What are the types of mining?

The most common types of minerals include coal, precious or semi-precious metals, crude oil, and natural gas. There are many types of mining heavy equipment that are needed for mining operations. Here are the 5 essential heavy machinery every mining contractor needs.

What equipment is used for coal mining?

Dragline Excavator

Dragline excavators are helpful for strip-mining operations to obtain coal and for tar-sand mining. This heavy equipment consists of a boom that has a large bucket attached to wire ropes and chains.

A construction machinery contractor lowers the bucket and drags it across the surface and then lifts it by the chains. When you have filled the bucket with the material, you can then lift it to dump the material in another location.

A skillful dragline excavator operator knows how to throw the material or soil out of the bucket by making it swing almost like a pendulum and dig like a fishing line hook to get into the surfaces farther away.

Highwall Miners

Some open-pit mining excavator projects have steep walls or more known as high walls. So, the mining heavy machinery is used by a mining excavator contractor to continue to dig further down the earth to obtain minerals and metals.

A high wall miner machine has a rotating cutter head that breaks up the wall’s surface and digs into the materials in order to break them into smaller pieces. Moreover, behind the cutter head is the conveyer boom that moves the loose materials away to extract coal and other metals.

Also, below the cutter heads has a loading shovel that lifts materials back to the conveyor boom. So, this heavy machinery is able to cut the full face of high walls without needing to reposition itself.

Bucket Wheel Excavator

Bucket-wheel excavators are another type of high wall miner machine except these ones are helpful on the surface for open-pit mining for any mining excavator project.

A bucket wheel excavator is one of the largest machinery that digs into the ground and scoops up materials in buckets while rotating at high speeds. This heavy equipment also has a boom which has a wheel on the end that rotates.

Wheel-tractor scrapers as mining heavy machinery

The wheel-tractor scraper has a cab, machine driver, and operational controls in the front. Generally, you can use it to dig into the surface of the ground and transport the materials to a different location using only a single machine.

With its specifications, every heavy machinery contractor would prefer using the machinery for short hauling processes.

Backhoe loader in the mining industry

You will find backhoe loaders commonly used by a heavy excavator contractor at mining sites. They are extremely versatile as you can use them on both large and small worksites for digging, drilling, and carrying materials.

Also, a backhoe loader can come in a variety of configurations with power attachments suited for the given application including sand mining excavator projects.

You can also replace the bucket of a backhoe loader with an auger to drill straight into the ground. And, depending on the size of the mining project, your backhoe loader should cater to the task at hand and decide to have individual wheels mounted on the machinery or it should come with track treads.

Get the right mining heavy machinery dealer in Malaysia

As a mining contractor in Malaysia, you are fully responsible for checking on all heavy equipment to best cater to your operators and heavy machinery projects. Use the right mining heavy machinery to do the job perfectly.

Suggested read: Used Heavy Equipment Dealers during COVID-19

So ensure that you get in touch with a certified and reliable construction heavy machinery supplier and dealer in Malaysia.

We at B&F Group, are committed to equipping your mining projects with ideal and well-inspected Changlin construction machinery.

Stuck deciding on how to choose them for your construction projects? Get in touch with our attentive sales team and they will guide you through.

What is the front-end loader safe operating procedure?

We recommend performing daily loader maintenance by having a front end loader checklist during these four key times – before starting the loader, while the heavy equipment is warming up, and during the machinery shut down.

• Front-end loader prestart checks
• Warm-up checks
• During work loader check
• The shutdown routine

Front End Loader Prestart Check

Before starting your loader, conduct a thorough wheel loader maintenance check. A walkaround inspection before you start will help determine if there are any damaged, loose, or worn parts, fluid leaks, or other problems.

It is actually a good idea to develop front end loader inspection checklist every time you use the front-end loader. Some of the key items that you should check are:

• Tire pressures and tire damage
• Loose, worn or damaged parts
• Fan belt wear and tension
• Battery connections for corrosion
• Oil or coolant leaks
• Engine oil and other vital fluid levels
• Grease the machinery according to the manufacturer’s recommendation
• Ensure the windows and mirrors are cleaned and adjusted

Also, take note of the air filter system as it plays a huge role in the degree of engine wear and performance. So, ensure to clean it and dump out any excess dust or debris.

