Dragline being built at Freedom Mine

More than 60 welders and others are working 24-hours a day, six days a week on the tub of the new dragline at the Freedom Mine near Beulah, ND. The tub is the base the dragline sits and rotates on.

Dean Jones, project manager for The Coteau Properties Company, says the contractor mobilized in January and started work the first week of February. Completion is scheduled to be in July 2011.

The dragline is a Bucyrus Erie 2570W. Its bucket will scrape up 124-cubic yards of soil at a time. The dragline will be able to make one scoop every minute, with a rated suspended load of 540,000 pounds.

Jones says the dragline is needed to handle the increased stripping capacity at the mine; in other words, there is more soil covering the coal in the area to be mined next. Jones says the new dragline will help meet the long term demand for lignite coal for the Antelope Valley Station, Leland Olds Station and the Great Plains Synfuels Plant.

Here are a couple videos we’ve done that show draglines in action: one walking and one digging.