ETF Mining trucks & Haul Trains

[Nige]

An engineer is a person who in the purest terms thinks that if something isn't broken yet it doesn't have enough features ..................

 

[blitz138]

Nige you beat me to it..... again

I cant believe they even sold one, I couldnt find a real picture of one just the same old animations.


Because it was so interesting and informative, and not specific to the ETF topic, the discussion of leases and MARCs that followed in this thread has been moved to a thread of its own: https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?42021-Discussion-of-leases-and-MARCs

~Digger242j

 

[StrongEagle]

Resurrecting a thread dead for more than a year... while reading up on the CAT 349E excavator, that led me to mining trucks with lead to ETF Haul Trains... which, for some reason, I had looked at a couple of years ago.

What I don't get is that threads on this yet to be built prototype go all the way back to 2007 where the CEO of ETF was making comments in this forum, and now, 8 years later, it looks like the development status is exactly where it was 8 years ago... nada, nothing, zero, zip.

So why does the ETF website remain up, relatively untouched when I looked at it a few years ago? I mean, the copyright notice has been updated to 2015, but nothing else has changed. What's the point? Is this just a dream that someone can't let go of? Near as I can tell, there are significant cost and design issues (particularly suspension) that mean this beast (admittedly an intriguing idea) won't ever be built.

Thoughts?

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Strong Eagle.

I can't find the link but at least one truck in this configuration has been built in China . . . whether it is just a knockoff or the real deal I don't know.

Cheers.

 

[alco]

Scrub, the truck from China is really quite a different animal to the ETF truck.

StrongEagle, while I am unsure of whether or not it was ever completed, they did have a prototype of the ETF truck being built a year or so ago. Something else of note, is that the name of the company has changed since the original thread and posts by the CEO. It was originally the Emirates Truck Factory, and now it's the European Truck Factory. So they kept the ETF bit, but changed what it stood for.

I'm still not convinced that it's much more than a way to rob investors of their money.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Gotcha alco.

The point I make is that if the Chinese have a similar unit up and running it may well throw a spanner in the works of the original developers of the concept.

Cheers.

 

[rare ss]

Yair . . . Gotcha alco.

The point I make is that if the Chinese have a similar unit up and running it may well throw a spanner in the works of the original developers of the concept.

Cheers.

I think the Chinese truck is a copy of the ETF concept, does look somewhat similar

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . . rare ss

I think the Chinese truck is a copy of the ETF concept, does look somewhat similar

I can't find my link to the site but from what I remember the Chinese rig was remarkably similar in layout and appearance and it is up and running . . . they have made the investment in design and tooling.

Does world mining want two different manufacturers of a radically new style of truck? . . . initially probably not.

If I was ETF I would be sitting in my hands a while to see how things play out.

I see some similarities to the development of ADT's. I don't recall the time frame but, in the early days, all you could get was a Volvo and then, as the concept was proven, other manufacturers came out with their versions . . . with varying results.

Cheers.

 

[alco]

The Chinese truck is actually quite different structurally. The ETF truck has a spine, if you will, as it's main frame, where the Chinese truck is built on a platform, not really that much different than a Self Propelled Modular Transporter Trailer. The only real similarities are that they are both multi wheel designs. I believe the suspension between the two is also quite different.

I realize the general appearance is somewhat similar, but one is not quite a copy of the other. Incidentally, has anybody seen the pictures of the prototype under construction with the cab on it?

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Gotcha alco and Wow, thanks for the pictures.

alco am I thinking right in that one of the reasons for going to the multi wheel design is to utilise smaller more readily available/handleable tyres that can stand up to higher speeds?

While I'm asking question can you or any other mining folks give any insights as to why the big tyred bogie tandems put out by several of the manufacturers have failed?

Cheers.

 

[kshansen]

Sure looks like fun changing the inner tires!

 

[lantraxco]

I think the drive pods spin 360... don't quote me on that. But if they do, sweet! That's another thing, I think I read in the blurbs somewhere that they figure they can change out a defective drive unit in a couple hours. You have a failure, it just lifts up off the roadbed and you drive to the shop on the good legs? Four engines supplying power, only uses what it needs and when running empty for instance shuts two or three of them down, bad engine, keep going just slower. Swap out an engine power pack module in a couple hours also. All good ideas, have to see how it turns out in practice.

 

[JDOFMEMI]

I was on another site and came across a link to the pictures first posted by alco, as well as a clickable pdf of some more info. Sounds like they may be putting three trucks in a Vale mine.
Here is the link : http://www.micfil.net/hp/en-us/references/etfminingtrucks.aspx

It is from an ad for the filters they use, but there is a link to an article in "International Mining" on that page.

It will be interesting to hear how their ideas work out in practice.

 

[lantraxco]

Made in Slovenia. No comment. They're actually building them, will be interesting to see if all the technology holds up in actual use. I know it's all supposed to be modular and quick replace, but how about all the wire harnesses and interconnect? Must be a thousand sensors in each truck also..... Good luck to them, I like most of the features they expound.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

I was sent this . . . .



It is obviously computer build but my informant tells me that ETF stands for Emirates Truck Factory and they have a prototype train undergoing trials hauling two thousand metric tons.

Note these are four axle units(the two middle axles lift for running empty) the green trucks have five axles.


Apparently there is huge production factory out in the desert somewhere and it is all very hush hush . . . is this a wind up or what, I am thoroughly confused?

Cheers

 

[Nige]

Scrub, ETF used to stand for "European Truck Factory" because the founder of the company was Dutch (Eddy de Jongh?), I guess that now most of the money is in the Middle East they are being bankrolled by the Emirates so it doesn't even need a name change. TBH I will be extremely surprised if we ever see an ETF machine in the dirt. The factory in the desert isn't that hush hush, it's on Google Maps .......... see below

http://www.etftrucks.eu/extra/contact-ETF/

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

Thanks Nige, It didn't ring right to me but I thought I'd pass it on. (Big grin)

Cheeres.

 

[alco]

Scrub, ETF used to stand for "European Truck Factory" because the founder of the company was Dutch (Eddy de Jongh?), I guess that now most of the money is in the Middle East they are being bankrolled by the Emirates so it doesn't even need a name change. TBH I will be extremely surprised if we ever see an ETF machine in the dirt. The factory in the desert isn't that hush hush, it's on Google Maps .......... see below

http://www.etftrucks.eu/extra/contact-ETF/

It's actually the other way around. It was originally known as the Emirates Truck Factory, but at some point they changed it to the European truck Factory, and moved the factory through a series of contractors shops, located in several locations throughout Europe.

The desert factory was what they originally proposed, but never got to the point of actually starting to build it. It looks like the desert factory Nige refers to, is really just an office.

 

[Nige]

Almost another year later and still nothing ......... without digging into the subject it must be the best part of 10 years since the concept truck first appeared on the internet.

I have the hammer, nails, and coffin all lined up ....... and it looks as though I'm going to miss out on that Nobel Peace Prize......

 

[lantraxco]

I've had some good ideas over the years (and a lot of dumb ones) but I am not the kind of man that networks well or attracts the kind of backers it takes to fund a manufacturing startup. Still, if you don't have dreams life would be a bit tedious, yes?

I read somewhere that on average it's the third go that makes a product successful. I'm guessing CAT will come out with a similar product having "invented" it suddenly out of nowhere and claiming it's the haul truck equivalent of the fantastic high drive dozer design!