The DAC 120 DE was a large earth-hauling dump truck designed by DAC, a Romanian manufacturer of heavy equipment, trucks and buses and produced by Mecanica Mârşa (near Avrig).[1]
Designed in 1988, following the American Lectra Haul dump truck model, it became one of the largest earth-hauling trucks in the world. The DAC 120 DE had an empty weight of 90 tonnes, and a maximum capacity of 120 tonnes. It was 10 meters long and 5.4 meters tall over the canopy, with a wheelbase of 3.2 meters. The model was driven by a 8-ton, 65 litre diesel engine, capable of producing 1,040 horsepower[2] (768 kW). This engine powered two Electroputere Craiova electric traction motors in the rear axle. The top speed of the truck was 70 km/h empty and 55 km/h when completely full. The truck had two 1,600 litres fuel tanks capable of moving the DAC 120 DE (when full) on a 24 hours schedule an entire week.
The total number of trucks built was around 15, of which eight went to the Roşia Poieni copper mine, three at the Mahmudia lime quarry, two at the Danube-Black Sea Canal site and five at the Mc Caimy Monster Pilbara iron ore mine in Western Australia.
The cost of a DAC 120 DE truck was around US$ 300,000, five times cheaper than other models produced in the 1980s.