Coal Age Magazine - For more than 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.
Issue link: https://coal.epubxp.com/i/640014
Think back to the mine of yesterday: an expansive fleet of machines, each with its own capabilities, all with their own specific job — in some cases, acquired just for that single task. The bigger the m i n e , t h e m o r e l e n g t h y t h e l i n e u p o f vehicles and, as a result, the more main- tenance time spent and capital laid out for acquisition, upkeep, modifications and more. Stepping on-site at a mine today, is a dif- ferent story entirely. This is especially true over the last several years when operators have become increasingly prudent with their capital budgets and staff and other resources have been forced into consoli- dation. Equipment makers, re-sponding largely to important customer mine feed- back, are producing vehicles with more flexibility and capabilities than ever before, and with the most robust designs for long, efficient lives. A great example of that shift has been the line of Joy Global loaders, which the OEM integrated into its product portfolio f o l l o w i n g i t s 2 0 1 1 a c q u i s i t i o n o f L e T o u r n e a u . T h e f i v e l o a d e r s — t h e L950, L1150, L1350, L1850 and L2350 — share not only the flexibility to do the work of multiple machines, including the slower stalwart hydraulic excavator, but a l s o s o m e t r u l y t o p - l i n e t e c h n o l o g y . A m o n g t h e s e a r e t h e S w i t c h e d R e l u c - tance Hybrid Drive, a proprietary elec- tric-drive technology platform that helps a l l o w f o r h i g h e r u p t i m e a n d a b e t t e r environmental footprint, reduced waste, and lower fuel consumption, and LINCS II for those aiming for an even higher lev- el of control. SR Drive Technology SR technology is not new, according to M i c h a e l F l e e t , p r o d u c t m a n a g e r f o r wheel loaders, but the technology has significantly progressed, especially in the years since Joy and Le Tourneau com- bined expertise. f r o n t- e n d l oa d e r s 32 www.coalage.com February 2016 B Y D O N N A S C H M I D T , F I E L D E D I T O R Jack of All Trades Industry's trend of doing more with less has allowed Joy Global's line of resourceful front-end loaders to take on even more responsibility Joy's loader lineup includes the L950, L1150, L1350, L1850 and L2350.