognised the need for tow tractors that have a larger capacity in underground utility applications,” Shankland says.

The tow tractor can be used in both hard rock and soft rock mining applications.

Shankland highlights that the ManiTrax boasts a fully flameproofed four-cylinder turbo- charged and after-cooled engine, compliant with the SANS-868 specification. This engine consists of a flameproof intake system; an exhaust system, complete with a water-based exhaust cooler; a purpose-built turbo as well as a flameproof alternator; and electric starter.

Other benefits of the tow tractor include maximum manoeuvrability across tough terrains through full four-wheel and crab-steering functionality aligned with sleeker, more compact exterior designs. A high-strength, fully stress-relieved chassis enables significant hauling capacities.

Shankland adds that the flexibility of the vehicle design allows for simple and fast maintainability. The design “enables wide scope for modifications and optimisations for a variety of process-enhancing applications, such as a standard optimisation of the fitting of a compact crane that increases the loading functionality of the vehicle”, Shankland says.

In addition to the ManiTrax tow tractor, Manitou launched the 35-t-capacity MHT-X 14350 telescopic handler at Electra Mining. The largest in the world, this telescopic handler is designed with renewed emphasis on size for increased productivity in the increasingly heavy-load-handling requirements characterising modern heavy mining and industrial applications, says Shankland.

It has the ability to perform a wide range of applications with its enhanced capacity for the handling of large conveyor belt reels, tyre assemblies and wheel motors. The vehicle maintains its handling characteristics in rough, uneven terrain through enhanced frame-levelling ability and high ground clearance.

Other recent Manitou Southern Africa product launches include the bush-clearing attachment for the Gehl R Series radial-lift skid steer loaders, which was launched in May at the Nampo Harvest Day in Bothaville, in the Free State, while the 1.5 t and 4.5 t stone duster attachments, used to shotcrete mining tunnels, were launched in March.

Meanwhile, Shankland notes that Manitou Southern Africa has sold about 35 of its multipurpose MT-X 742 Turbo Manitou telescopic handler utility vehicles to the local mining and construction industries in the past year. The vehicle has a lifting capacity of 4.2 t and a telescopic boom with a lifting height of 6.9 m and a maximum forward reach of 3.93 m.


Manitou Southern Africa recently acquired land to build new premises in Chloorkop, Johannesburg. Engineering News reported in April that significant growth in the past ten years and insufficient space at the company’s Kempton Park premises prompted the acquisition.

Shankland notes that construction will start in September, with the expected completion being June 2016. He adds that the new premises are about 35% larger than the current premises.

However, he laments a lack of sales growth in the past year, attributing it mainly to the drop in commodity prices, such as for oil, gold and iron-ore, as well as to the effects of the strikes in the platinum mining sector last year, which resulted in a decrease in capital equipment expenditure and a delay in new mining projects.

“Consequently, suppliers need to find cost-effective or cost-saving solutions for end-users. Therefore, Manitou Southern Africa is also exploring alternative opportunities to ensure cost savings for surface and underground mines,” Shankland says, concluding that these opportunities will include the supply of multipurpose machines such as telescopic handlers.

Edited by Leandi Kolver
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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