Rig Source’s Terramac RT9 rubber tracked carrier makes extensive use of hydraulics, so it can quickly be fitted for use in mining, agriculture, construction operations or as a utility vehicle.When officials at Rig Source Inc., Elburn, Ill., decided to develop a new tracked carrier, they knew it had to be versatile. According to Mike Crimaldi, president of Rig Source, other carriers, especially those from offshore suppliers, either come loaded with features and capabilities that customers don’t need, or they come in a basic, stripped down model. Either way, equipment owners don’t want to pay for options they won’t use or wait for a basic model to be built up.
Rig Source recently introduced its Terramac RT9, which uses the versatility of hydraulics to make it quickly adaptable to different applications. One standard model comes with a dump bed, but if users want to use it in a mining application, the RT9 gets a flat bed, water tank, and hydraulic crane to handle drill sections. Power for the crane comes from the gear pump that would’ve powered the dump bed. Crimaldi said, “We created the RT9 with customization as a top priority. The ability to mount a variety of machines is the RT9’s core differentiation and strength.”
The RT9 has a standard carrying capacity of 18,000 lb (8165 kg). However, it is also light on its feet, exerting only 4.9 psi (0.34 kg/cm2) of ground pressure and with a 10 ft (3-m) turning radius.
Hydraulics take the lead
The RT9 runs on a pair of rubber tracks driven by a hydrostatic transmission (HST). The HST is powered by a pair of Eaton Duraforce variable-displacement axial-piston pumps (one for the left track, one for the right), each capable of delivering up to 195 lpm (43 gpm) at 386 bar (5600 psi).