Isuzu In The Mines
Isuzu finds itself in the Peak Gold Mines in Cobar, New South Wales, moving miners and equipment underground.
The mine owns seven Isuzu trucks, 4 being used to transport miners, equipment & explosives. The copper & gold mine has a 24-hour operation system so they are definitely putting Isuzu's promise of reliability & toughness to the test!
*Known as a famous mining town, Cobar is a town 700 km north-west of Sydney
To keep up with their 24-hour schedule, Peak Gold Mines relies on reliable equipment that will get the job done right. So far their fleet is made up of a total of 55 trucks & utility support vehicles.
According to Mobile Maintenance Planner, Ben Trudgett, their Isuzus easily cope with the rock-based roads & 1:6 gradient in the decline mine.
Part of their fleet is an Isuzu NLS 200 crew cab which is used underground & sometimes used to transport team members to other workshops.
4 FTS 750 trucks are in use as store trucks. One goes into town for store runs. Along with the FTS 750, they own 2 FTS 800 4x4. One is a fuel truck while the other is an explosives truck.
“The explosives truck has a reinforced headboard for additional safety of operators."
The trucks are in use every day due to Peak Gold Mines operating constantly.
Their stores truck does 2 town runs from Monday to Friday. The other truck is in use 24/7 to transport logistics underground.
“The explosives truck is also in use every day by the charge-up crews.”
Stores truck aside, all other Isuzu trucks go down into the mine. Harsh conditions with rock-based roads at a 1:6 decline are an everyday challenge. However, the Isuzu trucks exceed expectations, handling tough conditions easily
*Do you need trucks to add to your fleet? How about these trucks...
“Apart from the stores truck, all other Isuzu trucks go into the mine. The conditions are harsh, the roads are rock base with a 1:6 decline. However the Isuzu trucks have no issues with the conditions – they do everything that we ask of them, and sometimes more.”
Mr Trudgett said he believes the most favourable features of the Isuzu trucks are their reliability and operator comfort.
“The Isuzus offer more than enough power. Theres no trouble driving up steep declines at 20km/h when loaded,” he says.
“We chose to purchase Isuzu trucks because they offer a fleet of standard service trucks that meet our specification and the product’s reliability is fantastic. We also can’t go past the back-up parts and service from the Isuzu Dealership, Tracserv in Dubbo – we have had very good experiences with them.”
Peak Gold Mines replaces trucks on an "as-needed basis", based on their condition, age and life hours.
“We select the best truck that suits the application required. The explosives truck, fuel truck and NLS 200 crew cab were all added to our fleet in 2011,” Mr Trudgett said.
“We would definitely consider purchasing more Isuzu trucks when we require replacement vehicles. Reliability and performance remain unsurpassed in the mine.”
Peak Gold Mines runs two mining fields, one hosting a processing plant and administration buildings.