Riding on the Chief Ironsides, a massive 14.5 million pound Dragline.

[@craig7350]

I think he's making it look a lot easier than it is to be that smooth.

[@ShongoStick]

the thing is that's what experienced people know how to do, make things easy. It's only because you're a novice that it feels hard

[@Steve-k4f5z]

Experience.

[@HighSideHustlerr81]

I’m sure it was a nightmare too figure it out and be trained on tho with being so smoothly with the controls and that setup. But I’m sure it’s nothing once you get it figured out

[@JonDingle]

That dragline bucket moves with real grace and that is because the operator is superb at his job!

[@WannabeAGYEEHEE]

Well I would sure hope so being that he’s operating a 14.5 million pound piece of equipment!

[@anthonyak74]

I made all the parts for that bucket when I worked at Esco. Lips arches sides chains everything was a lot of fun enjoyed watching this video 👍

[@four-turns]

I installed your parts on a Terex and D11T/R … shank guards n ripper tips at K mine but also rode the 8750 watched 8200 and 2570

[@oldrustycars]

Better than sitting on a steel tractor seat, yanking on levers with a Detroit Diesel screaming 2 feet behind you.

[@evil2rs]

Nothing beats the sound of a screaming Detroit 😊

[@maxhiltin1133]

Sound like your talking about our old 514 Unit crane lol nailed it

[@kace1k]

Idk but a diesel gettin down always sounded like an eargasmn

[@mindbulletz2803]

Nothing made me hate the sound of diesel like sitting in my machine everyday for 15 years 😂 sound reminds me of work when I’m not at work lol

[@808TheDuck]

Ah, c'mon!

[@njinthemj52]

The amount of force required to move something that heavy on that long of a lever at that speed is just insane.

[@nabilinho8936]

6MW on 22KV

[@rockkitty100]

Great video and great hearing the explanation from the operator. Also, perspective to see actually how much dirt is moved in one pass. 221 tons per pass. Massive!

[@hugolafhugolaf]

So where is the 14.5 million pound figure coming from?

[@jeppelrkesen9060]

@@hugolafhugolafguess it’s the weight of the machine itself

[@Trey4x4]

An average 18 wheeler hauling a load of 40 ton gives you a great perspective per scoop. Almost as heavy as yo mama

[@ABagOfToes]

lol@@Trey4x4

[@brnmcc01]

@@Trey4x4 Wrong, an 18 wheeler can haul a load of maybe 22.5 tons in a standard 53' dry van. Gross weight does not equal load weight. The entire semi truck legal max gross weight on 5 axles is 80,000 lbs (in US on federal highways, some states have higher load limits), but the truck empty is maybe half of that. Just a standard sleeper tractor with no trailer can weigh 16,000 to 18,000 lbs.

[@williambillwaynerobertson930]

A rock quarry my grandpa worked at had a small shovel I was so fascinated with it when I was younger they taught a 7yrold kid how to run a d8 and I became a heavy equipment operator at the family landfill and many job opportunities in my 50+ yrs working. I'm still fascinated by the shovels, our local quarry had one and at night I would go out and watch it. The quarry closed up and the shovels gone.👍🇺🇸👌

[@DarkVoidIII]

I bet there weren't many 7yo kids in your area that could doze a back yard flat if they got asked to! 😊😂😇🤪👍

[@williamjones9985]

Holy cow and that's what I need to get my hands on so I can bury my foes

[@markmark2080]

I'm an old man and have wanted to see this view for a long time, as clear as being there, thanks for posting...each scoop the equivalent of four 30 yard roll offs, pretty amazing...over 1000 tons every 5 pulls...

[@sop2510]

12 hours of this would drive me crazy!

[@danem.9402]

no kidding. I bet this would get old after the novelty of the huge machine fades away. But somebody's gotta do it, so I hope they are paid what they are worth.

[@Lohengrin1966]

@@danem.9402 I did this with a smaller dragline (60 metric tons) every day for quite some years, and it never got boring, it was just fun and I enjoyed it most of the time, except at bad weather. So don't judge over something you never tried

[@Kevin-oh2je]

Use a hand shovel...and keep up

[@Sam-mx2pi]

I was done after a couple of minutes. It was like, okay, I get it.

