Dump truck decisions: bell's reciprocal manufacturing link with John Deere will bring advantages all round, writes Kyran Casteel.(Construction)(Bell Equipment of South Africa's collaboration with Deere & Co.)

THINK EARTHMOVING AND mining trucks; think Southern Africa; think markets. Sure. But think again. For South Africa also manufactures and exports articulated dump trucks (ADTs) while mines in Namibia and South Africa have energised the development of trolley-assisted truck operation.

At Richards Bay, Bell Equipment has been manufacturing a range of equipment since 1954, including ADTs since 1985. The truck design has been improved, especially in the D-series launched late 2001, and the size range has been extended, now extending up to the 50-ton capacity B50D. Perhaps not quite as elegant as the latest Volvo Construction and Caterpillar ranges, the Bells nevertheless …