Depending on where you live in the United States, you might see a semi-tractor hauling two trailers or even three smaller pup trailers out on the highways and Interstates. What you don’t see in the U.S. are the kinds of road trains better known as a power train, or a “body and six” setup. This isn’t a road-legal setup, but instead is used exclusively at large mines as a more efficient setup than running the gigantic 200-ton dump trucks around for more than they are designed for. The setup for a power train is really interesting: the prime mover is an Australian-built Kenworth C510, and the rearmost trailer is a powered pusher fitted with an automatic transmission and operated by hand controls inside of the cab. Paired up to combine for 1,000+ horsepower and a capacity that can push 460 tons, these trucks make the 62-mile drive from the actual pits to the processing plant on private roads within the operating area of the mines. This is grunt on a scale reserved for one location in the world…now that’s impressive.
