Warrior 1400X in South Africa

Faster, more aggressive screening technology is allowing mine processing contractor, Two Pedestrians Mining, to push production to new levels and radically shorten processing times on behalf of its clients in the mining industry.

According to Neel Rademeyer, owner of Two Pedestrians Mining, the screening process is at the heart of production to provide the optimal production and sizing for final processing or stockpiling of product. The accuracy and speed with which this is achieved results in improved profitability for its clients.

Most recently the company has employed a newly acquired Powerscreen Warrior 1400X mobile screen to do duty in volume applications, where its heavy-duty processing power is able to make short work of run-of-mine materials even in rough terrain where its mobility simplifies the load-screen-dump cycle.

Fast turnaround

“The machine has been a revelation in terms of its versatility and work rate. This is important as it means it can be deployed to a wide range of mining types wherever there is a requirement for mobile operations to work through large volumes of materials, whether it be coal, ore or aggregates,” says Rademeyer.

“At present the Warrior 1400X is operating in the coal fields in Delmas, where its interchangeable decks can be set in accordance with the type and size of coal required. The processing of run-of-mine to 0 x 50 mm product requires that the screen can handle 0 x 600 mm feed.

“The unique design of the ‘punch plates’ top decks has been a revelation to say the least. We have processed approximately 600,000 ton one set of punch plates and see no need to replace them yet. Amazingly, it can be offloaded and be operational on a site within 15 minutes as was proven at Wescoal recently,” adds Rademeyer.

Improved operation

Two Pedestrians Mining operations manager, Arno Swart, adds that due to the screen’s high ground clearance, it is able to tram quickly to keep up with production. The high running position also lends itself to a cleaner operation with no need for ramps to access underneath the machines. Its conveyor height also allows us to stockpile materials up to 4 m high, significantly enhancing its ability over previous models.

“The additional height has improved our productivity substantially as the front-end loaders are able to fill the buckets to maximum capacity. Therefore, you achieve a reduction in diesel consumption and an improvement in safety. You now have a loader working slower, safer and more efficiently from bigger stockpiles,” says Swart.

“In terms of performance, the Warrior 1400X is a beast that packs a whole lot of punch into a machine with a comparatively small footprint. Because of its aggressive screening nature, it leaves an impression at the mines where it has operated and is therefore in high demand whenever our customers want to boost production,” he says.

“Being of a modern design it is also quick and easy to maintain with easy access to service points. In the 2,700 hours that it has been running at our sites it has not had any serious problems,” says Swart.

Preferred supplier

Rademeyer adds that Two Pedestrians Mining has a long and beneficial relationship with ELB Equipment, the sole distributor of Powerscreen equipment in southern Africa. Since starting the operation more than 20 years ago, the contractor has standardised its entire fleet on ELB Equipment’s “best of breed” machines from top OEM brands.

“In terms of the durability of the numerous Powerscreen machines in our fleet, they are unquestionably reliable and the diesel consumption is the most economical in the market. This makes it easier for us to quote on a cost-per-hour basis and brings down operating costs considerably. With consumption of between 10-12 litres per hour, at an average production of 300-350 t per hour, the figures speak for themselves,” says Rademeyer.

“In terms of reliability, our Powerscreen machines have proven themselves over the years with the oldest Powerscreen Chieftain 1400 in our fleet having already clocked over 53,000 hours and still running. Likewise, ELB Equipment has given us the kind of support that we need in terms of technical advice, sales and support of their machines,” he adds.

“The staff at the Middelburg branch are excellent and workshop manager, Johan Herbst provides the kind of support that we, as contractors, cannot do without. ELB Equipment also trains our operators professionally, which makes it easier to get the best out of our machines.”

Operator satisfaction

JP Durandt, area sales manager for ELB Equipment also compliments Two Pedestrians Mining for the professional way the machines are employed, operated and cared for by the operators and mechanical staff.

“Through the years we have built up a special relationship with the owners and managers of the company and, very importantly, we have built up a special report with the operators and mechanical staff who are in regular communication with us regarding their machines,” says Durandt.

“They tell us that they prefer the Warrior 1400X and similar machines from Powerscreen, saying that they work harder than other machines in their class, are easier to operate and maintain due to their easy-to-use controls,” he concludes.