While the R 9800’s reputation as a powerful and reliable loading solution played a major part in Yellow Iron Fleet’s decision to acquire this excavator, it was Liebherr’s willingness to listen and adapt its machine to Yellow Iron Fleet’s needs that made all the difference.
'When we ordered the R 9800, we did have some concerns about the bucket not being properly suited to our application at hand,' says Andy Hoare, chief executive officer, Yellow Iron Fleet. 'However, after we explained our situation to Liebherr, the team was on board to work with us to find a solution.'
International collaboration
In Australia, the R 9800 excavator is usually seen in hard rock applications or in open-cut coal projects needing high volumes of overburden removed. However, Yellow Iron Fleet’s R 9800 will be working in mineral sands, a commodity usually found in coarse or fine grain sand that, generally, has a lower, loose specific gravity than the material the enormous excavator usually moves. As such, the excavator’s standard bucket needed to be adapted to accommodate the unique characteristics of this material. Undertaking this project required a combination of Liebherr-Australia’s manufacturing process; the excavator expertise of Liebherr-Mining Equipment Colmar SAS, Liebherr’s excavator factory in Colmar, France; and Yellow Iron Fleet’s knowledge of Atlas Campaspe and its geological makeup.
'The Liebherr-Australia and Colmar teams relied on data from Yellow Iron Fleet about their client’s unique operation to support the design, engineering and manufacturing processes for the bucket,' explains Simone. 'This is what enabled Liebherr-Australia’s fabrication team to deliver a tailored solution to the customer.'