Underground Mining Vehicle

Posted on December 31, 2024February 18, 2025 by admin

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Underground Mining Vehicles

Revolutionising the Underground Mining Vehicle for Advanced Performance

A specialised underground mining vehicle plays a crucial role in the safe and efficient transportation of personnel, tools, and materials within subterranean mines. These vehicles are specially designed and modified to withstand the harsh conditions in which they operate, ensuring safety, durability, and operational efficiency.

Why Specialised Vehicles Are Necessary

The underground mining environment presents a range of challenges, including poor lighting, confined spaces, and rugged terrain. Standard vehicles are ill-equipped to handle these extreme conditions, making modifications essential. Specialised vehicles, such as the RMA Automotive underground mining vehicle, provide enhanced safety, reliability, and efficiency, ensuring uninterrupted operations while prioritising worker safety.

Key Modifications and Features

RMA Automotive South Africa has engineered an advanced underground mining vehicle based on the Ford Ranger Double Cab 4×4 XLT to meet the demanding needs of underground operations. The following key modifications enhance both functionality and safety:

Emergency Braking System: A Spring Actuated; Hydraulic Release (SAHR) emergency braking system is integrated to provide exceptional braking capability. This system features an emergency stop button that, when activated, immediately cuts the engine and locks the wheels, ensuring rapid immobilisation in emergencies.
Fire Suppression System: An Ansul Automatic Fire Suppression system is installed to rapidly deploy dry fire retardant in case of a fire, preventing potential damage and ensuring compliance with strict mine safety regulations.
Kevlar Floor Protection: The vehicle’s floor is reinforced with 12-layer Kevlar boards to protect against sharp debris commonly found in mining environments, such as steel bolts and rock fragments.
Enhanced Lighting and Electrical System: A dual battery system powers ten strategically positioned spotlights at the front and rear, significantly improving visibility in the dim underground environment, reducing accident risks, and improving operational efficiency.
Customised Mining Package: Additional modifications include side steps for easier access, a wrap-around bull bar for added protection, reflective tape for enhanced visibility, heavy-duty seat covers for durability, a battery isolation switch for safety, and identification boards for regulatory compliance.

About RMA Automotive South Africa

RMA Automotive South Africa is a leading provider of specialised vehicle modifications. With over 15 years of experience and a state-of-the-art facility in Pretoria, we are dedicated to delivering cutting-edge mobility solutions tailored to the unique requirements of the African market.

We have also successfully supplied a fleet of modified vehicles to Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining corporations, meeting their stringent safety and performance standards. These vehicles have contributed to safer and more efficient underground transport operations, with high reliability and minimal downtime.

Contact Us

For more information on our underground mining vehicle modifications and to discuss how we can support your operations, contact RMA Automotive South Africa today.

Mining Vehicle Modification

Posted on November 30, 2024February 18, 2025 by admin

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Mining Vehicle Modification

Protective Mobility: Mining Vehicle Modification for Safer Mine Sites

Mining environments present extreme challenges, particularly in Africa, where rugged terrains and hazardous conditions are the norm. Protecting your most valuable asset—your people—requires specialised solutions. Mining vehicle modification is an essential strategy to enhance safety and operational efficiency in these demanding settings.

This is where you need RMA Automotive. We are a global leader in custom fleet solutions and are at the forefront of mining vehicle modification. With over 15 years of experience in designing and delivering tailored mobility solutions, RMA provides innovative, life-saving modifications for mine site and underground vehicles.

Mine Site Vehicle Modification

For above-ground operations, mine site vehicles are customised to ensure the utmost safety and durability.

Key modifications include:

Rollover Occupant Protection Systems (ROPS): Interior or exterior metal frameworks designed to maintain occupant survival space during vehicle Fitted by accredited installers, ROPS are critical for preventing injury and loss of life.
Reinforced Structures: Rugged exterior and interior protection, reinforced bed platforms, and heavy-duty wheels and tyres ensure vehicles withstand harsh environments.
Safety and Compliance Accessories: From reflective tape and decals, to mining light bars and reverse buzzers. The list of safety equipment required on Mine Site compliant vehicles is extensive and can vary from site to site.

ROPS, available in brands like HALO™ and Jadem, is particularly vital. These specialised vehicles frequently operate in unstable conditions, and ROPS are a proven solution for safeguarding lives.

Underground Mining Vehicle Modification

Underground operations present unique risks, requiring vehicles with advanced safety and performance features.

