The Terex RH400 is the worlds largest hydraulic shovel and weighs 1078 Tons with a shovel capacity of 94 tons in a single scoop.It can fill huge mining trucks like the Komatsu 930E with 3 or 4passes. The RH400 has the working ability to scoop up around 9900 tons of material ever hour which is a world record for a vehicle of this type.
The Terex RH400 doesn’t come cheap with a price tag of 11 Million Dollars but it can soon pay for itself in a mine by its superior productivity.
The RH400 has two Cummins Diesel engines which deliver a total output of 4400HP. The tracks each have their own gearbox which are controlled by 7 Bosch Rexroth hydraulic pumps per side.
The entire hydraulic system for the RH400 holds 3400 Gallons, because the RH400 can work in extreme conditions there are several devices topre-heat the engine oil, the coolant and hydraulic oil so it doesn’t cool down to difficult operation levels, these machines are like anything else automotive…they like to run best whilst warmed up.
The hydraulics on this machine are quite something to behold which is why there is a 1000 liter capacity pump holding grease for the regular automatic joint greasing. Too much friction on any of the working members could spell disaster considering how much weight the RH400 has to handle.
The shovel on the RH400 can hold 85 tons of burden in a single scoop and weighs 80 tons on its own and the hydraulic arm that lifts the combined weight of 165 tons is held in by a strong metal pin, the metal pin weighs a mere 3 tons. The below images show a closer view of the bucket and the pin being inserted into the arm.
See a YouTube video of the RH400 in action. Its only when we see some actual video of a machine like this that we can appreciate its power and capabilities a bit more.
It only takes between 3 to 5 scoops to fill up 240 to 400 ton mining trucks and when you consider that these machines work 7 days a week 365days a year, its saving a lot of Time = Money for the mine owners. IfI owned a mine I think I would have 2 of them !
Below is presented some of the dimensions of the RH400.
The drivers cab is very spacious with plenty of room to stretch the legs and not being cramped up. There is also another room behind the cab where the driver can make a meal in a kitchen area complete with amicrowave, refrigerator and other conveniences. The RH400 is so huge that this cabin area is like a normal room in an office.
The RH400 is as big as an office block !
