[audioholic]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

Insane, 1 crore for this thing. I bet half of that just goes to the government? Can someone clarify this please?

I don't get this, why must half the money go to the government? Do you mean customs? The trucks are locally built so I dont think the 100% customs are applicable.

Just another monster from the volvo stable! When do they fail to impress. I just hope beauties or beasts like these do not get ruined by the hands of inexperienced mechanics just like how they spoil volvo buses in order to save some money on repairs. That's the only concern me, or even the parent company must have. Expensive service costs will lead to local alternatives, which spoil the reliablity of the truck, as well as the name of the company.

[D33-PAC]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I don't get this, why must half the money go to the government? Do you mean customs? The trucks are locally built so I dont think the 100% customs are applicable.

Just another monster from the volvo stable! When do they fail to impress. I just hope beauties or beasts like these do not get ruined by the hands of inexperienced mechanics just like how they spoil volvo buses in order to save some money on repairs. That's the only concern me, or even the parent company must have. Expensive service costs will lead to local alternatives, which spoil the reliablity of the truck, as well as the name of the company.

Yeah, I was talking about the duty. I thought they were imported units. I am not sure about servicing though, but I think all these mining companies have their guys trained by Volvo. I can think of Sesa Goa for example, which I believe has a dedicated team just for this kind of machinery maintenance.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

Insane, 1 crore for this thing.

In Sesa -Goa the Haulers sold by Volvo cost a few crores , yet they are dominating in terms equipment there.

Cheers!

[rakku46]

Nice pictures.
Can you please post a pic showing the location of the Water separator ? Is it frame mounted?

Thank you.

[anandpadhye]

1 crore is too much for a dump truck.

Would be interesting to know which ones were used by the mining industry before Merc and Volvo arrived (TATA, AL)? And how much do they cost?

This thing will bump up the price per unit of our household electricity.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by F150

Third axle is electronically controlled. Wow !
What parameters are used to control it ? Are there any special sensors for this electonic control ?

I am not sure of the sensors involved. I may need to check out the booklet for the same, in case these details are provided.

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

Insane, 1 crore for this thing. I bet half of that just goes to the government? Can someone clarify this please?

But now that I think of it, it doesn't seem too eye watering. Wasn't the first Volvo tipper in India launched at more or less the same price?

I truly wonder whether companies in India would go for something like this. In the civil field, the usage of foreign machines has already lessened. I wonder how the mining industry in India would react to this.

I have noticed that in AP's Singareni coal mines, Primas have already started replacing the exhausted Euro fleet. Perhaps the government sector companies are careful about the money, but can anyone comment about private companies ?!

The previous 8x4 series was priced at about 74 lakhs, so with the extra axle and greater haulage capacity, not to forget largest body and claims of better fuel effeciency, the price for the 10x4 looks more or less in line.

It was also mentioned that owing to the larger payload capacity, better FE and better average speeds the FM 480 can also lead to a more trimmer fleet for the operator.

Volvo mentioned that the current dismal market in the mining sector owing to existing policies is indeed a worry. However, despite these sentiments they already had 35 bookings.

Volvo explained that with regards to the maintenance aspect, most of the bigger customers for Volvo understand the need for preventive maintenance and also have maintenance contracts with Volvo for the same.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Reliability is the key factor in the Mining industry. That is where Volvo equipments are preferred and justified.

Cheers!

True.

Originally Posted by jkdas

Lets see what Merc gonna do now. Does Tata feel the heat?

The current series of dump trucks are with the 8x4 configuration, so with a 10x4, this is an innovative step from Volvo.

Originally Posted by audioholic

I just hope beauties or beasts like these do not get ruined by the hands of inexperienced mechanics just like how they spoil volvo buses in order to save some money on repairs. That's the only concern me, or even the parent company must have. Expensive service costs will lead to local alternatives, which spoil the reliablity of the truck, as well as the name of the company.

