TPMS for LHD machines
Also known as a Scooptram, Scoope or underground loader, the Load Haul Dump machine (LHD) is the vehicle that actually recovers ore or waste at the working face before an Underground Dump Truck ever gets involved. Its short, high-frequency load-haul-dump cycle is one of the most punishing duty cycles any OTR tire experiences. This page explains how TPMS for LHD machines protects tires against this extreme workload.
What is a Load Haul Dump machine?
An LHD is a low-profile, articulated, four-wheel-drive loader with a front bucket, designed specifically to work inside underground drives that are far more restricted in height and width than any surface loader would tolerate. It loads material directly from the muck pile, carries it a short distance, and dumps it into a truck, ore pass or crusher, before returning for the next bucket – a cycle it repeats continuously through a shift.
Key manufacturers include:
- Sandvik
- Epiroc
- Caterpillar (CAT)
- GHH Fahrzeuge
- Komatsu
Bucket capacities range from under 1 cubic metre in narrow-vein mines to well over 20 cubic metres in large bulk mines, but in every case the LHD is chosen specifically to fit the drive it works in.
The operating challenge
Unlike a haul truck, which spends much of its cycle simply driving, an LHD spends a large proportion of its time digging, turning, reversing and articulating – often within a drive barely wider than the machine itself. This means its tires are almost never in a straight-line, low-scrub condition; they are constantly twisting against the ground.
Tire risks specific to LHDs
The LHD duty cycle creates its own distinct pattern of tire risk:
- Extreme scrubbing wear from tight, repeated turning in narrow drives
- Impact damage from digging directly into broken, sharp rock
- Heat build-up from continuous short cycles with little cooling time between loads
- Under-inflation, which sharply accelerates wear under this scrubbing action
Because LHDs work at the working face, often the most confined and least accessible part of the mine, a tire failure here is especially disruptive and can be hazardous to recover.
How TPMS protects LHD tires
A TPMS for LHD machines tracks pressure and, where fitted, internal temperature, on every wheel, giving the operator and maintenance planners continuous insight into how the tires are coping with the scrubbing and impact loads of the load-haul-dump cycle. Catching a slow leak or a developing hot spot early allows the LHD to be scheduled out for tire attention before a failure strands it at the face.
Benefits of TPMS on LHD machines
- Longer tire life on a machine with one of the most aggressive duty cycles in mining
- Fewer unplanned stoppages at the working face, where recovery is hardest
- Improved operator safety in confined underground conditions
- Lower cost per tonne mucked, through better tire lifecycle management
- Full data history to compare tire performance across the LHD fleet
Fleet visibility and data ownership
Real-time tire data from the LHD fleet feeds into a cloud-based portal, giving underground control rooms and surface maintenance teams the same live picture of tire condition. As with all TMS® systems, this data and its ownership remain fully with the mine operator.
Choosing the right TPMS for your LHD fleet
Because LHD tires face some of the harshest scrubbing and impact conditions of any OTR application, the TPMS fitted needs to be exceptionally robust and easy to maintain in a confined underground workshop. TMS® specialises in TPMS for LHD machines and other underground OTR vehicles, built to survive this environment.
Request a free trial to see how TMS® can extend tire life and reduce downtime on your LHD fleet.