Brooks Equipment has brought 16 Allison-equipped XCMG XDA45 articulated dump trucks into the country, betting that a proven driveline will win over operators wary of a new brand
A new brand in a conservative equipment class has to prove itself in hours, not brochures. In Australian mining, one of the first answers for the XCMG XDA45 articulated dump truck comes from a customer in the gold fields, who has hired one, worked it hard through summer and winter, and logged more than 4,000 hours without any issues.
The truck is distributed by Brooks Equipment, which is positioning it as a competitively priced alternative in the 40 to 45 tonne articulated haulier class.
A new distributor in a demanding market
Australia moves roughly 2.6 billion tonnes of mineral material every year, according to figures from the national science agency CSIRO. Much of it travels across steep, unsealed and remote sites, where uptime and fuel burn drive the cost per tonne.
Brooks Equipment is a division of Brooks Group Australia, a Western Australia-based business that has supported the mining and civil sectors for almost 50 years. The division was set up in 2020 to supply new and customised machinery and later secured exclusive distribution rights for XCMG. Brooks covers the core mining states of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia.
So far, 16 XDA45 trucks have arrived in the country for sale, with several also offered for dry hire through the Brooks Hire division.
The driveline behind the pitch
The XDA45 has a gross vehicle mass of 71 tonnes and an articulated layout designed for steep grades, heavy loads and uneven ground. It is powered by a 390 kW Mercedes-Benz OM471 engine paired with an Allison 4800 Off-Road Series fully automatic transmission with a built-in hydraulic retarder. The same driveline is used on the XDA45 32 kL articulated water truck, deployed for dust suppression, road compaction and fire safety.
The fully automatic transmission is central to the argument. Its torque converter multiplies engine torque at low speeds, helping the truck pull away fully loaded, climb grades and work on soft ground. Smooth, uninterrupted shifts help maintain traction on muddy or steep terrain and reduce shock loads through axles, driveshafts and differentials. The integrated retarder gives operators more control on long downhill runs.
What it means for fleet owners
“Paired with the Mercedes-Benz engine, the XCMG XDA45 has a robust driveline, and the proven reliability of the Allison transmission helps keep our trucks working for longer, which reduces unplanned downtime and unexpected operating costs,”
Said Nathan Fenemer, General Manager for Brooks Equipment.
For contractors and mine operators considering an unfamiliar brand, that familiar driveline is a practical reassurance, and so is the support network. Fenemer points to Allison’s authorised distributor, Heavy Automatics, and Allison’s broader service network as part of the uptime equation.
On commercial terms, Fenemer says the XDA45 offers equivalent or slightly higher payload than other major manufacturers in its class, at a competitive price. Customer feedback, he adds, has been “extremely positive to date”.
The real test is still ahead
The early results are encouraging, but the XDA45 is still new to Australia. As the release itself acknowledges, sustained durability over the coming years will decide how far a Chinese challenger brand can go in delivering long-term value to Australian operators. For Brooks, the hire fleet offers a low-risk way for customers to put the truck through that test on their own sites.
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