Trackless mobile machinery is not limited to underground equipment. This page covers hose kits for underground applications such as loaders, drills, bolters and utility machines; the buyer confirms the machine and circuit specification.
What TMM shares, from the bushveld platinum and chrome mines to deep gold and underground coal, is hard hose duty in a small space. That is the job these kits are built for.
Why TMM hoses fail
- Tight routing. Low-profile machines pack hoses around articulation joints, booms and engine bays. Excess length can rub; insufficient length can load the ferrule when the machine articulates. Confirm clearance throughout the movement envelope.
- Crush and rub. Rock fall, side-wall contact and pinch points at the centre joint cut covers.
- Water and mud. Wet headings carry abrasive fines into every fitting during change-out.
- Heat near the engine and exhaust. Diesel machines need sleeves and routing away from hot surfaces.
- Mixed builds. Machines are rebuilt and modified over their life, so the parts book and the machine in the stope may not agree.
How we build a TMM kit
- Start from the machine, not the book. Send the model and serial number, and the old hoses or their tags if possible. If the machine has been modified, photos of the routing tell us more than the parts book.
- Confirm length and orientation exactly. For two bent ends, the angle between them is recorded in degrees. For articulation hoses, we ask for the length with the machine straight.
- Choose cover and guard. An abrasion-resistant cover can be considered alongside the mine’s full specification. Spiral guards or textile sleeves are added at known rub points. Fire-resistant (MSHA-type) cover hose is available on request. RHPL holds no MSHA approval or certificate; acceptance follows the mine's own specification.
- Tag by position. Each assembly carries the position name your fitters use, plus the RHPL trace number. The packing list follows the same order.
- Cap and bag. Ends are capped and each assembly is bagged, so the kit stays clean until it reaches the workshop.
Typical TMM kit scopes
| Machine | Typical kit scope |
|---|---|
| Underground LHD | Boom and bucket circuits, steering at the centre joint, transmission cooler lines; any safety-critical circuit requires separate specification review |
| Face drill rig (jumbo) | Boom and feed hoses, rotation and percussion lines, water and air lines |
| Roof bolter | Boom, feed and rotation hoses, resin or grout lines where fitted |
| Utility vehicle / charging unit | Crane or basket circuits, steering, attachment hoses |
| Underground coal section equipment | Hoses specified to the mine's fire-resistance requirement |
Machines in this category come from makers such as Sandvik and Epiroc as well as many South African utility-vehicle builders. Machine names describe the application only.
*Aftermarket assemblies built to the confirmed reference. Not OEM-genuine parts; no OEM approval is claimed.*
Fittings for underground machines
TMM often combines metric 24° fittings, ORFS and staple-lock ends on one machine. Zinc-nickel plated and stainless-steel fittings can be considered for wet headings after compatibility and corrosion exposure are reviewed. Odd or obsolete ends can be machined on our CNCs in small batches. See fittings and adaptors.
Confirm the underground mine’s purchasing route
An underground mine may require registered vendors that meet its procurement and safety rules. If you are such a vendor, or a hose workshop serving underground mines, RHPL can be your manufacturing source for kits that you supply and support. See local supply partnership. Mine engineering teams are welcome to send references for technical review; the commercial route is agreed in the reply.