Monster Mining Machines — How Draglines Work

What the heck is a dragline, and how do they work? We’ve got the answers!

We’re back with North American Coal to tour one of their massive draglines. These machines are the largest earthmovers in America, capable of moving well over 100,000 cubic yards of material per day.

Using steel cables, they drag monster buckets through the earth, filling them in seconds. Then, they unload by tipping the bucket as they swing, flinging the dirt into huge piles.

Without these machines, millions of Americans would be without power!

[warrenjones]

Man they keep the old girl looking good. Inside and out. Draglines are way cool. Makes those little 3/4 yard machines I used to operate look very insignificant. Thanks Aaron for doing what you do. For an old gear head it's fun to watch. Cheers

[terry_willis]

What impresses me the most are the engineers who designed this monster and also created machines to make the parts for this.

[AndyFromBeaverton]

1:54 That machine is 106 days short of operating 10, 000 days.
The most custom piece besides the bucket is the drive gear. I wonder how many individual sections it was cast in and if any of the sections of drive gear have been replaced.

[jimbeam]

Awesome video. As a retired heavy equipment operator i don't think i would last long doing that unless the pay was real good. After running a excavator for years loading on and off road trucks this would make my brain rot fast .The boredom is hard to overcome. And the machine actually runs on coal, because without coal .... theres no electricity.

[sondangthai]

These draglines are absolute beasts! 🦖 It's wild to see how they move so much earth with just one scoop. How much weight can they actually lift at once? I’d love to know more about their mechanics! 🤔

[MrCites]

I was fortunate enough to work 7 shifts of Big Muskie only 4 months before she was decommissioned. A true behemoth!

[tilled]

re reference, the machine hours indicates that one particular machine has been running for 28 years of its 40 year life span. WOW

[michelsolon]

Everybody gangsta until the drag line starts WALKING...

[Texas_Simpleman]

Former coal mine electrician here in Texas, , had 3 8200 and 1 8750, before going to work for Drives and Control Services, doing the electrical systems/ troubleshooting call-outs for over 6 years: they are the most awesome, unique machines ever I'm blessed to have worked on them for 13 years.

Sure do miss it! Wonderful video and thank you!!!!

[SiboBushings]

Awesome video, impressive point of view. 👌

[cactiguide]

The bucket and the amount of dirt it holds is tiny compared to the size of the machine. Just shows how difficult it is to move the earth

[tropicrows]

This is such a cool video. I worked for a heavy engineering company in Australia in the 70's called Perry Engineering. I operated a Skoda horizontal floor borer that machined the gear boxes and swing shafts for draglines.

[jasonbuck]

Great Video!... My Grandfather on my Daddy's Side of the Family worked for a Company here in Pennsylvania called Highway Equipment... Before he passed away back in the late 1970's, He worked on Big Bucyrus Erie Machinery... He also had a Weld Shop... The sheer size of some of those Old Shovels and Draglines is just totally overwhelming!... This Kid does a good Job with these Videos... I enjoy watching this stuff... I've been in Heavy Equipment Business my entire life... Over 32 years, I'm pushing 50 now... And I learn something new every day about this type of stuff.... Like I said, Great Video!...

[DrTubeman]

My father ran a drainage earth moving business and operated draglines, not like the size of this beauty of course. A dragline was one of the most difficult earth moving machines I've ever had to learn how to operate, my father could make a dragline sing, they were an awesome machine in there day and still have there uses even today. Cheers for the great reel.

[rowinrowinson]

the efficiency of these machines is so cool

[kungfu]

I was lucky enough to not only get to see one of these in person but the guy knew the driver so he stopped the machine and let us onboard. The sensation of being in the cab while its swinging around and throwing its bucket is wild. So much weight

[Matt-mpqu]

Hey man. My name is Matt. I was the Project Manager for rebuilding the boom on this 10 years ago. Have some cool photos and videos of it.

[mariusschepp]

One stupid question but what exactly does the machine in this case do? It just looks to me that it moves material (coal?) from a to b, with b not being a dump truck or plant or so..

[jeffdunlap]

Awesome video brought back alot of good memories i got to run a drag line half that size at a limestone quarry in central Illinois that my dad worked at when i was a freshman in highschool it was an awesome experience

[ericcarabetta]

It’s like moving a whole factory around.