A belly plate jack called TED

A belly plate jack called TED is breaking new ground in mining for its’ innovative features that improve safety and productivity during maintenance operations.

The Tracked Elevating Device (TED for short), is a track driven, all-terrain, battery operated, remote controlled belly plate jack. It effectively removes the need for personnel to place themselves under suspended loads associated with the maintenance of heavy earth-moving equipment like dozers, graders etc.

It’s low profile design, and its lift capacity of 800kg from 315mm to 1170mm, TED™ can be used in very tight spaces under machinery to carry and lift heavy components and manoeuvre them safely over soft/rough terrain.

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The manufacturers of TED say that “with the constantly growing array of attachments available for TED™, the need for personnel to push, pull, or carry heavy loads in and around the workshop and the field, is greatly decreased.”

TED can be fitted with a blade attachment, a roller carrier for loads of up to 200kg, a cutting edge tool, steer cylinder cradle, an axle stand locating tool plus a range of highly useful add-ons that can improve safety across a range of jobs.

Back in 2015, AMSJ reported that a mine maintenance worker was killed at the Woodie Woodie mine while removing a belly plate. The incident drew attention across the mining industry after the company was fined $110K following the incident.

Belly plates can weigh hundreds of kilos – even more with accumulated debris build-up – and are traditionally loosened by mine maintenance personnel who then crawl underneath the machine to line up bolt holes. It has shown to be a very dangerous operation.

Over the past decade in Australia, there have been over 45 serious injuries, including one fatality, as a result of bottom guard (or ‘belly plate’) removals. And these are just the reported ones. The incidents prompted the development of Nivek’s Tracked Elevating Device (TED).

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