McAfoos in Benton launches new diesel-powered mine cart

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Eighty years after Fred B. McAfoos opened his Benton business, third-generation owner Tom McAfoos and technician Josh Bundy have developed another mode of transportation.

McAfoos said it was a long road to the end product as the team worked with Kubota and the Mine Safety and Health Administration before FBMine Cart RTV900XTG was approved - after six years in the works.

The cart is being used in underground mining operations. McAfoos said Bundy assisted with the design, completing modifications on the machine.

"The mines need a form of transportation underground," McAfoos said. "In the past, the equipment was custom built."

Parts for the custom-built equipment were difficult to obtain, not to mention expensive, McAfoos said.

"There were electric-powered machines that were modified and golf carts with electric motors," he said. "Over a range of time, they became a problem."

McAfoos, owner of F.B. McAfoos & Company, said the electric motors could be used for only a number of hours before they had to be recharged.

"Diesel is now more accepted, and the design means the mine cart can run 24 hours a day, as long as they are refueled," he said. "The machines are more durable than golf carts or modified electric engines without the cost of custom built."

The business owner said the use of stock engines was not approved by MSHA until recently. Even the stock engines had to be modified, which led to a higher cost.

"I have been working with the local mines and Kubota for the past six years to get the mine cart approved," McAfoos said. "It was approved in May of this year. Two have been delivered to the mine site, and the third one is on display in the showroom."

The third mine cart is destined for another showing, he said. It will be on display in Marion in conjunction with a meeting of the Illinois Mine Institute.

McAfoos said he had been working on the idea for quite some time before he convinced Kubota to test the model.

"I had the idea when the RTV's first came out that I might have an application for mine use," he said. "I was contacted by a local mine that said they were interested in trying one of them and we started working together.

"We worked to install a different engine, which meant fairly extensive modifications," McAfoos said. "In 2005, I sold the first unit, which worked well and continues to be modified. The parts for the engine did not cost as much as the previous models."

There was more work ahead, he learned.

"It took a lot of work to get Kubota to believe there would be a market for the FBMine Cart," the developer said. "It took a lot to convince them that it was worth the investment. I even offered to pay for the testing, and it still took 18 months. It was a slow process. Josh and I continued to work on the design, and I continued to work with Kubota and it finally came to fruition."

A second design is also in the works and is also expected to be part of the display.