[@wmden1]

What a smooth and quiet operating machine. Very impressive. Great view, also. Thank you.

[@dozerboy67]

One of my first memories is my father taking me to a site where an old timer was digging a canal with a dragline. He would cut a vertical trench, then he would lay the bucket at an angle and cut a 1:1 slope so the canal had sloped sides. As a union dozer and excavator operator having moved much dirt myself, looking back at that old man, I’m stunned at what an amazing talented operator he was. 🇺🇸🙏💪👊

[@iputuwahyunkbali]

I enjoyed watching this video and I loved hearing their conversation with the Dragline Operator

[@kermitthecrog7262]

I’ve done dragline before. It took me a while to learn. This is one SMOOTH operator!

[@sayler2b]

Falkirk Mine near Underwood ND. My friends grandma actually won the naming contest for this dragline. Good ole chief ironsides!

[@SteamCrane]

I really like this operator. Smooth and precise.

[@Lfs1891]

I used to run D11 dozer, like the one in the background, they used to play around and ive had that bucket fly overhead, but was cool to sit inside and observe. These are huge machines.

[@jamessantiago9724]

That's awesome! I was jealous when my buddy got to operate a d12 up here in Alaska for a mining company he worked for. He made them lots of money with that behemoth

[@mrdavis3804]

We worked on Marion 8750 and 8200 draglines in Alberta coal mines for noise control. Very cool electric toys! Interesting sensations inside the equipment bay, which is like the size of a gymnasium, while sweeping or walking. No visual cues of exterior movement. Thanks for sharing.

[@baTonkaTruck]

It’s really cool to see all these comments from people with so much life experience in excavation and construction.

[@son-of-a-gun]

In worlds largest lignite mine in Germany, they do not use draglines for earthmoving but instead they a use crawler crane with a massive boom and a huge rotating wheel with buckets on it. While operating, the buckets empty their content on a kilometers long belt conveyor that transports the dirt or coal to the desired locations. The dirt is dumped and temporary stored somewhere, the coal is transported per belt to power stations nearby for combustion.

[@belacickekl7579]

Bucket wheel excavators are great for moving lots of softer dirt and lose gravel but they cannot dig in rocky soil well.

[@mortenfrosthansen84]

Bagger 288

[@mortenfrosthansen84]

​@@belacickekl7579 you can equip any form of bucket on it, and control the speed. If it wasn't build as a crane, it would be able to dig trenches. And besides, any machinery struggles and needs constant maintenance, when dealing with hard material. Rock, stone, steel, plastic

[@mortenfrosthansen84]

To add to the above.. Plastic and plastic-/rubber-like materials/substances is actually some very difficult stuff to destroy and reuse

[@belacickekl7579]

@@mortenfrosthansen84 So if I'm understanding you right, you're saying that if you just attach the right bucket to a BWE like bagger 288, it'll do fine with the correct wheel speed? I'm not a mining engineer, but I don't think so. Hard, rocky soils like this will tear up conveyor belts, the wheel will lose cutting speed and stall out much easier, and your buckets will be wrecked faster as well. (BTW, trenchers are a completely different class of equipment; they have tungsten carbide teeth to cut into rock, and are not good at removing large volumes of material)

[@oBseSsIoNPC]

Wow, swinging over 200tons (just in dirt) all the way out there at speeds I can't guess we'll enough, but fast. What a beast of a machine!

[@rael5469]

That's what I was thinking. Holy cow, the centrifugal force from swinging 221 tons that far out.

[@brnmcc01]

@@rael5469 It's not the speed that's impressive, it's the sudden stop at the end... that 221 tons wants to keep moving, it takes something quite beefy to not break or just topple over.

[@rael5469]

@@brnmcc01 It's all pretty amazing technology. Titanic is the word.

[@rael5469]

@@brnmcc01 Look at that cover photo. They are literally cutting a valley into the Earth.

[@createproduce1222]

Always wanted to get a walkthrough tour of one of these dragline excavators. Awesome what they can do.

