The Hercules Beetle is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the rainforests of South America. Not only is the beetle the longest in the world, but measuring up to a whopping 18 centimetres in length, it’s also a talented weightlifter.
Although stories have said that the creature can carry up to 850 times its weight on its back, studies of similar beetles have shown that the figure is closer to 100 times its weight. Still not a bad effort.
Much in the same way as the beetle it shares its name with, Schlam’s Original DT HiLoad Hercules dump body has been helping OEM trucks to carry more due to its lighter weight for nearly two decades.
Tom Smith, engineering manager for Schlam, says that the company has options for bodies that are up to ten tonnes lighter than competitors with comparable floor thicknesses.
“Decreased body weight means an increased payload potential, which enables a mine site to either haul the same amount of material using fewer truck hours or haul more material with the same number of truck hours.
“Either way, the operating cost per tonne is dramatically reduced,” he said.
While lighter in weight, Mr Smith is quick to point out that lighter does not mean weaker, with Hercules bodies performing in numerous high-impact and high-abrasion environments for well over 50,000 operating hours. Not only does the patented curved design allow for the body to absorb impact, thereby increasing durability when compared to standard bodies, it also improves operator comfort.
Dave White, business development manager at MacKellar Mining, a 20-year client of Schlam’s, says that the robust design, lighter weight and increased capacity is a huge selling point for its customers.
“With MacKellar Mining being in the market of offering dry hire as well as mining contracting services, the Original DT HiLoad Hercules body allows us to deliver more value to our clients by holding additional payload or by providing production at a lower cost.
“It all comes back to continually delivering value to our clients such as Glencore, BHP, Middlemount Coal, Sojitz, and Batchfire, just to name a few,” said Mr White.
On top of this, Mr White says that Mackellar Mining has always been impressed with support relating to repairs, technical assistance in the field regarding strengthening packages and wear liners as well as technical assistance during tender bids and evaluations.
The Hercules body set the standard that all others are now trying to achieve; however, this is not a design that was developed overnight. It has been refined and evolved over the past 25 years to become the product it is today.
