Philippi-Hagenbuch extends truck body service life by 50 percent with Hardox steel floors

Philippi-Hagenbuch Inc. will now manufacture all of its custom-engineered HiVol haul truck bodies using SSAB Hardox 500 Tuf steel for the floor construction.

Changing to a more durable steel will increase lifespan 

Hardox 500 Tuf is a durable, abrasion-resistant steel with a nominal Brinell hardness of 500. The material provides exceptional strength for hauling. Manufacturing bodies with 500 Tuf floors offers Philippi-Hagenbuch contractors added value through reduced maintenance and an extended service life — up to 50 percent longer than the already durable 450 Brinell steel used for the rest of the body. Philippi-Hagenbuch will construct all its custom bodies with 500 Tuf floors, ranging from bodies designed to haul coal, scrap steel, aggregates, refuse, coal, hard ore, oil sands, and more.

Construction and materials matter 

The floor of the haul truck body typically experiences the most abrasion and takes the brunt of the impact during material loading. When a shovel dumps material in the bed, the body experiences mass impact from the large amount of heavy material and, frequently, a projectile impact from sharper materials. Hardox 500 Tuf steel provides the necessary strength and hardness to withstand that force, resisting punctures or structural deformities. Hardox 500 Tuf particularly shines when operations are hauling highly abrasive material such as scrap steel, oil sands, iron ore, and gold ore, or highly acidic material like refuse. These materials will damage steels with less abrasion resistance and require more frequent maintenance, leading to a shorter product lifecycle. 

Hardox 500 Tuf is made up of the lowest amount of carbon possible, providing strength without becoming brittle in cold-weather climates. By default, Philippi-Hagenbuch designs its equipment to perform in the worst possible environments, whether in the blistering heat of equatorial regions or the extreme cold of the Arctic.

"PHIL has always strived to be at the forefront of technology and provide our clients with the best product available," said Josh Swank, Philippi-Hagenbuch chief growth officer. "To make the best product, you have to build it with the best ingredients. We dedicated eight years to researching 500 Tuf by visiting steel mills, working with metallurgists, and completing our own internal analysis to make sure we give our customers the best and longest-lasting solutions to help them haul."

"When you have consistent steel coming from a consistent mill, it's a great catalyst to putting out a good product," Swank said. "We know exactly where our steel is coming from, and we know it will last. That's a great benefit of engineering everything 100% in-house, which we've done since 1969."