Transporting a machine of such size required precision and planning, according to Brad Brown, Peabody Energy senior vice president of Southwest Operations. “This was certainly a road trip to remember,” he said. “These machines are the size of a ship on dry land. They can walk, but typically very slowly, with the help of electric generators.”
This time, Peabody used a different, more efficient method involving a carrier. “We owe a huge amount of thanks to all team members who made this engineering accomplishment possible,” added Brown.
The 1570-W dragline swings an 85-cubic-yard bucket on a 320-ft boom. Draglines traditionally move to new areas by “walking” about one-tenth of a mile in an hour using shoes that lift and advance the machine. This requires generators, and road and power line construction support 24 hours a day for a month or more.
Peabody adopted the new dragline transportation method that abbreviated the move and eliminated the need for electric power. Working with Joy Global, Peabody loaded the machine on a specialized carrier assembled by Mammoet USA South Inc., a world’s leader in solutions for heavy-lifting transportation.
The carrier featured 150 axle lines, each consisting of four heavy-duty truck tires coupled together to form a self-propelled transport vehicle. The assembly moved at speeds of up to two miles per hour, enabling the dragline to reach the El Segundo Mine in 12 days. One of the most productive mines in the U.S. Southwest, El Segundo shipped 8.4 million tons of coal in 2012.
Peabody posted a video of the move.
