Australian Mining Journal reports that Barrick Gold is upgrading its underground load and haul fleet at Darlot, one of six mines in Western Australia, with the aim of increasing overall output from fewer, more efficient, machines.
The new fleet will be built around the Sandvik “dynamic duo” of TH660 trucks and LH621 loaders. This combination pairs one of the leading 60 tonne underground trucks with the only loader currently in service anywhere in the world with a genuine 21 tonne capacity. This enables the trucks to take on a maximum load with only three passes of the loader, creating a very fast turnaround.
The decision to introduce three TH660 trucks into the fleet comes on the back of Barrick’s renewal of a longstanding service contract with Sandvik, who undertake all maintenance and repairs on underground drills, trucks and loaders at Darlot. The contract, which has been in operation since May 2001, has recently been extended for a further three years.