A complete mining bucket solution

Schlam’s Barracuda mining buckets are providing miners all over Australia with an array of production advantages and efficiencies.

In the competitive landscape of the Australian mining industry, reducing equipment downtime is paramount for boosting productivity and ensuring operational safety.

One critical element in achieving these objectives is the effective design and manufacture of mining buckets. These robust tools endure rigorous conditions, often requiring refurbishment within months of service.

Understanding how to optimise bucket performance is essential for any mining operation focused on efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Barracuda overview

Schlam designs and manufactures a range of mining buckets under the Barracuda brand.

These include excavator and front wheel loader buckets to suit the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) equipment and models used in Australian mining.

Schlam’s Barracuda buckets are engineered for excavator classes ranging from 100 tonnes to 900 tonnes, with payload capacities reaching up to 45m³.

Each bucket design is meticulously customised to meet specific operational requirements and OEM specifications, ensuring optimal performance based on factors such as tip radius, pin centre, breakout force, and maximum suspended load.

Developed to maximise efficiency

While Schlam has a long history of designing and engineering mining buckets, in recent years the company has invested significantly in developing a product range that caters for the specific needs of the Australian mining industry.

The company has worked closely with its existing dump truck body clients to develop bucket solutions to compliment its load and haul process.

“The mining bucket is the business end of the load and haul process, so it’s important to match the right bucket with your haul equipment,” Schlam vice president innovation and strategic focus Amit Bareja said.

“Filling a haul truck with three and a half buckets rather than three is inefficient no matter which way you spin it.”

According to Bareja, this is a common mistake that occurs at mines around the world.

Not correctly payload matching an excavator, shovel and wheel loader buckets with a haul truck means the mine risks giving away productivity and money with every load.

Designed to deliver in challenging conditions

While Schlam offers a comprehensive range of standard buckets, each Barracuda bucket is customised for specific site-based conditions and applications.

A poorly-designed bucket can slow productivity and performance of the load and haul ecosystem.

“Bigger is not always better – a fit for purpose solution is,” Bareja said. “Every mine site is different, so it’s important for us to tailor each product to suit the demands of the site it will operate on.”

Each Barracuda excavator and wheel loader bucket is uniquely designed to suit ground conditions, ore types, material properties, and OEM earthmoving fleets to help miners get the best out of their fleet of load and haul equipment.

The Barracuda T2: Leading through innovation

With the Barracuda range of buckets becoming increasingly popular among leading miners in Australia, Schlam is continuing to develop new products that offer additional benefits to miners.

“When it comes to product development, we work on the principle of developing product solutions ‘for miners, with miners’,” Bareja said. “We worked with some of the leading miners, listened to their needs, and developed the Barracuda T2.”

The Schlam T2 mining bucket is engineered in two distinct sections: structural and high-wear.

The high-wear section features a linerless, replaceable shell and a lower sidewall weldment, eliminating the need for additional wear mitigation during the service cycle.

Constructed from significantly thicker material, this section is designed to wear down to a predetermined ‘trigger’ thickness, signalling the need for replacement. The replacement linerless shell can be prefabricated, allowing for quick installation during scheduled refurbishments, which considerably reduces out-of-service time.

In the structural section, wear mitigation is strategically applied only where necessary, which increases the overall durability of the bucket and extends its service life. The wear plates used in these areas are sized for easy replacement during routine machine service intervals.

The Barracuda T2 enables miners to save asset downtime and subsequently increase payload productivity, eliminating the requirement for heel shrouds and wear packages.

This feature not only makes the T2 up to 15 per cent lighter than standard mining bucket products but also eliminates the hazard of stored energy associated with rolled wear components.

Like its Hercules cousin, each T2 bucket is specifically designed for a customer’s site requirements, with variable thickness lower floor and side wall options available.

The first T2 was released in 2022, entering service on a major iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. That first unit, with a payload capacity of 22m3, has since recorded over 10,000 hours of operation and still has the original lower shell.

With strong customer demand, there are over 30 T2 buckets operating on major mines across Australia.

In 2023, Fortescue deployed Australia’s first operational electric excavator, a Liebherr R 9400 E, which included a specifically designed Barracuda T2 bucket.

Technical support

To assist with asset longevity, Schlam offers its customers on-site technical support for its Barracuda mining buckets.

The team of Schlam technical support specialists undertake site and equipment inspections, which assists customers with payload planning and wear mitigation.

Further enhancing Schlam’s technical support is the expansion of its main production facility in WA to assist nearby mining regions.

Schlam’s journey from a regional player to a global innovator illustrates the company’s dedication to excellence and client satisfaction.

Its understanding of the need to adapt, innovate, and tailor its solutions to the unique needs of individual mines sites is clear through the Barracuda T2, which offers significant payload advantages for all users.

This feature appeared in the February 2025 issue of Australian Mining.