Not to forget, record the hour meter reading right before starting your front-end loader. By monitoring the hour meter reading, you can determine when you should do periodic maintenance.

Inspection During Warm-up

Let the engine run for 5 to 10 minutes upon start to allow the oil pressure to build and lubricate the engine’s moving parts. Doing so allows the cooling system to reach the proper operating temperature.

Then, if you hear anything unusual during the engine warm-up, shut it down and try to navigate the problem.

Besides that, ensure that the electric system is charging and the oil pressure and temperature are both reading the safe zone.

As the final step, test the brakes and move the bucket through a series of normal operations.

Front End Loader During Work

Continuously monitor your equipment’s performance during operation. Listen for unusual noises, check all gauges, and be aware of any changes that may appear on the operator’s display.

Furthermore, you need to maintain a proper bucket capacity to prevent overloading the front-end loader which also helps in controlling spillage that minimizes tire damage.

Forcing too much into the bucket can result in spinning tires, slower cycle times, reduced productivity, and higher fuel consumption which will need wheel loader repair.

Front End Loader Shutdown Routine

Firstly, try to park your loader on leveled ground and then lower the bucket to the ground.

Then, allow your engine to run for about 3 – 5 minutes before shutting it down to allow the turbocharger to cool down properly.

Once you’ve shut down the front-end loader, record the machine hours on the hour meter.

It’s also good to prepare your loader for the next day’s work by hosing down any dirt and debris as well as filling the fuel tank.

Front End Loader Maintenance in Malaysia

As a construction engineer in Malaysia, you are fully responsible for having a proper heavy equipment maintenance checklist to best cater to your operators.

While a well-trained operator ensures daily upkeep, you need to schedule appropriate wheel loader service and support programs with your heavy machinery manufacturer.

The engineers can help identify and diagnose any potential issues before they grow into larger issues that need costly wheel loaders repair.

Get in touch with a certified and reliable construction heavy machinery supplier in Malaysia like us.

Always move the loader at a steady speed

A key aspect of front end loader safety is maintaining a steady speed, especially when raising or lowering the bucket and making turns.

By doing so, you get to avoid materials from the bucket to slide or shift. Then causing your machine to overturn.

Grading and digging operation methods

If you’re learning how to operate a front end loader for digging, avoid scooping at the level of the machinery. It will cause a great deal of stress on the machinery’s drive train that can lose its traction and cause damage to the machine.

Instead, maintain your bucket level and skim the surface of the area you wish to dig.

As for the grading job, you need to operate your loader slowly, steadily and with patience.

So, it’s best if you can divide the job into section and work at low speed. The reason being, you can avoid going over it multiple times to correct mistakes.

Be safe when driving your loader on a slope

When driving on a slope keep your bucket very low so it helps you to have a low centre of gravity. Your wheel loader will have more stability and helps prevent tipping.

Don’t allow your loader’s wheels to spin

Take care not to allow your loader’s wheels to spin because it causes a great deal of wear and tear on your machine.

But if you find that you’re breaking traction frequently, then lock your front axle. That way, you will evenly distribute the power between the front tires and reduce maintenance costs.

Also, correct tire pressure and good tread patterns complement the best traction when working.

Front End Loader Supplier Malaysia

As a construction engineer in Malaysia, you are fully responsible for checking on all heavy equipment to best cater to your operators. Use the right heavy equipment for the job to be done perfectly.

Suggested read: Top 5 Heavy Equipment for Construction Projects.

Ensure that you get in touch with a certified and reliable construction heavy machinery supplier in Malaysia like us.

We at B&F Group, are committed to equipping your civil construction projects with ideal and well-inspected Changlin construction machinery.

Stuck deciding on how to choose them for your construction projects? Get in touch with our attentive sales team and they will guide you through.