BHP Minera Escondida launched an engineering challenge: create a device capable of towing its entire haul-truck fleet with one piece of equipment. CGK won it.
The problem: the site had a TowHaul RS-280 tow tractor (280 t capacity) that only worked with one type of truck, while the fleet — CAT 797B, 797F, 793F and Komatsu 930E, 960E — has different bumpers and tow lugs from model to model. What was needed was a universal, plug-and-play solution that could be connected in the field with no extra equipment.
We started with reverse engineering: we scanned the entire fleet with a Trimble TX8 3D scanner (one point cloud per truck) and surveyed the haul route with a drone , to check the critical stretches the loaded tow tractor had to get through. With that we modelled every bumper and designed a universal coupling that reuses the TowHaul's hydraulic cylinders.
The whole solution was validated with a calculation report and structural verification (FEA), built in structural steel, tested with NDT (PT/MT/UT) and certified with a load test. Movements are commanded from the cab through a real-time camera system. In service on site since 2023.
Haul-truck tow device
One machine for the whole fleet
Every haul truck at Escondida has a different bumper and tow-lug configuration. The existing tow tractor only handled one of them. The challenge was to design a universal coupling that, with the same 280-tonne capacity, would work for all of them.
The solution reuses the hydraulic cylinders and the TOE of the TowHaul RS-280 and adds an adaptable tool that connects in the field, with no cranes or extra equipment.
- Compatible with CAT 797B, 797F, 793F and Komatsu 930E, 960E
- Plug-and-play connection in the field
- Reuses the existing TowHaul's cylinders
3D survey
We scanned the entire fleet — and the route
With our Trimble TX8 3D scanner we captured each truck from about ten positions, producing a point cloud that became the model and the drawings for every bumper and its anchor lugs.
And because the road also shapes the manoeuvre, we surveyed the haul route with a drone to check the curves and rough patches the loaded tow tractor had to get through. Design based on the real site, not on assumptions.
- A point cloud for every truck in the fleet
- Drawings of bumpers and tow lugs
- Drone scan of the critical haul route
The universal tow device, on video
A walkthrough of the finished machine: the arm, the gooseneck, the auxiliary power unit (APU) and the camera control from the cab. With drone footage on site.
3D model · FEA
Calculated for 280 tonnes
The loads involved in towing a haul truck are enormous. Every iteration of the prototype went through static load simulation (FEA) until it passed, also checking the turning angle and the maximum tilt for safely moving each model.
The result is backed by a calculation report certifying that the tool matches the capacity of the TowHaul it adapts to.
- Iterative static simulation until convergence
- Turning angle and tilt verification
- Calculation report for the prototype
Fabrication
Built, tested and certified
The tool was built in structural steel in our workshop, with welder qualification and dimensional control at every stage. Non-destructive testing — dye penetrant, magnetic particle and ultrasonic — validated the critical joints.
It closed with a certified load test, blasting and final painting. Every component left tagged and traced to site.
- Structural steel · welder qualification
- NDT: PT / MT / UT + dimensional control
- Certified load test · blasting and painting
"We won BHP's challenge and carried the solution from the 3D scan of the fleet through to load-test certification — start to finish."
CGK · Truck Challenge · Minera Escondida
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Engineering, structural verification and fabrication of special components and tools for large-scale mining.
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