100 Years of Mining at Cummins

Cummins Mining

The first 100 years

View 100 years of mining timeline

Woman on mining site with diggers behind her

The next 100 years

As we celebrate a century of powering mining, our commitment to our customers, purposeful innovation, and technology built for the toughest challenges remains unwavering. Looking ahead, we’re investing heavily in advancing today’s trusted mining products, delivering improved total cost of ownership, enhanced performance, and extended engine life.

At the same time, we’re leading the energy transition for mining with bridge technologies that pave the way for clean fuels and electrification, starting with hybrid engines and dual-fuel solutions. These advancements will accelerate through strong partnerships with customers and OEMs, ensuring rapid development and deployment of next-generation solutions. Our long-term vision is bold: achieving 100% carbon neutrality across all Cummins products by 2050.

For the next century and beyond, the industry can count on Cummins to deliver confidence, reliability, and innovation—backed by world-class service and support around the globe—that drives mining forward.

Cummins Mining: A powerful legacy

The foundation of Cummins Mining is the embodiment of “great things come from humble beginnings."

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See Cummins in action through its first mining century

1933

The Linn Haftrak

Model H engines become popular in the Linn Haftrak, an off-road load carrier. The 136-horsepower, 11-liter version of the Model H provides more power than contemporary gasoline engines, enabling the Haftrak to haul up to 20 tons at 8 mph.
1935

Outperforming at high altitudes

A supercharged Cummins diesel-equipped Sterling truck is tested in Argentina by Cia Minera Aguilar, S.A. Designed to carry 12 tons, the truck proves capable of hauling 18 tons of lead and zinc concentrates 35 miles over unimproved roads and up stiff grades.
1936

Euclid FD Series

The predecessor of all modern mining haul trucks, Euclid’s FD Series is powered by a supercharged Cummins 6-cylinder Model H with 200 horsepower.
1946

Early mining exports

John Blackwood Hodge and Company, a British dealer for Cummins, Euclid Road Machinery Company and others, begins importing Cummins diesel engines destined for use in Euclid 15-ton mining trucks and strip-mining equipment.
1948

A classic cable shovel turns to Cummins

The Bucyrus-Erie 88B diesel cable shovel is first powered by Cummins engines. Used primarily for stripping and loading in the mining industry, it continues in production, with remarkable build continuity for more than four decades.
1951

The Euclid 1LLD

The Euclid 1LLD is the world’s first dump truck with a 50-ton payload. This “Twin-Power” dumper uses two Cummins Model NH turbo diesels, each driving a rear axle. The trucks help establish the NH as the standard heavy-duty engine of the mining industry.
1952

Cummins turbocharges the Indy 500

The experimental Cummins Diesel Special 28 becomes the first turbocharged racecar to run the Indianapolis 500. The race helps the company learn valuable technical know-how that will ultimately benefit the mining industry by improving its turbocharged engines.
1954

Anaconda partnership

At the height of its seasonal operations, as many as 76 Cummins diesel engines power equipment at a new copper-sulfur mining operation in Weed Heights, Nevada.
1956

Cummins engines go to great heights

Cummins-powered equipment dominates the strip-mining operation at Bukit-Besi (“Iron Mountain”) in Malaya, 300 miles north of Singapore.
1957

“Haulpak” defines dump truck design

Powered by a Cummins NH-743 engine, the revolutionary Haulpak sets a new standard for mining dump trucks. The Haulpak brand is eventually acquired by Komatsu, and its design heritage continues to influence the company’s larger models.
1960

The legendary Lectra Haul

Unit Rig releases the Lectra Haul M-85, powered by a 12-cylinder Cummins 700-horsepower, VT-1710, 28-liter. The truck is the first mining diesel-electric hauler to enter production and becomes an instant success.
1973

Powering the world’s biggest loader

The Clark Michigan 675 is introduced. With a 199-ton gross weight and a 24-cubic yard bucket, it’s the world’s biggest wheel loader at the time. Power comes from two 28-liter Cummins VTA-1710 engines, boasting an output of 1,270 horsepower.
1993

The mighty Mammoth

The Sisu SRH 450 Mammoth becomes the biggest truck ever to work underground, powered by Cummins KTA19 with 612 horsepower. A fleet of five trucks and a side-tipping trailer are custom-built for the Malmberget mine in the Swedish arctic.
1997

The biggest mining shovels ever

The Terex O&K RH400 is introduced as the largest and most powerful diesel shovel ever built. Cummins engines enabled these giant shovels to extract 9,000 tons an hour, breaking all previous mining records.
2000

The power to move mountains

The LeTourneau L-2350 is launched as the world’s largest front end loader. A Cummins QSK60 with 2,300 horsepower output enables this colossal bucket to scoop up to 72 tons with high lift for loading huge haul trucks while working up to 6,000 hours a year.
2001

Taking haul trucks to new heights

Komatsu and Cummins put the QSK78 to work in the 930E-2SE, giving the 550-ton gross vehicle weight a 30% speed increase on the steep haul roads of deep pits. Using electric traction motors on each side of the rear axle, the truck has a top speed of 40 mph.
2010

Biggest surface miner cuts 3,000 tons per hour

The world’s largest surface mining machine, the Wirtgen 4200SM, is introduced with a 1,600-horsepower Cummins KV50. As of 2010, it began using a QSK50 engine to drive the crawler, tracks and a huge drum that cuts 2 feet deep.
2019

A mining era ends

Production ceases on the colossal Caterpillar 6090 FS, the world’s largest diesel face shovel. Introduced in 1997 by O&K of Germany as the RH400, the 1,000-ton giant was powered by twin Cummins QSK60 engines, able to run without derate up to 16,000 feet.

