MacLean Engineering announced the release of the GR5 underground road grader. The newest addition to the line of Mine-Mate utility vehicles, the GR5 is a ruggedized, high-performance solution for maintaining haulage ramps.
The unit is sized to match the tractive effort and drawbar pull of full-sized surface graders. It features a CAN bus control system that gives joystick control for steering and application functions. It has an onboard vehicle telemetry package for machine health monitoring.
The grader can be either battery electric or diesel-powered. It comes equipped standard with a six-wheel infinitely adjustable drive system using dual-hydrostatic motors and tractive action.
The GR5 has roughly the same dimensions as the rest of the MacLean Utility Vehicle product line, and is designed for 5-m by 5-m headings. The frame is articulated. With front wheel steering, the turn radius is minimized.
The design originally stems from research for a battery-electric grader built by specialty engineering firm Medatech for Borden Gold.
As mines electrify, ramp maintenance will become a newfound priority, the company said. “To maximize the benefits of down-ramp energy regeneration, mines need well-maintained roadbeds, and we’ve got the solution,” said Maarten van Koppen, vice president, product management.
