Hot Truck

[trevorZ]

This is what happens when an opencut coal mine comes across old underground workings which are a bit hot. Happened about 4 years ago in central Queensland. Coal fires are difficult to put out with water so the best way is load it out and dump it somewhere else. That machinery is similiar to what I operate at a different mine.

[Ben from Vic.]

First impressions are "that is crazy"

But i guess it's all in a day's work for some. :eek:

[gatiep]

MMMMMMM I guess that a Triton respirator is not enough!

[gemi_babe]

Thats madness! Would the driver be feeling the heat?

[RETIRED]

Thats madness! Would the driver be feeling the heat?
Not really. You will notice that the number is still on the tipper.

The cabs are air conditioned. The air gap around the body and forward movement helps too.

I hated working on the big mongrels but hey it was a living.

[gemi_babe]

Yeah I use to work out at Kambalda cleaning the SPQ's (Single Person's Quarters) and some of the guys there winged alot to me. I winged to them that I had to clean up there **** and I would swap jobs with them any day.

Boring job cause it goes slow, but a cushy job!

[trevorZ]

What I heard from someone who talked to someone who was there the shovel had a bit of a problem and couldn't move back from the face for some time and they were spraying water over the cab as the operator and the shovel too I suppose were getting a bit hot.
That is an electric powered shovel by the way , the trailing cable can be seen leading away from the back of the machine.

[oges]

no wonder the pay is good...

[GeoffW]

Certainly NOT what I would call a normal day's work!!! :eek:

I'll quite happily stick to hard rock mining, preferably underground.

[LineLefty]

can someone please explain to me what is going on in that photo? Why would they be mining burning coal? IS it simply a case of dig it out before the fire gets to deep and the seam burns for 20years?

[trevorZ]

It certainly isn't normal work. What they are trying to do is get rid of the burning coal so it won't interfere with the normal coaling operations. At that time there would have been a few tens of million tons of coal there and you cant let a little old fire get in your way.
I had a different sort of day today. Besides operating the equipment I'm also a trainer and today we were doing some skid training. Imagine doing donuts (circle work) and 180 skid turns in a truck weighing 140 tons empty. It was fun even when I was in the passanger seat. I'll post a pic of the type of truck we have here. Payload is 170 ton so 310 ton + all up loaded, V 12, 1800 hp diesel motor connected to a generator which powers electric motors in the rear end. They will pull away on a slope fully loaded and top speed is about 52 kph. No gears just a foreward and reverse switch / lever, simple???