[@chuckmiller3431]

That's a good operator, he doesn't beat his bucket and chains when he dumps .I a electric drag line before i retired. 😊

[@peterjeffery1854]

MY FATHER worked on a sand and gravel site he did draglines a lot smaller than this monster and also drove dumpers and shovel loaders in the 60s and 70s but he worked bloody hard for long hours and enjoyed his job i think he spent a bit too much time working but he brought up 5 kids and was a wicked dad to us all he died aged 68 i am now 63 but i still miss him and my mother

[@tmacmi9095]

Awesome machine!! I had to look it up and discovered that back in 2015 the ground under it started giving way and it started leaning forward on a 45 degree angle.no one was injured and the machine received only minor damage as the boom never touched the ground. Bulldozers were brought in to move dirt up against the front to stabilize it and it was eventually able to walk itself back.

[@bigredc222]

If you think the operator is good watching the video at normal speed, try watching at 2x and he is amazing. Great video. Thank you.

[@wmden1]

I have probably watched this a dozen times. Granted the dirt is loose and easy to load, but still, it is some slick operation going on.

[@Terrin-oz9dy]

So smooth and buttery.

[@TL64329]

Great video-I am a big dragline fan and always wanted to get on one while it was operating but never did. This should be some fantastic memories for you.👍

[@erichsh58]

Looks like just over one minute per scoop, or 300-400 scoops in a workday. I wonder if that gets old after a while.

[@nettlesac]

There's a whole damn office in that thing 😮. I can here an accountant, receptionist, manager, sales...

[@nettlesac]

...I swore i heard a birthday party for Phyllis in the break room

[@funky-landscaper]

His agent is always in the same room.

[@GordiansKnotHere]

Amazing piece of machinery right there. From an engineering perspective, whats the maintenance like for this dragline?

[@chrisjordan4210]

Love walking draglines ever since I was a kid, seeing the Ransomes & Rapier W1800 walking across a road on a news broadcast back in the late 1960's. Several years ago saw the decommissioned P&H "Ace of Spades" at Stobswood colliery up close before all of these machines disappeared in Britain altogether. Although not dragline country, I really wish I could have seen "The Captain" working, now would have been impressive!

[@MyklEnigma]

Nice to find this channel....Fellow long time Manual Machinist here 👌🤌

[@FreeCon01]

The camera angle and the pov looks unreal. I never knew this was that intense.

[@keithjurena9319]

Lignite..that mine produces 7 million tons a year. Keeps Minnesota warm.

[@tomrogers9467]

Sure does. And keeps the climate even warmer! Enjoy your tornados and hurricanes! Keep that coal burning!

[@redgoldd1]

@@tomrogers9467thank you, winters can get pretty cold.

[@motoxhead16]

Really awesome video thank you for sharing!

[@michigannative2951]

Really neat video, thanks for sharing it.

[@kimfreeburn5018]

real smooth ..........great vidio

[@EvanTownsend]

They need something like this in the middle of Seattle just slowly leveling that shit hole out

[@tonydauto8246]

That's wild one bucket load is a little more than half the load of the biggest dump truck in the world which hauls 450 tons, but this thing is the bucket loader and dump truck all in one. Insane.

[@floydwilliams3321]

That young man is a very efficient operator. Most of the drag line guys and gals will spell cord a bit of dirt back into the cut this young man very very little lost great job.

[@stevestorm8363]

Both my father and grandfather operated drag lines throughout the United States and on Johnson Island where the operated one of the biggest of that time. My dad worked day shift and my grandpa grave

[@Hubcity.WIsc.Events]

Just saying if you all had a live stream of this I would watch it dam near daily

[@jimbeam2705]

As a retired heavy equipment operator this is a great video. But to me now, this would be so boring. I loaded up so many on and off road trucks over the years digging out retention ponds on big road jobs that I couldn't do it again out of boredom.

[@bigj2419]

Agreed

[@johnlatham7092]

I got bored watching after the second lift ...

[@marqy007]

@@bigj2419 Same here...I ran the big boys back in the day but now retired and yes, boredom to the max!

