Published in the December 2010 Coal USA Magazine

The unit received full MSHA approval in 2008, and also recently received approval as the first OEM-manufactured scoop to enter gassy coal mines, all the way to the face, in West Virginia.

The 488D LHD offers a beneficial alternative to battery-powered scoops. In fact, operations with clearances as low as 58 inches can utilize the 488D LHD effectively underground. The LHD scoop uses 44in tires to support its lower frame having a ground clearance of 17in while maintaining a 12-ton lift capacity.

While battery units often are associated with a high torque-to-ground ratio, Bucyrus officials note that speed range (up to 12 miles per hour outby with a multi-speed transmission) and gearing of the company’s diesel model can provide as much, if not more, torque-to-ground ratio when compared to competitor models.

Following the long-standing reputation of Un-A-Trac, the machine can quickly go from bucket to other capabilities and applications, utilizing different rapid attachment systems such as side shift fork tynes, ejector buckets, belt reelers, fuel and lubrication modules, man work baskets, and jib cranes.

A new lift mechanism has been added to the scoop’s wide body frame, improving the design already enjoyed by western coalfields operating in other types of mining applications. The adjustment creates flexibility and a compacted design needed in eastern operations, many of which involve lower seams.

Like its sister unit the 488D, the LHD scoop is constructed with a 153HP Deutz 1013. Coupled with a Bucyrus dry scrubber system, the machine can effectively reduce common concerns of exhaust temperature.

Whether the unit is intended for work on the section or in an outby support mode, the 488D is available with different power pack options depending on usage. The power packs range from the Deutz 1013 or 170HP to a 240 HP Cummins C6.7.

For operations looking at power pack options, Bucyrus noted that constructionof the scoop can be completed to the specifications of the end user. CAT 3126 and Cummins 8.2 are just two permissible choices, and non-permissible are also available.

“This will be the first OEM permissible explosion-proof diesel scoop in West Virginia,” Bucyrus senior development engineer Jim Coe said, noting it received the certification in September. No other OEM has been capable of meeting the state’s requirements.

Mines seeking diesel equipment are taking part in practices that will improve miner health and safety when using diesel class machines. There is more maintenance and upkeep related to emissions regulations and ventilation while operating a diesel unit.

However, crews also enjoy the benefits of a more efficient machine that does not need recharging and, in the case of the 488D LHD, a clean engine with a ventilation rate of 4500 cubic feet per minute – cutting the next closest competitor’s model rate of 14000cfm significantly.

Bucyrus has a long history of diesel equipment and, with the acquisition of DBT, the expanded OEM also added to the long history of research and development that went into the lines of Long-Airdox, Jeffrey and Seneca.

To date, Bucyrus has more than 485 diesel machines in use across the world, including 119 in the US (85% of which are 488 scoop models).