The Elphinstone Story
1975
Dale B Elphinstone Pty Ltd established
Dale Elphinstone began modifying Caterpillar equipment to suit underground hard rock mining applications out of his Fathers shed on their Mooreville Road, Burnie (Tasmania) farm in 1975. The Elphinstone name was destined to become synonymous with underground mining.
1976
Head Office at 4 Hopkinson St, Burnie founded
Head office was founded at 4 Hopkinson Street Burnie, Tasmania. Development of the first modified Caterpillar machines for underground started.
1977
First underground truck sold
Sale of the first Elphinstone 79C underground mining truck, which was a modified Caterpillar 769C truck.
1978
Underground support vehicles developed
Development of the first Elphinstone underground support vehicles, the 920 Scaler and 925 Work Basket using a Caterpillar 920 wheel loader.
1978
First Elphinstone underground ejector truck developed
Development of the first Elphinstone 79C underground ejector truck, which was a modified Caterpillar 769C truck.
1978
First Elphinstone underground grader developed
Development of the first Elphinstone underground grader from a Caterpillar 12G
1979
Underground loader developed
Development and sale of the first Elphinstone underground mining loaders, which were modified Caterpillar 980B and 925B wheel loaders.
1982
First Elphinstone purpose built underground truck
Design, manufacture and testing of the first purpose built Elphinstone underground mining dump truck.
1983
Sale of first fully manufactured underground product
Elphinstone manufactured and sold the very first purpose built underground mining trucks, the AD13 (13-tonne capacity) and AD17 (17-tonne capacity) articulated dump trucks.
1984
Sale of first Elphinstone 80C underground loader
Sale of the first Elphinstone 80C underground loader modified from a Caterpillar 980C wheel loader.
1986
First Elphinstone underground loader R1500LHD sold
Sale of first fully designed and manufactured, purpose built R1500 Load Haul Dump (LHD). Machine no.1 is still operational and has returned to Burnie to be part of Dale Elphinstone’s collection.
1987
First underground export sales to USA
First export sale to Henderson Mine in the USA by Elphinstone of a purpose design and built R2600 LHD.
1988
Sale of first Elphinstone designed and manufactured R2800 LHD
Sale of first fully designed and manufactured, purpose built R2800 Load Haul Dump (LHD). Machine no.1 was delivered to a customer in Australia and painted white. The machine is still operational and has returned to Burnie to be part of Dale Elphinstone’s collection.
1991
R1700 LHD and AD40 dump truck developed and first sales
First R1700 LHD designed manufactured and delivered. The AD40 Dump Truck was designed and developed to compliment the larger LHDs.
1994
R2900 LHD developed and first sales
First R2900 LHD designed and developed. By the end of 1994 Elphinstone had delivered more than 200 LHDs, 100 of these were the R2800 model.
1995
Establishment of Caterpillar Elphinstone Pty Ltd
Establishment of Caterpillar Elphinstone Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Caterpillar Inc and Elphinstone Pty Ltd.
2000
Sale of remaining 50% shareholding to Caterpillar
Elphinstone Pty Ltd sells the remaining 50% share of the Joint Venture to Caterpillar Inc. which started the Caterpillar Hard Rock Vehicle (HRV) product range. At this time more than 700 machines had been manufactured and sold.
2001
1000th machine delivered
The 1000th machine originally designed by Elphinstone was sold by Caterpillar.
2007
Haulmax investment
The Elphinstone Group invested in Haulmax who manufactured an 80tonne capacity extended distance haul truck. The Haulmax business was relocated from Brisbane to Tasmania.
2009
Haulmax 3900 Series released
The Haulmax 3900 series extended distance haul truck was released following significant design, testing and field follow.
2011
Railmax RMT14D hi-rail excavator released
The Railmax RMT14D hi-rail excavator was released which transformed the rail maintenance industry allowing work to be performed safely under live powerlines and on live parallel tracks transforming the rail maintenance industry.
2014
Elphinstone Group becomes sole owner of Haulmax
The Elphinstone Group purchases the remaining shareholding in Haulmax to become the outright owner.
2016
Elphinstone Pty Ltd is established
The Elphinstone Group purchases Service Vehicle Solutions (SVS) and Southern Prospect and combines these with Haulmax to for Elphinstone Pty Ltd. Elphinstone Pty Ltd takes back the Burnie manufacturing facilities and the “Elphinstone” brand from Caterpillar. Development of a new range of specialized underground hard rock support vehicles starts and the manufacturing facilities are repurposed to build these.
2017
Railmax RMT15F Road Rail Excavator released
The Elphinstone RMT15F Railmax was released with significant control system upgrades to the previous RMT14D version, increasing the machines capability, safety and productivity.
