The manufacturer of heavy duty mining equipment GHH Fahrzeuge GmbH, Gelsenkirchen\/Germany, has launched a remarkable LHD. It comes with the biggest bucket and the best power rating, for highest operating slope angles, in the 7 t payload class. All that combined in a low emission, compact package.<\/p>\n
The GHH team are specialists for everything on wheels in rock logistics, with a high attention to detail and quality. With the new addition, their range of Load Haul Dumpers (LHDs) is growing to become one of the largest in the world. In the competitive segment of lower medium-sized models for hard rock underground mining, the LF-7 is not only the latest but probably also the best in the segment.<\/p>\n
The articulated LF-7 (Figure 1) carries 7,000\u00a0kg of payload in its bucket, that is sized at 3.6 m3<\/sup> (SAE heaped): far more than what others deliver. The vehicle is only 8,900\u00a0mm long in driving position, 2,240\u00a0mm wide at the bucket and 2,200\u00a0mm high at the cab when loaded. This meets demands like large narrow vein and small mass mining operations almost perfectly.<\/p>\n At approximate 18 t operation weight, the LF-7 is powered by a 164 kW Cummings diesel, making it the best in class. It complies with Tier 3 and 4 as well as EU Stage\u00a05 emissions standards, so this is one of the \u201ccleanest\u201d vehicles around. The Dana transmission shifts forward and reverse in four gears each to cope with gradients of up to 28\u2009% and to reach speeds of up to 27\u00a0km\/h. The ergonomic cab is ROPS\/FOPS certified and offers a high level of safety and ergonomics with comfortable t-back seat, low whole body vibration and noise levels, as well as ride control and great visibility.<\/p>\n The manufacturer praises the robust frame and overall well thought design, which is said to result in very low operating costs. This is not least due to its easy, ground level maintenance. All relevant vehicle data can also be accessed and remotely evaluated via analysis software known as \u201cGHH InSiTE\u201d. The LF-7 is also proximity detection interface ready with bucket weighing and tyre pressure monitoring systems optional. The LF-7 has the DNA of its successful predecessors and sister models and can thus be considered very reliable. In line with this, the new LHD is the perfect 3-pass loading partner to the remarkable MK-A20 dump truck.<\/p>\n