Mining Equipment Essentials: What Your Mining Site Needs

The equipment you choose for your mining site must be reliable, efficient and handled with safety at the forefront of your workforce. Each piece of equipment is paramount to the well-being of workers, productivity levels and the accuracy of the work. This guide explores the essential types of mining equipment for your site, including maintenance tips and best safety practices.

What Equipment Is Needed for Mining?

All types of mining need specialized equipment to perform the work correctly. Non-gas and oil mining in the U.S. employs approximately 190,000 people, and nonfuel mineral production is worth around $106 billion, contributing significantly to the economy. Obtaining high-quality equipment is critical to meet the demand.

Depending on the type of mining you practice, you will find some mining equipment more beneficial than others. Some common heavy mining equipment and machinery include:

Hydraulic Excavator

These excavators use hydraulics to power through tasks such as digging, moving materials into a loader, removing material from surface mines and transporting materials. All excavators share a similar design, featuring wheels or tracks on either side of the operator’s cab. The cab is where the operator sits to operate an arm holding a shovel to move and dig material.

Dozer

When moving materials from one area to another on your site, a large mining dozer does the job. Mining dozers are versatile and beneficial for various applications. These tasks include removing plants from the ground, raking land that sits around a mining site and building new mine sites.

Underground Mining Truck

Specifically designed for underground mining, haul trucks are unable to produce emissions when working underground. Compared to other trucks for surface mining, underground haul trucks have specialized engines and work well in tight spaces. They perform tasks such as moving materials to the surface level, digging, and loading mined materials and rock into trucks.

Drill Rig

Rotary drill rigs are suitable for surface mining, drilling holes through soil or rock for blasting charges. Hole sizes are usually between 6 and 22 inches in diameter. The depth can reach up to 150 feet. The rock will grind down when the drill bit turns, causing compressed air to move up the drill to keep everything clean.

Electric Rope Shovel

Electric rope shovels are efficient pieces of equipment, using ropes and pulleys to manage the machine’s movement instead of hydraulics. The shovels still work similarly to hydraulic dragline excavators and are helpful for a series of tasks, including removing boulders, moving rocks and earth, and transporting mined material.

Motor Grader

Particularly valuable for surface mining, motor graders are essential for maintaining productivity on a mining site. To transport mining material with ease, motor graders level the ground around mines and remove surface material to clear areas. They also drain water away to create a smooth surface and limit damage.

Wheel Tractor Scraper

With a comparable design to motor graders, wheel tractor scrapers have a bin attachment that aims to gather material instead of pushing it away. Workers sit inside a cab to control the scrapers and bin attachment, which scrapes the ground. If the bin is full, all the material remains inside the attachment, thanks to a vertical flap. These machines help create cuts into a piece of land for mining.

Dragline

A dragline comes with a bucket attachment on a boom end to remove overburden material like tar sand, rock and soil away from a surface mine. It emits less pollution compared to similar machinery. A dragline moves the overburden material out of the way and restores it once mining operations are complete.

Wheel Loader

Larger models of wheel loaders are practical for moving substantial amounts of material. Similar in design to construction wheel loaders, mining wheel loaders feature a large bucket attachment at the front for transporting material over short distances. They are valuable for underground mining and open-pit mining.

How to Choose the Best Mining Equipment Essentials

Before purchasing or upgrading your existing mining equipment, consider the following points. Investing in the right mining equipment from the start is cost-efficient and beneficial for your workforce to perform at their best:

• Humidity and moisture: Depending on your mining environment, selecting equipment that can withstand high humidity and moisture levels may impact performance.
• Reliability: The key to a successful mining operation is reliable equipment. Investing in machinery with the correct functions and attachments to complete a job helps you get a return on your investment.
• Efficiency and productivity: Investing in high-quality machinery and technology offers better results and allows you to hit your job goals. When shopping for machinery, note metrics such as extraction time and impacts per minute.
• Retaining extracted materials: For mining jobs that require experience with less dense materials, ensure you invest in equipment that is less powerful but can still cater to these projects.
• Site topography: In addition to humidity and moisture, evaluating the overall site and its surrounding area is key when selecting equipment. Consider factors such as weather resistance, as well as the inclines and declines of the site during mining tasks.

Top Tips for Maintaining Your Essential Mining Tools

Performing regular maintenance checks is advisable to preserve machine quality. Whether you conduct maintenance checks on excavators or drill rigs, keep a consistent schedule to minimize downtime. This could include:

• Pre-mining checks: Before starting your day, be sure to check areas such as tires, fluid levels, safety equipment, filters and signals.
• Post-mining checks: Once the day is complete, clean the outside of the machinery to avoid corrosion, ensure attachments are secure and speak to workers about potential issues.
• Weekly inspections: Check belts for wear and tear, ensure the batteries are working correctly, and confirm that radiators and cooling systems are clear of debris.
• Monthly inspections: Examine the overall engine health, ensure all workers receive the correct training and replace damaged components from undercarriages.

Mining Site Equipment Requirements and Safety Standards

Mining can be dangerous. In 2024, there were 28 reported fatalities in underground and surface mining, with most attributed to using powered haulage. The mining industry follows safety standards and regulations from these organizations:

• Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

To comply with regulations, you and your work crew can integrate these fundamental equipment safety practices into everyday work:

• Get enough sleep: Fatigue and a lack of sleep can lead to serious mistakes and even potential fatalities.
• Map traffic controls: For optimal safety around your mining site, ensure hauling routes are clear to avoid collisions with foot traffic.
• Uphold lockout/tagout methods: After every shift, ensure all machinery is off before performing routine cleaning and maintenance checks.
• Add visibility measures: Introduce further equipment and features, such as cameras, mirrors, reflective vests and lights, to ensure safety across all operations.
• Understand equipment limits: When using features like bucket attachments for transporting materials, ensure you stay within the manufacturer’s limits.
• Maintain communication: Keep communication open with miners to sort potential safety hazards as they arise.

Discover Top-Quality Mining Machinery

Investing in equipment from Arnold Machinery Company means you provide first-rate mining operations for every project. Whether you are buying a hydraulic excavator, mining truck, or mining equipment parts, you can purchase with confidence using our Silver Service® guarantee. Our team ensures you receive the best customer service and exceptional-quality heavy mining machinery every time.

Ready to discover the best mining machinery for your operation? Visit one of our locations and browse our extensive selection of industrial mining equipment tailored to your business needs. You can also contact a representative near you to discuss any questions you may have.