resistant to freezing temperatures and
has a longer lifespan. e standard
battery pack was replaced by a more
powerful battery o ering a peak
capacity of 1100CCA that we
connected to a trickle charger to
ensure that the maximum battery
power would always be guaranteed.
We also installed a 110V heating
system for the oil sump and hydraulic
tank heating elements to keep the
engine oil and hydraulic oil at the
right temperatures.”
During its ve-year mission, the
Genie Z-45 XC boom will be hard at
work, running up an estimated 2,000
machine hours in total. “Planning
ahead, we made sure that we provided
ample spares for maintenance as well
as parts to repair critical breakdowns
that will be useful when the time
comes,” says Donkersloot. “ e
machine was delivered just over
a year ago, so it’s still early days, and
communications with the research
station are di cult to say the least.
However, for the moment, we are
delighted to say that the last we heard
is that their Genie Z-45 XC boom is
running reliably and work is
proceeding as scheduled.”
FLUID POWER
BUILT FOR EXTREMES
The TA400, the largest articulated hauler on offer from Terex Trucks,
has a heaped capacity of 23.3 m3 (30.3 yd3). Powered by a high
performance, fuel effi cient engine that develops a gross
power of 331kW (444hp), the TA400 is designed to meet
the demands of the most extreme operations such as
quarries, mines and large-scale construction projects.
The planetary gear transmission provides smooth,
effi cient gear shifting for optimised fuel consumption
and reduced cost of operation.
The truck operators at Russia’s Arpatsky mine
appreciate the TA400’s ability to climb and descend
the slopes at the coal mine. “The hauler handles
the downhill slopes smoothly and safely,” says
Oleg Likhodumov, director of operations at the coal
mine. “With the exhaust break, we don’t even need
to use the brakes when going down steep hills.” The
TA400’s modulating transmission retarder is coupled
with an effi cient exhaust brake and fully enclosed oil-cooled
multidisc brakes, this provides optimum control and increased
safety on steep slopes.
Going underground
However, you don’t have to travel all
the way to Antarctica to nd extreme
cold. Siberia in Russia is also famous
for its freezing conditions – which are
exacerbated if you are working in
a tunnel beneath the surface, as four
Terex Trucks TA400 articulated
haulers do in the Arpatsky coal mine.
Here, temperatures can drop as low
as -45°C, low enough to put even the
toughest o -highway vehicle to the test.
Genie Z-45 XC Boom, deployed in
2019 to a long-term British Antarctica
Survey construction project.
e boom li is scheduled to
remain onsite for ve years to assist in
a wide range of tasks. ese notably
include the expansion of mooring
facilities for the new RRS Sir David
Attenborough polar vessel, the
extensive modernisation of the
Rothera Research Station — the UK’s
most important Antarctic hub — and
the improvement of facilities and
working conditions at other BAS
research stations in the area.
While research at the station
continues all year round, even at
-60°C, due to the extreme wind and
cold, work with machines can only
take place during the summer from
October to February when
temperatures rise to a relatively
tolerable -15°C.
“Naturally, the unit required
a number of modi cations to adapt to
Antarctica’s extreme conditions,” says
Wilco Donkersloot, account manager,
at Dutch Genie distributor HDW who
supplied the vehicle. “Among others,
we chose a gel battery that is more
ABOVE Terex’s hard-wearing
TA400 is at home in quarries,
mines and extreme cold
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