A miracle of automotive technology worth millions of dollars, a huge weight of hundreds of tons, a capacity of several thousand horsepower and dimensions that amaze the average person. All this applies to the largest mining truck in the world - BelAZ 75710.
Until recently, the championship among heavy-duty trucks was shared by the cars of four companies. These are Caterpillar, Liebherr, Terex and BelAZ. Each of the machines from these manufacturers has almost the same lifting capacity, from 320 to 360 tons. But in 2014, the BelAZ company designed a new BelAZ 75710 truck, which surpassed all its competitors. The carrying capacity of this monster is 450 tons. The giant can easily carry the largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus 380, which weighs just 280 tons. The total weight of the truck is 810 tons, so it is not easy to move such a colossus. BelAZ 75710 is equipped with two diesel engines with a total capacity of 8500 horsepower. But they are not the ones driving the truck. These motors power the electric motors, which, in turn, drive the wheels of the Belaz. The truck's speed is 64 km / h. This largest truck is designed to work in quarries under the most difficult conditions at temperatures ranging from -50 to +50 degrees. And the tubeless huge tires of this giant can easily overcome rocky soil and slopes of quarries.
On average, such a dump truck lasts 5-6 years. This is not much, but the loads are not the same as on conventional cars. Belaz works 23 hours a day (an extra hour a day serves for refueling, changing the driver and a small inspection). The largest truck in its life has traveled more than 600,000 kilometers.
How much fuel does a truck consume?
Fuel consumption is enormous. In the technical specifications, the figure is 198 g / kWh. To put it simply, for 12 hours of operation BelAZ 75710 consumes two tanks of 2800 liras each. Using the method of simple calculations, we find that it consumes 460 liters of diesel fuel per hour. However, this is the maximum consumption when the truck is fully loaded. In fact, this expense is less. You can refuel Belaz in the same way as an ordinary car, through the filler neck, but to speed up the process, special devices with powerful pumps are used.
Interesting about the biggest truck
- Most people who look at Belaz photos notice the eight round shiny elements and mistake them for headlights. In fact, these are air intakes, and the shiny elements are just technological plugs. Belaz has only six headlights, which are located below. This is quite enough for work.
- The pressure in the giant Belaz tires is 5.5 bar, which is lower than that of the Kamaz car.
- Turns the largest truck with hydraulic cylinders. The driver, turning the steering wheel, turns only a small spool in the hydraulic cylinder. And in case the hydraulic cylinders fail, the truck has backup accumulators.
