Dragline 42 Project

   

Aitkin Cranes and Boom Sherrin have joined forces to once again provide a fleet of cranes and related equipment for Bucyrus Australia. The project involves the assembly of the largest operating dragline in the world, the Bucyrus Dragline 42.

Co-ordinated by Aitkin Cranes in conjunction with the Boom Sherrin office in Mackay, the Bucyrus Dragline is being assembled for BHP Coal at their Peak Downs (Qld) coal mine. The inventory of cranes and lifting supplied includes a Kobelco CKE2500, Demag CC400, MAC 25, 20 tonne Franna cranes, travel towers and telehandlers.

Peak Downs Mine is located 30km south of the town of Moranbah and 195km south west of the Hay Point port facilities. Peak Downs is a large, open-cut mining operation, which was developed in the early 1970s. The first coal was mined in April 1972. Today, Peak Downs has a production capacity of nine million tonnes of coking coal per annum.

The Bucyrus 2570WS is a walking dragline with statistics that are as big and impressive as the unit itself. Eight 1560hp engines are used to power the hoist motion. The bucket has a capacity of 120 m³ and the hoist and drag ropes that control the bucket movement have a diameter of 14.3 cm. The average working weight is a staggering 7,271 tonnes.

The lifting equipment provided by Aitkin Cranes and Boom Sherrin has been on site for 1 ½ years. The project replicates the support supplied by Aitkin Cranes and Boom Sherrin when the ‘smaller’ Bucyrus 8750 was assembled at the same location.
 

SANY Crawler at Work on Airly Coal Project

 
   

With the Sany 150 tonne crawler on site as a dry hire crane for five months, the crane has been pressed into service often for 10 hour shifts at a time.

“The Sany has never let us down,” said Gypsy Korach. “We’ve worked the crawler over some long hours and it has performed faultlessly. So far the biggest lift has been 35 tonnes and we have some bigger lifts of galleries up to 45 tonnes due shortly.

The Sany has scored top marks with the crew on the ground for having exceptional site access. It is lighter than a comparable hydraulic crane and is easy to operate.

“:The operators like the Sany SCC 1500 as it is soft in the touch and slews slowly and smoothly.”

“We’ve never worked with a Chinese crane before and as best we know this is one of the best to come from China. As far as we are concerned it is no detriment to our work that the Sany is Chinese built. We simply cannot fault it”

At the Capertee site owned by Centennial Coal, Laing O’Rourke is using the Sany SCC1500 on the crusher and switch room construction.

The Airly Coal Development Project will produce coal exclusively for export, with between 1.6 and 1.8 million tonnes of coal produced per annum. The start up capital cost is $104 million.

The large reserves of good quality coal will support mining for more than 20 years. When operational, coal will be exported through the Port Kembla coal-loader.
 
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