[@ktmsports]

Whats the money like operating one of these big boys ?

[@bigj2419]

@@ktmsports it depends on the location, but forget about joining in. The list is long, ahead of you. Unless you know someone on the inside.

[@vortexrex5135]

All about rhythm & timing. Just music in motion

[@jdsharp1366]

I'm from S Illinois and there's a lot of strip pits here, fished a lot of them from Freeburg, New Athens, Marissa, Sparta, Pinckneyville and many more. Dad worked for ICRR and hauled coal out of a lot of them, he also would take me down to the mines sometimes on weekends, I got to see the Captain at the mine of the same name down in Pinckneyville IL when I was little and other smaller shovels. Dad took me to the Freeburg mine and we went to the maintenance shed and the guys were playing craps on these big thick pieces of plywood down on the floor because of the nasty grease and dirt from the massive trucks and such, I noticed one guy and he was wearing a dark blue suit but had his jacket off but still had his vest on and was rolling the dice a lot, of course I didn't understand craps back when I was 6-7 years old, I could play poker though, no problem, anyway this guy seemed to be losing from what I could tell, anyway after Dad and I left I asked who was that guy? Dad said his name is IRL Englehart, I didn't know it was spelled IRL until I applied for a machinist job years later and he was on the cover on a mining magazine that had articles about machining and mining, Dad said it didn't matter to him if he won or lost because if he won he'd just give to the guys in the shed to split.

[@stihlpancakes661]

When I was in 4th grade, my dad owned one of these in a sand pit. We went on a field trip there and inside during operation! Way before MSHA was a thing!

[@ebk304]

This is amazing!! Thanks for the video!

[@gregdrmax]

Nice...and I would have liked to have had some video of the operator actually controling it, and some external video of the machine. Thx

[@Cent51]

How many people were in the cab?? Sounds like it was a proper tea party.. 😂

[@carl8790]

Guess what? They're all powered by electricity, with a giant extension power cable. It's probably why they ran so quiet and smooth for such large machines. Love draglines!

[@HubertofLiege]

So they’re green,lol!

[@carl8790]

@@HubertofLiege lol yeah, same for nuclear submarines 🤓😎

[@usafman8864]

They had great views of the mountain range off the cliff behind them.

[@TOPTECH-r3r]

These machines are engineering masterpieces.

[@HueNgocTran-gp4yf]

These machines redefine what it means to be powerful!

[@bigosoatx]

221 ton scoops wow what a bad ass job💯

[@ArnoldLitke]

It's just amazing how the dragline bucket scoops that many cupic meters of earth with ease and it gets swung over some football field length and places the load in its new spot!!! Be fun with a job like the operater handling the huge monster machine. And one full scoop or full bucket is over 200 tons, oh shit that's nearly half a million pounds per scoop, plus the empty scoop is over 50 tons itself!!!😳😳😳😲😲😲🤸🤸🤸🤸😜💪💪👍👍

[@johanalin2294]

really impressive to watch how he moves this gigant around. like a ballering. Awsome. Wish i could one in real life.

[@stereolababy]

are you drunk?

[@johanalin2294]

@@stereolababy do you have a brainmalfunction?

[@gordbaker896]

Thanks for the Cockpit view. I saw one operate at Syncrude decades ago. All Electric 'Walker'.

[@peteterry8563]

appreciate this video. Very cool thing most people wouldn't ever see themselves

[@stevegauthier6694]

I wish the camera panned around the cab once but excellent video love the POV

[@rorylynch.5674]

That guy is good. How long is your shift?

[@coalminingforlife5050]

Damn good operator smooth as it gets spreader bar never touch bucket once!! Hoist chains looked weld he had em so vertical good shit right there

[@bager1246]

my dad ran dragline on eastern ohio. right down the road from the big musky.

[@timrankin8737]

Just went to see Big Muskies bucket. It's awsome. Must see.

