Following its world premiere last year, the much-awaited, award-winning Liebherr TA 230 Litronic articulated dump truck (ADT) has finally arrived in southern Africa, marking Liebherr-Africa’s debut in the highly contested ADT market. By Munesu Shoko.
There is a new player in the local ADT market, following Liebherr-Africa’s official launch of the Liebherr TA 230 Litronic at an open day held on 24 June 2022. The new 30-tonne (t) class articulated hauler fits the bill for quarrying, coal mining and large infrastructure projects, confirms Tendayi Kudumba, General Manager: Earthmoving, at Liebherr-Africa.
Despite the fierce competition in the local ADT market, Kudumba is confident that the Liebherr TA 230 Litronic will immediately challenge for a sizeable share of the market. Liebherr-Africa has brought in the first five units. A prominent contractor operating in Zimbabwe, Orca, has taken delivery of the first three units, while the remaining two have been deployed at a reclamation project at a mine in South Africa.
Local customers have shown immense interest in the new ADT, says Kudumba, with pre-orders dating as far back as last year soon after its global launch. The Liebherr TA 230 Litronic made headlines after winning the coveted Red Dot Award: Product Design 2021 for its high design quality just a few months after the machine was first unveiled to the public. The award is widely considered to be one of the most important international accolades in the field of design.
A major talking point is the new machine concept, which has been developed especially for challenging off-road applications. Modern designs in the front-end area, says Kudumba, create maximum ground clearance for greater off-road performance.
The newly designed articulated swivel joint creates sound off-road capability; it allows independent movement of the front and rear ends, thus ensuring maximum manoeuvrability. The positive-locking swivel joint with tapered roller bearing is perfect for the shear stresses associated with tough underfoot conditions, while it also withstands maximum loads and provides optimal force distribution.
The front and rear axles of the machine are secured using sturdy A-rods at the articulated swivel joint and at the rear end. On front, the truck uses hydro-pneumatic suspension for maximum comfort, which is key to the smooth driving. The shock absorbers at the articulated swivel joint and the position of the separate and oscillating A-rods of the rear axles at the rear end, provide maximum ground clearance.
Learn more about the new offering in the May-June edition of Quarrying Africa.
