Wabash Mfg. Inc., headquartered in Westlock, Alberta, Canada, was founded in 1981 and is a well-known manufacturer of quality fluid hauling tanks, trailers, mining support equipment.
Working with Caterpillar OEM Solutions, Wabash manufactures off-road articulating fuel and lube trucks, off-road bulk oil trucks, off-road vacuum trucks and now offers the world’s first articulating LNG refueler based on a Cat® 745C Articulated Truck Long Wheel Base Bare Chassis.
Fuel is one of the largest costs for any mining operation. And with LNG a plentiful resource that can be processed anywhere on the planet, any mine in the world can have access to it. Combine the fact that governments are beginning to impose greenhouse gas emissions caps, and LNG becomes an attractive alternative fuel source.
The W45LNG Refueler is designed specifically for mining applications and has a tank capacity of 7,800 gallon (29,525 lit). It features a vacuum-insulated, double-walled stainless steel vessel with a dispense rate of 250 GPM (950 LPM) and a deployable boom that reaches up to 33 ft. (10 m).
“Cat articulated trucks are so versatile in the mining application. They can handle most any haul road conditions and negotiate extreme grades—plus they have great flotation so they can operate in soft underfoot conditions. They’re just the absolute best fit in hard rock, oil sands or any kind of mining conditions,” says Dave Mortensen, general manager.
Its ergonomic design provides safe, convenient, ground level access to operating components and valves and simple operator interface for fast, efficient fuel deliveries.
“Caterpillar OEM Solutions was the obvious choice for this application because of the engineering support we receive from them. They help us with electrical systems, hydraulics and other components. That’s the reason we selected Caterpillar to work with on this new LNG Refueler,” says mining sales manager Dan Hunt. “Caterpillar OEM Solutions has helped us more than I can describe. They have been absolutely tremendous in supporting this initiative.”
Safety is a major driving force on any mining site. “With our design of the W45LNG, we focused every aspect of our design around safety as the priority,” said Hunt. “Of necessity, considerable safety measures have been incorporated into the design of this LNG Refueler.”
Wabash maintains a staff of highly qualified service technicians that travel worldwide as needed. And Wabash stocks a large parts inventory to support their customers’ machines worldwide. With its strong customer focus, Wabash continues to build customer relationships based on their needs, service requirements and expectations.
Wabash has a reputation for product longevity, innovation and customization that perfectly suits the customer’s application, says Mortensen. “This new W45LNG Refueler continues that tradition.”
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