Thriveni Earthmovers, one of India’s leading Mine Development cum Operators (MDO) has introduced these gigantic 180-220 ton dumper trucks at its Polavaram Operations in Andhra Pradesh. Measuring 13.39 meters long, 7.82 meters wide and 6.65 meters high, these Belarus made BELAZ-7530 Series dumpers have become one of the biggest trucks to be rolling on Indian soil, usurped only by the Komatsu 240 ton dumpers commissioned by Larsen & Tubro (L&T) to be used in the mines of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) in Rajasthan.
These juggernauts are designed for transportation of loosened rocks at open-pit mining sites under different climatic conditions. Mostly, these trucks are used in construction of large industrial structures and hydraulic facilities, in construction of highway systems as well as in technological departments of the enterprises of processing industry. Depending on the transported materials, these trucks come with a bucket capacity ranging from 30 — 45 m³. These Goliaths, five of them, were brought to the mining site in parts and assembled.
Honorable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri. N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the BELAZ 200 ton + dumper, making Thriveni the first in India to use it.
As for power, the BELAZ-7530 Series, which has payload capacities ranging from 180 to 220 tons, is powered by a humongous, 60-liter, V16, turbo-diesel engine that makes a staggering 2300 HP @ 1900 rpm, along with a earth shattering 9053 Nm of torque @ 1500 rpm. To put things in perspective, that’s seven times the torque of a Volvo B9R bus. With gross weights that can reach over 330 tons, all that torque should come handy. These trucks can also reach speeds of up to 60 km/h when unladen, and have a huge turning radius of 15 meters.
Unlike a conventional transmission, these dumpers employ “a transmission equipped with alternating current – direct current (AC/DC) drive with a traction alternator, two traction motors, motorized wheels planetary double-row reduction units, a microprocessor-based control system and control devices, along with adjustment units” – sounds pretty rad isn’t it? Also, these are not the biggest trucks that BELAZ makes. That would be the mighty 75710, which, with a payload capacity of over 450 tons takes the title of the biggest truck in the world.
Holy mother of jeebus, that is HUGE…this is coming from someone who’s heard that phrase far too often