What started as a discussion with one of the world’s largest mining operators around optimising truck bed efficiency turned into the creation of the largest capacity wheel loader bucket ever produced by Schlam.

Glencore commissioned Schlam to produce three bespoke wheel loader buckets designed to switch seamlessly between moving coal and waste at Australian sites.

The resulting 40m³ capacity buckets are 33% larger than the previous buckets used on-site and allow for greater flexibility in operations.

The big buckets feature the same base but two different lips for ground engagement tools (GET), optimised to both Glencore’s Rolleston and Bulga mine site requirements.

The primary challenge was how to optimise bucket capacity to maximise coal payloads while remaining compatible with current and future pass-match requirements.

In practice, these requirements limited the ability to fully realise the machine’s theoretical payload potential in coal, which meant the benefit of a lighter bucket was marginal. As a result, durability was prioritised.

Steel was added to the design to help ensure the bucket could operate effectively in waste/overburden conditions, where it is exposed to digging forces rather than loading, and where fill factor must be tightly controlled so maximum swung load is not exceeded.

The final design features 100 per cent high-strength steel construction, including a 25mm quench and tempered (Q&T) 450 shell and a curved spill guard for optimal visibility and loading. Importantly, weight was saved by minimising the application of wear protection liners in the design due to the low abrasiveness of the material moved.

At 7m wide, 4m deep, and 3.5m high, the new buckets are similar in size to a luxury caravan.

Designing and building these buckets marks a big milestone for the Schlam team and shows the innovation that can be achieved in collaboration with our customers.