Both products are components of GUTS – Getman Underground Transport System – which offers mines a complete system to move equipment, materials, supplies and people.

“When a single day of downtime can equal a loss of tens of thousands of dollars, cutting days off, a move can add up to substantial cost savings and put your mine back ‘in the black’ sooner,” a Getman spokesperson said.

The trailer is built specifically to carry longwall sections and can self-load by straddling the roof shield and lifting it onto the trailer.

Coupled with the tow tractor, the trailer can haul longwall sections more quickly than shield movers, which are of limited use in longwall moves because they are not designed for high-speed, long-distance transportation.

Getman’s LRD-200 and 220 tractors are designed to work in mid-seam mines and efficiently haul tons of payload through rough conditions — up tough 20% grades, through thick muck, in high elevations and around tight, twisting turns.

Getman’s RDG-1504C Roadbuilder creates a smoother roadway system that helps reduce vehicle damage and is a complete road maintenance and road building machine.

It rips up road surfaces, spreads gravel and scrapes the shale or clay floor of the mine, creating working roadways for other equipment to pass.

“Driving over rough and rock-strewn roads can prematurely break down vehicles, slow production and injure workers, hurting the productivity of a coal mine. Over time, this lost productivity can add up to a significant profit loss,” the spokesperson said.

“By creating better roadways, the Roadbuilder can reduce vehicle maintenance costs.”

In addition to reduced maintenance costs and more productive transporting, the new Roadbuilder can contribute to improved employee safety.

“Repeated jostling over time can harm workers and drive up workers’ compensation costs, as well as reduce productivity when injuries cause missed work days. Operators also tire more quickly from rough driving conditions, making them less productive, more likely to make mistakes.”

For more than 50 years, Getman has built mine-specific equipment – not modified surface equipment – that has proven itself in coal mines in Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia as well as in metal/nonmetal mines in 17 states and 13 countries.