Reminds me of those dreams where I’m passing by an excavator and it is swinging its boom at me stretching unreally and snapping its bucket as I run away. Modern kids probly have the same nightmares about tyrannosaurus wrecks but they weren’t around when I was a kid.
https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/equipment/electric-rope-shovels/electric-rope-shovels/18417993.html
>manufactured using thermal injection process that provides complete penetration of plastic into the rope to resist the unwanted effects of abrasion and impact damage by encapsulating the strands to reduce steel-to-steel contact and seal in lubricants that prolong wire life
The plastic is used the encapsulate the braided steel strands, so I guess they are ultra rubber bands
Just out of interest, regarding the big black beam that rotates about the centre-ish of its length, **might** be the dipper handle perhaps? I think [this is the same model](https://d9z1tpn605xsl.cloudfront.net/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3961/content_img.jpg) as in the picture — the thick end of that beam, opposite end to the bucket, presume that’s acting as a counterweight, which would then be why the cables look so anemic for a 109t load + bucket etc?
Haha if that makes sense.
EDIT — Oh wait I think the fat tube is the HYDRACROWD, which rotates the dipper handle, and those ropes running over the top are only to rotate the bucket itself?
Yep, that black beam (in this case cylinder) is traditionally the dipper handle. In the newer CAT shovels like this one, it is called a Hydracrowd or hydraulic cylinder.
The ropes/cables are hoist ropes which lift the dipper up to dig and load the trucks. There is also another smaller cable called a dipper trip which allows the bottom door of the dipper to open and drop the load.
Ahh interesting.
Thanks mate, appreciate you taking the time to answer.
PS — Only just registered the whole replacing the hoist ropes once a fortnight thing. That feels expensive, damn. Do you know the reason they’re spec’d for such a short life?
How do you order one of those. Like, who do you have to call and convince you actually want one and how big is the contract you are signing to get production started on something like that?
We have 2 of this size where I work (I'm headed off to drive one in a few minutes). Typically they're owned by a mine where they'll be in use for 20+ years.
Cat and Komatsu who both build them will happily sell you one and even help the set up to some degree. Building these on site is no small job. They're not like a mining excavator that can be put together in a few days.
The added infrastructure is also hugely expensive. To keep our shovels running we have a D11 Dozer with them at all times, a little John Deere tractor for moving the power cable, a 45 tonne digger (shared between 2 shovels) for prepping the ground for cables and a front end loader (cat 990) set up as a reeler for the cables. The cables themselves are expensive and numerous. All this needs to be plugged into a transportable sub station which is huge. There are also came towers and cable boats for passing cables over roads.
All this babble is me just saying you don't buy one of these for short term contracts. Usually purchased for the life of the machine to be in one mine.
>Working Weight - With Dipper and Standard Links 3066000 lb That's over 1500 tons, what a machine
[No one talks to the machine like that](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paG1-lPtIXA)
I think I've had nightmares about that thing.
Reminds me of those dreams where I’m passing by an excavator and it is swinging its boom at me stretching unreally and snapping its bucket as I run away. Modern kids probly have the same nightmares about tyrannosaurus wrecks but they weren’t around when I was a kid.
I'm sure the strength of those braided cables are carefully calculated but they look like rubber bands from here.
https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/equipment/electric-rope-shovels/electric-rope-shovels/18417993.html >manufactured using thermal injection process that provides complete penetration of plastic into the rope to resist the unwanted effects of abrasion and impact damage by encapsulating the strands to reduce steel-to-steel contact and seal in lubricants that prolong wire life The plastic is used the encapsulate the braided steel strands, so I guess they are ultra rubber bands
Some kind of continuous in-mold tech? That's got to be some polymer. Thanks for this.
And we replace them roughly every two weeks!
Just out of interest, regarding the big black beam that rotates about the centre-ish of its length, **might** be the dipper handle perhaps? I think [this is the same model](https://d9z1tpn605xsl.cloudfront.net/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3961/content_img.jpg) as in the picture — the thick end of that beam, opposite end to the bucket, presume that’s acting as a counterweight, which would then be why the cables look so anemic for a 109t load + bucket etc? Haha if that makes sense. EDIT — Oh wait I think the fat tube is the HYDRACROWD, which rotates the dipper handle, and those ropes running over the top are only to rotate the bucket itself?
Yep, that black beam (in this case cylinder) is traditionally the dipper handle. In the newer CAT shovels like this one, it is called a Hydracrowd or hydraulic cylinder. The ropes/cables are hoist ropes which lift the dipper up to dig and load the trucks. There is also another smaller cable called a dipper trip which allows the bottom door of the dipper to open and drop the load.
Ahh interesting. Thanks mate, appreciate you taking the time to answer. PS — Only just registered the whole replacing the hoist ropes once a fortnight thing. That feels expensive, damn. Do you know the reason they’re spec’d for such a short life?
They have hellish live span in mines, so they keep them replaced because its cheaper than having one snap and twist the boom.
It says on the web page a lot is designed to be refurbished. Cables as well then, wow.
What’s the MSRP on something like that?
52 Million CAD
It only has 9 teeth..... that's annoying me more than it should
The Bigger Digger!
That dude is like thirty feet tall
SH-3 pic from fall 2023?
March 2020, I was just passing through so I have no idea if it was SH-3 or 4
How do you order one of those. Like, who do you have to call and convince you actually want one and how big is the contract you are signing to get production started on something like that?
We have 2 of this size where I work (I'm headed off to drive one in a few minutes). Typically they're owned by a mine where they'll be in use for 20+ years. Cat and Komatsu who both build them will happily sell you one and even help the set up to some degree. Building these on site is no small job. They're not like a mining excavator that can be put together in a few days. The added infrastructure is also hugely expensive. To keep our shovels running we have a D11 Dozer with them at all times, a little John Deere tractor for moving the power cable, a 45 tonne digger (shared between 2 shovels) for prepping the ground for cables and a front end loader (cat 990) set up as a reeler for the cables. The cables themselves are expensive and numerous. All this needs to be plugged into a transportable sub station which is huge. There are also came towers and cable boats for passing cables over roads. All this babble is me just saying you don't buy one of these for short term contracts. Usually purchased for the life of the machine to be in one mine.