[@oldamericaniron5767]

I only ran small 1 and 1 1/2 yard machines 50 years ago digging ditch. I don’t think that was as boring as you are constantly challenged sloping and shaping ditch and often casting bucket to get extra reach. Now I do it for fun at power shows

[@sendyexca1664]

Wow that's amazing my friend

[@rexroscoeroggaschjr7530]

Wonder what the wing rating is?? What do they do if the wind max has been reached? Is the any precautionary actions to secure the rig? Rain events? Etc.

[@stephenmanning1553]

We are Mining, we do this all the time. Great operator, plenty of really well-paid jobs in Australia. Look forward to seeing you. Is this a P&H ??

[@94jettameowpsst]

Does it feel like anything in the cab??

[@rorylynch.5674]

Wow that guy is good. I would. Love to do this wow that would be cool

[@Trucker_86]

What is the purpose of moving that dirt like that what r u digging for thx lov the show

[@thebosscatman7]

You have a lot of dirt sitting on top of coal deposit so you have to move the top to get to the coal

[@bearbait2221]

lol an excavator with a conference room in the cab :0 so quiet and smooth i want to try.

[@HighSideHustlerr81]

I’m here for the hidden Hoffa dad joke , however I feel he definitely practiced that in the mirror last night just too get it right lolz 🤙 0:25

[@calebthomas5936]

I believe I was on that machine in the winter of 22 for repairs with dcs

[@deannelson9565]

How would you tell there are 7 of them

[@KD-mm3li]

I wanna operate one of these someday in my career. Someday. Just a shift

[@JumperSig]

Fabricating those buckets, is no easy task.

[@tangoseal1]

How much per hour does operating that thing pay? 100/hour or more?

[@Volstandigkeit]

I know it’s a medium voltage machine, but what is the voltage. The draglines I saw in the mine my Dad used to work at were 14,200.

[@basedaf5580]

thats so freaking cool!!!!!!!!!!! thanks for sharing

[@jamessantiago9724]

Wonder what the hourly wage is to operate that

[@JoshuaMash]

Is it allowed though for a dragline operator to allow slacking on the hoist ropes? Is it also allows to hit the spoils with the bucket whilst you have allowed the slack on hoist ropes?

[@charlesbey8636]

Again, don't know why but that is cool!!

[@LordBLB]

This kind of stuff right here, is why I laugh at people that say we couldn't build the pyramids today... Amazing work!

[@msdweldingfabrication7051]

It's almost shocking how fast it moves

[@DXT61]

Sounds like the whole office works in that machine

[@guyonabuffalo100]

What size is the bucket? How many cubic yards.

[@keithjurena9319]

125 yard³. 250 ton limit

[@needsaride15126]

I wish they would have focused on the background conversation. They were talking about the machine itself and giving a better explanation of the machine. How it's powered and so on. This is one huge machine.

[@cam_8528]

yo how did they get garzweiler on top of Mount Everest?

[@HmsSulaco]

Over 200 tons pr scoop that's just insane..

[@JohnSmith-pg2pt]

how many people are in that cab

[@andrewrees8749]

3 people it sounds like

[@ronblack7870]

too many

[@nonjaninja4904]

I'm just thinking of the motocross track building applications and possibilities. 😂

[@harbosonius]

Jesus, how big is the cab on this thing? Sounds like there’s 8 other people in there behind the operator!😂

[@raynus1121]

There are two of these massive machines in central Alberta, both of which are slated for explosive charge demolition next year. Sad.

[@pilbomags488]

Impressive, but what is the point of moving it from one spot to another spot and not actually in a truck?

[@hainleysimpson1507]

Maintenance crew on that crane must be making truckloads of money.

[@rodneynorman8216]

How many Ounces is that?......

[@ViralAwakening]

Why are they moving dirt from one hole another? Whats the purpose?

[@TheBowersj]

is this diesel or electric powered, whats the purpose of using a dragline vs an excavator? They use electric draglines for coal in Virginia because they don't ignite the fuel and they run off the power that generated making it more efficient.

[@shirlenecimini6458]

Oh my GOSH! That is a bucyrus d. Excavator

[@jstoli996c4s]

Each bucket is more than 2 railcars 😳

[@spamreciever4208]

So do I need to go to college for a job this cool or?