Many times the advantage of using the right dump body for the job is overlooked through the assumption that it is just a big steel bucket. The Duratray XP Series turns the dump body into a valuable component of the larger haul system, changing the economics of the trip between the face and the crusher. OEM manufacturers and equipment distributors can take advantage of the value delivered by the Duratray SDB by increasing their margin on each truck sale, attracting new customers, and protecting accounts.
The choice of the haul body used in a mine or quarry can have a significant impact on payload, productivity, scheduling, costs, and profits. The Duratray XP Series Suspended Dump Body (SDB) has been proven to improve productivity and reduce costs at mines and quarries around the world.
Monitored studies at mines using Duratray SDBs have shown that the payback period for a new, site-optimized body is typically less than six months. When all factors are considered, the Duratray SDB has been found to be more productive, cheaper to operate, and longer-lasting than a standard steel body. This translates into extra value for the mine operator by changing the traditionally accepted economics of hauling.
The Duratray XP Series can be fitted to new trucks, or retrofitted to existing fleets. For the OEM truck provider, delivering a truck with a Duratray XP Series SDB provides end-customers with significant extra value, giving the vendor a significant competitive advantage that can attract new customers. Plus, the ability to retro-fit existing trucks can help protect accounts and retain long-term clients.
Suspended Dump Bodies (SDBs) have been used in Europe, Australia, North America and South America since the mid-1970s in some of the harshest conditions around — on haul trucks with capacities ranging from 35 tons to as much as 400 tons. About 90 of these bodies are currently in use in North American mines and quarries — and hundreds are in use worldwide.
What is a Duratray XP?
The Duratray XP Series design consists of Duratray's exclusive wear mat, which is anchored to the front and sides of a steel frame and suspended on an adjustable elastomeric rope system. The wear mat is made from an extremely abrasion-resistant rubber compound unique to the Duratray. The ropes are manufactured of polyester fibers dimensioned for the required load factor and protected by a rubber covering.
The Duratray SDBS frame is manufactured from high-strength steel. For extreme climates, special alloys are used to resist the stresses induced by extremely cold temperatures.
Steel liners made of 1/2-in. 500 Brinnell steel are included as standard on front and side walls that come in contact with payload. Rock ejectors and canopy eyebrows are standard, and mounting holes for lights and instrumentation brackets are provided.
Customized design features
Duratray North America customizes each Duratray SDB with regard to truck type, target payload or capacity, loading height, material density, abrasiveness, and external dimensions. These factors, along with other information such as maximum gross vehicle weight, center of gravity and axle load distribution, serve as the engineering input and controls for each customized Duratray design.
Duratray also surveys the physical plant to ensure that the Duratray XP Series fits well with mine operations. Among the factors that Duratray takes into account are:
- Loader type and capacity. It is critical that the final design be matched to the specific loader in order to achieve "full-pass" payload increases. By matching the Duratray XP Series to the loaders used by the mine or quarry, Duratray can achieve meaningful increases in payload without disrupting the operation's processes. In addition to bucket size and average load coefficients, Duratray also matches the height and width of the body to the loader's capabilities, ensuring that loading remains safe, smooth, and efficient.
- Width and height limitations. Trucks need to be serviced and repaired, and in most operations these procedures will be performed inside a shop building. The site survey ensures that any restrictions such as shop door width and ceiling height are accommodated into the design of the SDB.
- Other factors. The width of the hopper at the crusher, curb heights, overhangs, and road gradients are also surveyed.
Duratray uses PC-based software tools to ensure that the survey and information is consistent and complete.
Duratray history
The Duratray SDB was invented by the SKEGA company of Sweden in the 1970s, with the first installation at a quarry in 1975. For the next 15 years SKEGA marketed the Duratray primarily to hardrock mines and quarries in Europe and Australia. The additional payload and reduced maintenance costs of the Duratray SDBS were proven during this time. A few of the bodies made their way to North America despite the fact that SKEGA did not actively market in that region.
The technology was sold to Pacific Dunlop of Melbourne and Perth, Australia in the early 1990s. During that time several Canada mines adopted the Duratray as it was the only dump body they found which could successfully combat harsh winter conditions and highly abrasive ores. In 2001 Conymet Ltda of Chile, the third largest independent dump body manufacturer in the world, purchased the Duratray division of Pacific Dunlop.
Conymet expanded the market and added manufacturing capacity to meet increased demand from large mines in South America and the Pacific Rim, as well as its growing business at large mines in North America. Duratray SDBs are currently manufactured at facilities in Chile and Australia.
The added capacity and market has resulted in an installed base for the Duratray SDBS of approximately 700 bodies worldwide. By mid-2006 the Duratray SDBS was in operation in 19 countries, with approximately 90 Duratray SDBS systems installed in North American mines. Manufacturing lead times for the Duratray XP Series are currently 12-14 weeks from order to shipment. From that point it generally takes about two to three weeks to reach a North American location. Duratray SDBs for trucks of less than 100 tons nominal payload can usually be delivered fully assembled and ready to be placed on a waiting chassis. For larger trucks, assembly and installation (including ropes and liners) can be completed in as little as two days.
In early 2006 Conymet Duratray opened an office to serve the North American market more efficiently. Located in Round Rock, TX, Duratray North America serves the mine and quarry markets in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. From this office, the Duratray staff supports end customers, dealers, and OEMs throughout North America.
