Mercedes-Benz and Allison Zetros is salt of the earth 15 August 2013

An Allison transmission-equipped Mercedes-Benz Zetros 1833 water transporter has notched up more than a year of trouble-free running run in Esco's Bernburg salt mine, where a rock salt deposit yields about 600 tons of salt an hour.

A total of 146 production and specialty mining vehicles is used in the mine, but the Zetros 1833 4x4 truck presented an interesting installation challenge.

The water transporter would not fit through the 2.9 x 2.5 meter mine shaft and was therefore split into two and lowered 380 meters on a hook.

Once in the dark tunnels, the vehicle was welded back together, the cut-off points strengthened with a batten in Esco's workshop. Then the 6,000-litre, stainless steel water tank with rear spray bar was mounted, and, within a month, the Zetros began operating.

Equipped with an Allison 3000SP fully-automatic transmission mated to a Mercedes OM 926 LA engine, the truck replaced an IFA W50 4x4, built in the 1980s, which had been used for more than 30 years.

"We searched for an off-the-shelf vehicle to reduce costs," explains Volker Grzeschuchna, head of mechanical and electrical engineering underground at Esco.

"The vehicle had to feature a robust chassis, all-wheel drive and a fully-automatic transmission to cope with the difficult driving surfaces. A payload of at least seven tons was also necessary – a six-ton tank capacity and an additional ton to account for the bodywork.

The vehicle has a maximum speed of 50km/h, but generally waters the roads at approximately 10km/h, using its rear spray bar and covering about 400km a month.

Additionally, it refills water containers within the entire 7.5 x 3.5km mining area, allowing removal of salt dust from vehicles and workers.

Author
John Challen

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