I had asked Volvo officials the very same question during the press conference, to which they replied that most of their customers use Volvo service technicians, and many also understand the risks involved in using substandard alternatives in maintenance.

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

Yeah, I was talking about the duty. I thought they were imported units. I am not sure about servicing though, but I think all these mining companies have their guys trained by Volvo. I can think of Sesa Goa for example, which I believe has a dedicated team just for this kind of machinery maintenance.

Originally Posted by volkman10

In Sesa -Goa the Haulers sold by Volvo cost a few crores , yet they are dominating in terms equipment there.

Cheers!

Volvo's history of reliability is indeed a major factor which influences the decision in this sector, considering the tough needs.

[D33-PAC]

Originally Posted by volkman10

In Sesa -Goa the Haulers sold by Volvo cost a few crores , yet they are dominating in terms equipment there.

Cheers!

Few crores!? Are you talking about the off-road trucks? The massive 6x4 with the massive engine that protrudes beyond the front wheel base?

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by rakku46

Nice pictures.
Can you please post a pic showing the location of the Water separator ? Is it frame mounted?

Thank you.

Sorry i missed this post earlier.

The pic below shows the location of the separator.

[t18]

As a novice, I have a question regarding the 10*4 nomenclature. I understand a 4*4 means 4 wheels and all 4 wheels drive separately. In this 10*4 I see more than 10 wheels. Are the wheels in the inside not counted?
Sorry if it sounds a stupid question.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

Few crores!? Are you talking about the off-road trucks? The massive 6x4 with the massive engine that protrudes beyond the front wheel base?

Here is the link to the equipment. Sesa -Goa is one of their largest customer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoLYy_4rErU

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by t18

As a novice, I have a question regarding the 10*4 nomenclature. I understand a 4*4 means 4 wheels and all 4 wheels drive separately. In this 10*4 I see more than 10 wheels. Are the wheels in the inside not counted?
Sorry if it sounds a stupid question.

10x4 does not mean the wheels, it speaks about the Hub. There are 10 hubs and 4 are driven.

[D33-PAC]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

10x4 does not mean the wheels, it speaks about the Hub. There are 10 hubs and 4 are driven.

This may seem stupid -- but doesnt each hub have its wheel?

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

This may seem stupid -- but doesnt each hub have its wheel?

You are right. Each hub has its wheel - some times one(front and pusher axle) and at times two(rear)
But here the nomenclature is only wrt Hubs and not on wheels.

[buddha]

Originally Posted by F150

Fantastic Report !

Rs 1 Cr for a truck. OMG

Actually, the typical reaction "This is just another overpriced imported vehicle" simply doesn't hold here. Probably the exact opposite...

In an open cast mine, these dump trucks are just one part of a long and expensive chain of machinery. The job of these trucks (short haul transport of the ore) is in fact one of the less critical operations of the mine. So mine operators would never want their huge excavators/other machines worth tens of crores of rupees to sit idle because a piddly (from their perspective) dump truck broke down. It makes *enormous* economic sense for them to buy 100% reliable Volvo trucks even if that sometimes means paying twice the cost of a breakdown-prone desi option.

These are sophisticated customers for whom uptime is truly valuable. That also means they do care about proper maintenance - none of the corner cutting you may see with Volvo bus operators. In fact almost all of these dump trucks are bought with on-site servicing setups run by respective manufacturers. Volvo, Daimler, etc. actually spend more than a crore rupees per workshop on building a service bay + parts inventory in remote mines to ensure 100% uptime.

TL,DR: Reliability is worth *gold* to some customers. These customers swear by Volvos and Scanias and Daimlers

[prateek99]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Attachment 1000168

Based on the FM13 litre platform, the FM 480 has a 43 ton capacity.

Attachment 1000167

Thanks ben! Are you sure this one is 43 ton GVW? Not a 37er?

Or perhaps Volvo has played with the axle distance?