Schäfer & Schmitt KG has been using Bell Equipment high-capacity articulated dump truck (ADT) technology in basalt quarrying for a good two years now. Following good experience gained using the Bell B45D, the company, based in Elbtal-Elbgrund, western Hesse, has now also purchased a larger Bell B50D (Fig. 1) to replace a 40 t rigid dump truck. Both of these 6 x 6-drives are in year-round service at the Elbgrund quarry, where the haulage route is characterised by difficult topography, special equipment requirements and a high stripping ratio of 1:3. 1 Demanding tasks High-quality basalt has been quarried at Elbtal-Elbgrund, on the eastern edge of the Westerwald forest, for over eighty...
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