WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Western Star Trucks has successfully introduced its line of premium, off-road, vocational vehicles to the mining and earthmoving markets in South Africa.

Specifically focused on the mining sector, Western Star plans to directly compete with traditional earth-moving equipment manufacturers. For its first South Africa customers, Western Star has produced versions of its extreme-duty thirty- and forty-ton dump trucks which include 4900SA and 6900XD Constellation cabs.

Working in rock quarries and mines, Western Star says its trucks compare favorably in performance, productivity and value to traditional earthmovers. These custom-built trucks are designed for severe-service, maximum load-carrying capabilities, the company adds.

The Constellation 6900XD — “XD” stands for extreme duty — is designed for heavy off-road hauling with axle weight ratings of up to 138,000lb and a gross combination weight rating of up to 450,000lb.

The 4900SA features a set back axle configuration for enhanced maneuverability and load distribution in off-road applications.

Western Star is marketing heavy-duty vocational trucks in South Africa through DaimlerChrysler South Africa and distributing them through Liebherr Africa, a manufacturer of mining equipment such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and face shovels.

AJP Mining Ltd. was the first South African mining operation to purchase a Western Star-Liebherr equipment package when it put three Western Star 4900SA 30-ton dump trucks to work at a high-grade anthracite mine in the Ermelo area of Mpumalanga.

“Western Star vocational trucks work in some of the harshest locations on earth and are ideally suited for rugged South African mining operations,” eplains John Merrifield, senior vice-president of sales and marketing with Western Star Trucks.