Ironclad Rokbak RA40 passes the Tennessee test

Articulated hauler’s performance, uptime and ease of maintenance singled out for praise

THE dusty trails and sharp inclines of a Tennessee quarry have suited an RA40 articulated dumptruck (ADT) and given Rokbak another opportunity to impress again in the US, with performance, uptime, and ease of maintenance singled out for praise.

The Rokbak ADT is tackling the tough terrain of a quarry in Cookville, the largest city of Putnam County, to transport overburden, shot rock, and finished crushed limestone products for UC Materials, as part of a large multi-group project.

Nestled directly between Nashville and Knoxville, the limestone rock quarry provides material to customers in the local area, and feeds other sites within the group in which the quarry operates.

UC Materials rent the RA40 from Ironclad Equipment LLC, who purchased the articulated hauler in January 2023 from long-term Rokbak dealer Diamond Equipment, a family-owned construction equipment dealership providing sales, service, parts, and rentals from five locations across four states in the Midwest and South.

‘The reason we went with Rokbak is uptime and price,’ said Ironclad Equipment’s general manager and co-founder, Barry Reese. ‘I personally prioritize profitability and knowing that the truck will always be working, and the RA40 ticked the boxes.

‘The fact that the RA40 is performing really well, our operators like it, and it does everything other haulers do but for a lot less money, shows why we’re very satisfied.’

Since being acquired by Ironclad at the start of the year, the RA40 had already clocked up over 1,600h of operation. The truck has been on site since September 2023 and has been working around 40h a week for UC Materials.

This is not Ironclad’s only Rokbak truck – the company has one tasked with land-clearance on a residential site near Nashville, and a third RA40 has also just been bought, signalling clear satisfaction with the hauler and the brand.

‘The RA40 has really been a hit,’ said MR Reese. ‘We’ve seen what it’s brought to the construction site and UC Materials quarry, so it makes sense to add to our fleet and choose a proven performer. We know what we’ve got, and we know the benefits this particular dumptruck offers our expansive operations.’

UC Materials use the RA40 to move topsoil at the top of the quarry, as well as large amounts of rock from the face down to the base and stockpile it in the yard. Operating conditions can vary daily depending on the weather, but the ADT powers on for 8–10h a day.

Three to four passes by wheel loader fill up the RA40’s all-welded body. The RA40 has a haul capacity of 38 tonnes (41.9 US tons) and a heaped capacity of 23.0m3 (30.3 yd3), making it well suited to transporting the volumes of materials required by the quarry. Fabricated from high hardness 1,000Mpa yield strength steel, a dual-slope tail chute eases the material ejection from the RA40 body.

The RA40 is able to travel easily up the dusty, steep inclines of the quarry’s haul route and an effective power-to-weight ratio ensures material is moved as quickly as possible in all conditions, with the adaptable drivetrain maintaining traction and speed on the toughest sites.

‘The quarry has the ability to continue for a very long time, so there is lots of hard work ahead for our Rokbak dumptruck,’ explained site manager Matt Davidson. ‘There is 1,000ft to go back from the current face.

‘The operators are happy with the truck and we plan on operating it within the quarry indefinitely, with low manual maintenance and cab comfort being two particular strengths that have impressed the team.’

‘Success stories such as this in Tennessee emphasize that the Rokbak rebrand has led to accelerated demand in North America,’ commented Rokbak regional sales manager Dan Meara. ‘Our trucks are out working across the US and Canada, helping to generate further interest in the brand and contributing to the RA30 and RA40 being used on multiple large projects in this dynamic market.’