1933

The Linn Haftrak

Model H engines become popular in the Linn Haftrak, an off-road load carrier. The 136-horsepower, 11-liter version of the Model H provides more power than contemporary gasoline engines, enabling the Haftrak to haul up to 20 tons at 8 mph.
1935

Outperforming at high altitudes

A supercharged Cummins diesel-equipped Sterling truck is tested in Argentina by Cia Minera Aguilar, S.A. Designed to carry 12 tons, the truck proves capable of hauling 18 tons of lead and zinc concentrates 35 miles over unimproved roads and up stiff grades.
1936

Euclid FD Series

The predecessor of all modern mining haul trucks, Euclid’s FD Series is powered by a supercharged Cummins 6-cylinder Model H with 200 horsepower.
1946

Early mining exports

John Blackwood Hodge and Company, a British dealer for Cummins, Euclid Road Machinery Company and others, begins importing Cummins diesel engines destined for use in Euclid 15-ton mining trucks and strip-mining equipment.
1948

A classic cable shovel turns to Cummins

The Bucyrus-Erie 88B diesel cable shovel is first powered by Cummins engines. Used primarily for stripping and loading in the mining industry, it continues in production, with remarkable build continuity for more than four decades.
1951

The Euclid 1LLD

The Euclid 1LLD is the world’s first dump truck with a 50-ton payload. This “Twin-Power” dumper uses two Cummins Model NH turbo diesels, each driving a rear axle. The trucks help establish the NH as the standard heavy-duty engine of the mining industry.
1952

Cummins turbocharges the Indy 500

The experimental Cummins Diesel Special 28 becomes the first turbocharged racecar to run the Indianapolis 500. The race helps the company learn valuable technical know-how that will ultimately benefit the mining industry by improving its turbocharged engines.
1954

Anaconda partnership

At the height of its seasonal operations, as many as 76 Cummins diesel engines power equipment at a new copper-sulfur mining operation in Weed Heights, Nevada.
1956

Cummins engines go to great heights

Cummins-powered equipment dominates the strip-mining operation at Bukit-Besi (“Iron Mountain”) in Malaya, 300 miles north of Singapore.
1957

“Haulpak” defines dump truck design

Powered by a Cummins NH-743 engine, the revolutionary Haulpak sets a new standard for mining dump trucks. The Haulpak brand is eventually acquired by Komatsu, and its design heritage continues to influence the company’s larger models.
1960

The legendary Lectra Haul

Unit Rig releases the Lectra Haul M-85, powered by a 12-cylinder Cummins 700-horsepower, VT-1710, 28-liter. The truck is the first mining diesel-electric hauler to enter production and becomes an instant success.
1973

Powering the world’s biggest loader

The Clark Michigan 675 is introduced. With a 199-ton gross weight and a 24-cubic yard bucket, it’s the world’s biggest wheel loader at the time. Power comes from two 28-liter Cummins VTA-1710 engines, boasting an output of 1,270 horsepower.
1993

The mighty Mammoth

The Sisu SRH 450 Mammoth becomes the biggest truck ever to work underground, powered by Cummins KTA19 with 612 horsepower. A fleet of five trucks and a side-tipping trailer are custom-built for the Malmberget mine in the Swedish arctic.
1997

The biggest mining shovels ever

The Terex O&K RH400 is introduced as the largest and most powerful diesel shovel ever built. Cummins engines enabled these giant shovels to extract 9,000 tons an hour, breaking all previous mining records.
2000

The power to move mountains

The LeTourneau L-2350 is launched as the world’s largest front end loader. A Cummins QSK60 with 2,300 horsepower output enables this colossal bucket to scoop up to 72 tons with high lift for loading huge haul trucks while working up to 6,000 hours a year.
2001

Taking haul trucks to new heights

Komatsu and Cummins put the QSK78 to work in the 930E-2SE, giving the 550-ton gross vehicle weight a 30% speed increase on the steep haul roads of deep pits. Using electric traction motors on each side of the rear axle, the truck has a top speed of 40 mph.
2010

Biggest surface miner cuts 3,000 tons per hour

The world’s largest surface mining machine, the Wirtgen 4200SM, is introduced with a 1,600-horsepower Cummins KV50. As of 2010, it began using a QSK50 engine to drive the crawler, tracks and a huge drum that cuts 2 feet deep.
2019

A mining era ends

Production ceases on the colossal Caterpillar 6090 FS, the world’s largest diesel face shovel. Introduced in 1997 by O&K of Germany as the RH400, the 1,000-ton giant was powered by twin Cummins QSK60 engines, able to run without derate up to 16,000 feet.

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See Cummins in action through its first mining century

The Linn Haftrak

Outperforming at high altitudes

Euclid FD Series

Early mining exports

A classic cable shovel turns to Cummins

The Euclid 1LLD

Cummins turbocharges the Indy 500

Anaconda partnership

Cummins engines go to great heights

“Haulpak” defines dump truck design

The legendary Lectra Haul

Powering the world’s biggest loader

The mighty Mammoth

The biggest mining shovels ever

The power to move mountains

Taking haul trucks to new heights

Biggest surface miner cuts 3,000 tons per hour

A mining era ends