Do you have any Cat 797's. They are awesome. I work on cat equipment and i am rebuilding a 773B at work right now. About the biggest Ive seen in this area is a 777. I think a new mine is opening up north and they are talking about getting a couple of 797.

 

If I seen a 797lb cat in my area, I'd move!

 

I've sat in the cab of a triple 7.... also, I've been *inside* one of the lift/dump cylinders (old college job at a hydraulic shop -- you haven't lived until you've had a D-10 Ripper Tilt cylinder come crashing through the back glass on a 1/2 ton pickup -- I was shaking so bad I couldn't drive the truck back to the shop -- it literally lacked going out the front windshield by about a foot and was resting on the dash... VERY crazy and scary).

You too can own one for less than $350K



RP

 

I don't think I've heard of Apollo... Where is it located Peacemaker? My dad is up in Western Kentucky working for a company that was once named Cimarron, then named Andalex, now named .. I can't remember. Unfortunately, they're very close to 'mining out' and going directly into an underground situation. The problem, dad's never known underground equipment and wouldn't be nearly as valuable as he is to a surface mine... He's been in maintenance all of his life (spinning wrenches as a diesel mechanic initially and then working into upper mine management calling the shots on rebuilding and/or buying huge items like engines, etc... all maintenance decisions go through him -- which has aged him and stressed him to the point that I wonder how much longer he can do it... them mining out might be a blessing in disquise).

Ultra_Miner... how deep (bgs) is the coal there in Wyoming? Also, what type of seem thickness are you all working... I'd love to see that version of mining... I'm used to seeing draglines ripping through 100's of feet of overburden going after a 4' seem.... yes, 4'. Aren't you guys doing 20'+ seems that are, generally speaking, shallow bgs?

Green_98 - down around Bixby/Salem/Centerville/Lesterville/Viburnum. I have an apartment lined up in Salem but, at this rate, I'm not going to be down there for at least a month or two... gotta love the intervention of attorneys.

RP

 

ahh Lesterville.......heard anything about the big annual mud run they have down there? Crazzzzzy!

 

This reminds me of this huge article I once read about some place in Russia or some where near there. I think a nuclear reactor blew up because of someone not doing their job and its a ghost town.

 

RockPick,

Yep, that might be a blessing in disguise for your Dad. Mining takes it's toll on a man. My Dad works 14 and 15 hour days, six days a week. He was pulling 85 to 90 hours a week where he used to work. I'm glad he got out of that mess. lol. The outfit where my Dad works "now" is Apollo Coal on top of Fonde Mountain in Eastern KY. He used to work in Harlan, KY at a few places called Great Western Coal Co, Fox **** Coal Co., Sigmon's Coal Co., Eastern Mountain Coal Co., just to name a few. Good luck to your Dad.

They have those 777's at his work. And the big loaders and D-10 dozers too. He's got a cool video of a highwall miner cutting into the side of a highwall with it's bit churning the coal out. Those things are HUGE!

 

On April 25th 26th, 1986 the World's worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl in the former USSR. I remember it. i was in school.

 

The biggest trucks we have are the 797b's. Our overburden cover is from 60' to 300' thick. Our seams are 60' to 100', one seam no parting. I will try and post some pics for you guys.

 

Sweeet.

Ultra_Miner,

Are you familiar with Alcoa? I remember the smell of burning coal in the fall as a kid. I like that smell. From my parents front porch you can see the smoke stacks at the plant. I remember driving through that area and seeing those dump trucks (HUGE buggers). Pictures dont really show one the size unless it's next to a pick-up. My neighbor was one of the operators on the drag line at the Alcoa plant in Rockdale. I just find all that stuff very interesting and it still amazes me like it did when I was a kid.

 

ultra--60-100 feet thick?!?! The guys around here wouldn't know what to do if they encountered a 10 foot seam. LOL!

PM -- Sounds like our dad's work similar days. 13 - 15 hour days are the norm... couple that with my little brother's (soph in hs) high school baseball nearly every day and the man is about to drop. He's a heavy smoker, out of shape, and overweight. Add the stress and such and he's the POSTER BOY for a heart attack or stroke.

While it's really no big deal... I've operated a D-8 solo! That was a helluva good time considering I was like 12 years old!

 

Lol! I dug an 80 ft long ditch with a back hoe once. My Dad said I didn't do bad for my first time. It took a few minutes to get used to it, but he said I was whipping that arm and shovel around like I knew what I was doing.

My Dad already had a heart attack at age 34. He was underground at the time. They had to fly a Life-Star helicopter up on the mountain to take him to UT medical center.

He took a little time off after that. But he said sitting at the house was driving him crazy. So he went back to work. His heart doctor said his heart has gotten stronger since he went back to work. So at least that's some good that came out of the whole mess.

Good luck to your Dad.

 

some pics

 

more

 

AWESOME PIC: