Story 21. The Fuel Truck

With a 24hr operation all machines were required to stop at sometime during the shift for refueling.
For the CAT 769 dump trucks it was easy, the serviceman would wait at the fuel pump reading a  copy of a Mills and Boom book and after the crew had their meal break he simply refuel each machine as they left the park area on their return into the pit.

The CAT988 loaders were refueled earlier in the pit during a ten minute crib break when the crews would grab a cup of coffee, cake or biscuits while the loader took on fuel and the pit fitter had a quick look over the machine.
The other machinery could be stopped at anytime with out disrupting production.

Also in the pit were two sometimes three large 14inch warman pumps powered by a 3208 Cat these pumps kept the water levels down and pumped the seeping water 140 feet up and out of the pit where it could be used in the mill or stored in any of the many dams.

With as many as three Loaders operating and fourteen dump trucks available the service truck visited each in turn.

One night shift while refuelling one of the pumps the service truck became semi-bogged in one of the sumps, truck tyres on the wet rock often made traction difficult.
Out service man discovered he could move a little both forward and back but was having great difficulty climbing over a small rise.
Frustrated he began going back a little further each time in an effort to increase the run up hoping the extra speed and momentum would help him make it up and over the small rise.
A large rock was preventing him from being able to go back any further, each time he reversed he did so until his progress was physically stopped by the rock as the back of the truck struck it each time bringing the truck to a sudden halt.
Frustrated at being stuck his reversing became more determined as the truck was brought to a sudden halt each time as it struck the large rock.

Seeing his plight the grader operator picked up a large heavy steel cable we used to pull the dump trucks out of  bogs, soft ground, and occasionally from over the edge of the dump when a dump truck had reversed a little too far and became stuck a little way down the slope.

Arriving he  found a highly agitated and certainly frustrated serviceman. They hooked the rope on and after a few minutes managed to drag the service truck free, much to the delight of the busy serviceman.

A quick inspection of the truck found by using the large rock as a back stop to bounce off in the search of added momentum the service man had shortened the trucks chassis by almost three feet!!


Close to the fuel pump stood a raised cleaning station, this was a small platform about three meters above the ground and positioned at the same height as the Dump truck's walkway. Behind was a raised water tank with clean water, this enabled the truck drivers to step out and clean the windows without having to climb up the truck carrying a heavy bucket of water to clean windows or wash out the often dusty interior of the cabin of the dump truck.

During one night shift a truck driver miss judged the platform and failed to stop the truck in time, knocking over the stand and with it went the 10,000 gal water tank.

This crew were from that moment on forever known as "F troop" from the popular TV show of the same name, which in the opening credits showed as similar water tank being knocked over.




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