6 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Giant dump trucks back where they belong
The first of the two refurbished Cat 789 dump trucks, which can each haul more than 185 tonnes per load, is transported on a low-loader truck from Christchurch to Macraes gold mine minus its wheels and tray yesterday. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
In a bit of role reversal, heavy metal was transported to the Macraes gold mine near Palmerston yesterday.
The first of two Cat 789 dump trucks are ready to go back to work after a full rebuild at Terra Cat's Christchurch workshop.
The trucks, which have each hauled for more than 80,000 hours since arriving at Macraes in the early 2000s, were transported to Terra Cat in late 2024 for a comprehensive rebuild. Now, after months of work, they are ready to haul rock once again.
OceanaGold Macraes operation general manager James Isles said rebuilding the trucks rather than buying new machinery was a "no-brainer".
"Rebuilding these hard-working trucks with Terra Cat, rather than buying new machines from Australia or the US, not only saves us over $1.5million, but it also helps to keep heavy machinery expertise and jobs here in New Zealand.
"It's a smart decision for our regional and national economy, for our communities and for sustainability."
Terra Cat mining account manager David Baillie said the Christchurch team was proud to have been offered another chance to extend the fleet's life, following the company's successful rebuild of three 789C haul trucks in 2022.
Mr Isles said Macraes employees, particularly those working in the open pit, were excited to welcome home Dump Truck 234 and Dump Truck 236.
"For our Macraes team who have become quite attached to these trucks, this is also an emotional decision. There are lots of memories here."
The first of the two massive dump trucks, which weigh about 135 tonnes (unloaded) and can haul more than 185 tonnes per load, was transported on a low-loader truck from Christchurch to Macraes yesterday. It was transported minus its wheels and tray, making it a little lighter to transport — at just 80 tonnes. However, it still needed two trucks to pull the mammoth load.
B.R. Satherley Transport owner Barry Satherley said the convoy team had left Christchurch at midnight and took five and a-half hours to transport the truck to Shag Point, on their way to Palmerston.
"I have about 40 people in my team who could do it, but I've been transporting the trucks to Macraes mine myself for 20 years now, so I'm a bit old-fashioned in that way," he said.
The convoy of five included two truck drivers and three pilots escorting Mr Satherley on the road.
Mechanics at Macraes reattached the truck's wheels at the mine's open pit workshop yesterday, and will assemble the tray on-site today. — Additional reporting Jules Chin
