Terex TA300 Articulated Dump Trucks Helping To Build High Schools Near Houston, Texas

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Houston-based contractor Franco Builders is using Terex TA300 off-highway dump trucks to lay the building pads and rebalance the soil for two new high schools in the area. (Photo courtesy of Terex Trucks.)

Houston-based contractor Franco Builders is using five Terex Trucks TA300 off-highway dump trucks to lay the groundwork for two new high schools in the area. The family-owned earthworks and underground utility specialist chose the Terex articulated haulers to prepare the pads for the 550,000- and 485,000-square-foot (51,100- and 45,060-square-meter) buildings in Alvin and Fort Bend, respectively.

The trucks are also tasked with rebalancing the soil on the sites to support future vegetation. “We have over a million truck yards of material to rebalance over each jobsite,” says Franco Builders co-founder Jose Zuniga. “It’s a massive undertaking.” Both campuses are scheduled to be open in time for the 2022-2023 school year.

World-Class Traction

The family-owned contractor initially rented and then ended up leasing the Terex Trucks from local dealer Easton Sales & Rentals. “We’ve rented TA300s from Easton for quite a few years now,” Zuniga says. “We just fell in love with them.”

The 6x6 truck’s full-time all-wheel drive, differential locks, and gear reduction make it a superb choice for the frequently muddy region.

“We get a lot of rain the in the Houston area and the off-road trucks have to fight through some pretty nasty terrain at times,” says Zuniga. “The TA300 is a steady machine with good traction. It doesn’t struggle to get in and out of the slope areas so there’s no risk of it getting stuck in a hole.”

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The TA300’s full-time all-wheel drive, independent front suspension, differential locks, and gear reduction make it a superb choice for the frequently rainy Houston region. (Photo courtesy of Terex Trucks.)

More TA300 Details

Scottish construction truck manufacturer Terex Trucks builds the rugged TA300 to haul up to 30.9 tons (28 metric tons) with a heaped capacity of 22.9 cubic yards (17.5 cubic meters). Its Scania DC9 inline five-cylinder turbodiesel engine produces 370 horsepower (276 kilowatts) using a three-stage air filtration system.

The TA300’s new ZF EP320 transmission has eight forward and four reverse gears. The smooth-shifting gearbox boasts a long oil change interval of 4,000 hours. Top travel speed for the TA300 is 34 mph (55 km/h) thanks to the transmission upgrade. Meanwhile, the truck’s hydraulic system uses magnetic suction filters to catch contaminants and keep them out of the way.

Independent front suspension comes standard on the TA300, helping to keep it controllable on slippery ground and slopes, Terex says. It also employs force-cooled multi-disc brakes on every axle, modulating transmission retarders, and electronically activated exhaust brakes for this purpose, and can stop reliably even in very wet conditions.

Source: Terex Trucks