2017
Introduction of WR820 8m3 Agitator
Elphinstone introduces the WR820 Agitator at Minexpo 2016 and the first sales followed.
2017
Introduction of WR820 Water Cannon
Elphinstone develops and introduces the WR820 Water Cannon with remote operation as a solution for recovery of ore fines, unblocking of hang-up and dust suppression.
2017
Purchase of Underground Grader IP from Groundforce
Elphinstone purchases the underground grader IP of Groundforce to add road maintenance solutions to the growing portfolio of Elphinstone underground hard rock mining products.
2018
Introduction of UG20K and UG20M underground graders
Elphinstone upgrades and introduces the UG20K and UG20M graders which results in a very successful road maintenance solution for customers around the world.
2018
Introduction of the WR820 10m3 Agitator
Elphinstone expands the Agitator range by developing the WR820 10m3 Agitator which maximizes productivity of concrete delivery underground by increasing volume, speed and braking performance.
2019
Introduction of WR820 Water Tank
Elphinstone introduces the WR820 Water Tank, specifically designed for dust suppression with a capacity of 16,000L – 19,000L (dependent on configuration).
2019
Development of the WR810 platform
Elphinstone develops the highly configurable WR810 underground service vehicle platform. The first machines developed were a 6m3 Agitator, Scissor Lift, Fuel & Lube and Water Cannon.
2020
Introduction of Tier 4 engines to the WR810 fleet
The Elphinstone WR810 was further developed to include a Tier 4 engine option plus additional models were added including a Delivery (with crane), Flat Bed and Cab Chassis that provides flexibility for specific customer solutions.
2021
100th Elphinstone underground support vehicle
A Tier 4 WR810 Delivery with crane was the 100th Elphinstone underground support vehicle delivered.
2022
Sale of 50th Elphinstone underground motor grader
2022
Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Project announced
Elphinstone commences the development of a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) solution for the WR810 10-Tonne Platform.
2022
Sale of the 100th Elphinstone 20 Tonne Base Platform
Elphinstone commemorated the sale of the 100th Underground Mining 20 Tonne Platform, a WR820 10m3 Agitator designed and manufactured at the company’s world-class facilities in Burnie, Tasmania.
2023
WR810 low-profile front cab launched in Brisbane
Elphinstone unveiled its WR810 low-profile front cab was launched in March at the Underground Operators Conference in Brisbane, showcasing the latest in its underground application portfolio.
2023
End of an era – The last Railmax RMT15F is sold
The first Elphinstone Railmax rail maintenance excavator, the RMT14D was released in 2011. It transformed the rail maintenance industry allowing work to be performed safely under live powerlines and on live parallel tracks. In 2017 the Railmax RMT15F was released, featuring significant control system upgrades to the previous RMT14D version, increasing the machine’s capability, safety and productivity. Signifying the end of an era for Elphinstone Railmax Rail Maintenance Solutions, the last Railmax RMT15F excavator was shipped to BHP at Port Hedland, Western Australia on May 23, 2023.
2024
WR810 model numbers updated to E10
The WR810 model number was phased out in January 2024 and replaced with the E10 model number. The ‘E’ represents the Elphinstone name and the ’10’ indicates the nominal capacity in metric tonnes (depending on configuration). The Elphinstone E10 series of underground support vehicles continues to feature a high level of interchangeability of parts and components between machines.
2024
New E15 base platform released
In January 2024, Elphinstone released the new E15 15-tonne base platform. The first machine to be released was the E15 Agitator 7m³ (pictured). Future models in the range include an E15 Delivery (nominal 15-tonne capacity and 8.8tm crane), E15 Flat Deck (nominal 16-tonne capacity), E15 Water Tank (nominal 13,000L capacity), and E15 Fuel & Lube (Diesel, Lubricants, Grease, Coolant, DEF, Water & Air).
2024
First E15 Agitators dispatched to Ernest Henry Mine
Elphinstone dispatched the first E15 Agitators to Evolution Mining’s Ernest Henry Mine north of Cloncurry in Queensland. A standout feature on both machines were the pink and blue 7m3 agitator bowls with breast and prostate cancer awareness decals signifying Evolution Mining’s investment in cancer research.
2024
E15 Delivery with crane is released
Released in June 2024, The new E15 Delivery is the second model in the series, adding another application to the existing range of Elphinstone E10 Underground Hard Rock Support Vehicles (formerly WR810) and rapidly expanding E15 underground support fleet. It features a fully integrated Hiab X-HiDuo 092 crane with a rated lifting capacity of 8.8-tonne metre (TM) and a 7.7-metre outreach, emergency crane stops, manual lever control or wireless joystick remote, and a programmed exclusion zone over the operator cabin.