RMA Automotive equips underground vehicles with:

SAHR Braking Systems: Spring-actuated, hydraulic release emergency brakes for critical stopping power.
Fire Suppression: Ansul automatic fire suppression systems for rapid fire containment.
Kevlar Floor Protection: Durable, 12-layer Kevlar boards shield vehicles against debris and impact.
Mining Accessories: Drop-side bodies, wrap-around bull bars, reflective tape, and other necessary safety enhancements.
Plug-and-Play Electrical Harnesses: Thirteen unique systems ensure seamless electrical functionality.

Why Choose RMA Automotive?

Operating from a state-of-the-art facility in Pretoria, South Africa, RMA Automotive combines expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver superior mining vehicle modification. As a QVM and ISO-certified provider with a Level 4 BEE rating, RMA guarantees compliance with the highest safety and quality standards.

Our solutions are trusted by leading organisations across Africa for their reliability and performance in even the harshest conditions. Whether you need customised mine site vehicles or underground mining vehicles, RMA Automotive is your trusted partner in protective mobility.

Contact RMA Automotive Today

Ensure the safety and efficiency of your mining operations with industry-leading mining vehicle modification solutions. Contact RMA Automotive today to discuss your needs and discover how we can protect your people and assets.

Rio Tinto Underground Mining Vehicles

Posted on September 30, 2024February 20, 2025 by anita

CASE STUDIES

Rio Tinto Underground Mining Vehicles

Pretoria, 2024 – RMA Automotive South Africa recently delivered a number of custom-built Underground Mining Vehicles to the Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah, USA. Located in Silverton’s automotive manufacturing zone, RMAA SA is a manufacturer of special vehicles for the mining sector and for a range of commercial fleet customers.

This recent project involves the first of its kind adaptation of six Ford Ranger 4X4 Double Cabs to be used as personnel and equipment carriers serving the underground mines.

There are a series of modifications that go into this Underground Mining Vehicle in addition to RMAA SA’s comprehensive Mining Package.

To support extreme braking under loads and on rough terrain, RMAA SA fitted a Spring Actuated, Hydraulic Release (SAHR) Emergency Braking System. This system was previously not available for Ranger and was specially developed by a South African brake supplier for these vehicles. The brake upgrade required replacing the rear drive shafts and brake hubs, installing a control system and separate hydraulic pump system to provide the braking power. The system includes an emergency stop button that cuts the engine and locks the wheels when the button is pressed.

An Ansul Automatic Fire Suppression system was installed – a mandatory safety requirement for underground mine vehicles which automatically deploys dry fire retardant to extinguish fires at source. The vehicles are fitted with Kevlar floor protection, made up of 12-layer Kevlar boards, to prevent damage and penetration by the steel bolts that are often driven over in the mine. This floor protection was designed and installed by SVI Engineering, a Ford QVM (Qualified Vehicle Modifier) Armor supplier to Ford South Africa.

These vehicles were the first to be fitted out with RMAA SA’s Double Cab Drop-Side body and a Dual Battery system with 10 spotlights mounted front and rear to provide lighting when working under ground.

The Rangers take the complete RMAA SA Mining Package, which includes adding side steps, a wrap-around bull bar, reflective tape, decals, heavy duty seat covers, a battery isolation switch, identification boards and all the usual mining accessories required for the light mining vehicle application. In the interior it includes a control panel for the Emergency Brake/Park with a warning indicator light that illuminates red when the brake is activated and green when the hydraulic pump releases the brakes at the correct pressure and once it goes over 8 bar.

Adaptations to the electrical system were equally extensive, requiring the addition of 13 ‘plug and play’ harnesses to accommodate additional electrical components: from the dual battery management system to spotlights, rear reverse alarm, 2-way radio, Deutsch plugs, amber beacon light all controlled from the overhead switches accessible from the driver’s seat position. There is also a headlight-on kit to ensure the headlights are illuminated at all times.

The sum of all these additions and modifications has delivered an extremely capable and formidable package that fulfils Rio Tinto’s stringent safety and operating criteria. RMAA SA is confident that once these vehicles have passed all their testing they will become the new standard Underground mining vehicle for the Rio Tinto Group.

About RMA Automotive

RMA Automotive is an innovative company leading in custom fleet solutions, majoring on special vehicle modifications, complex conversions, vehicle personalization and KD assembly.

RMA Special Vehicles are produced at RMA Automotive’s global manufacturing plants in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Türkiye, Dubai, South Africa, and Australia.