SmithCo's Mining Side Dump With Hydraulic Suspension

Wed February 09, 2022
SmithCo

SmithCo Side Dump Trailers' mining side dump trailer with a fully dedicated hydraulic suspension system reduces issues for mines in cold climates and further enhances the advantages SmithCo side dump trailers offer to the mining industry.

Compared to conventional haul units, SmithCo side dumps, which were engineered by Simard Suspensions, offer lower ton-mile costs, a smaller footprint, less fuel use and many other benefits, the company said.

"SmithCo is helping to transform the mining industry and this is another example of how SmithCo is at the forefront of hauling innovations," said Scott Lovell, SmithCo president and CEO. "We're always pushing ourselves and our partners to offer more capabilities for our customers."

Advantages of Hydraulic Suspensions for Mining

The advantages of side dumps with hydraulic suspensions for the mining industry are many. The Simard suspension system allows axle ends to move independently of one another to navigate washboard roads more easily, reducing wear and tear and improving stability.

A trailer with this system allows optimal axle load distribution whether fully loaded, partially loaded, or empty. It offers automatic transverse leveling before dumping and semi-active roll stabilization.

The hydraulic system also eliminates the need for replacing air springs, shocks or trailing arms, which cuts down on maintenance and downtime. For mining operations in Arctic conditions, the hydraulic system eliminates the risk of air freeze-up issues.

Side Dump Trailers Open Doors for Mining

Mine operations around the world are discovering the advantages of hauling with custom SmithCo side dump trailers instead of conventional haul trucks. The smaller footprint of the tractor-trailer combo improves the feasibility of opening satellite mines.

Ton-mile costs are further lowered with less fuel use, less tire wear and less expensive tires, more easily serviceable parts and more uptime. Side dumps can dump their loads over barriers, berms or into crusher chutes and deliver payloads up to 200 tons when trained together, making them a nimble competitor to conventional mining trucks.

"We don't know of any trailer that's been built like this, and we're eager to showwhat's new and what's next for mining trailers," said Lovell.

For more information, visit sidedump.com.