Machines make mining easier, quicker, and sometimes safer.  Here are some of the machines used in mining:

• Surface Mining

  • Wheel loaders: These are used when a lot of mining materials need to be moved at one time. 

  • Excavator: Most surface mines have one of these.  This machine is used to do the digging.  Usually this machine dumps the materials that it dug up into a dump truck. 

  • Dump Trucks:  These are used to take away or move materials.  You can see how big it is compared to the driver.  Sometimes these are called monster trucks because they are so big.

  • Crawler-tractor [bull dozer]: Sometimes these are called dozers.  Instead of rubber tires, these have chains.  Chain tractors are used on land where rubber tires won't work too well--like in mud or on mountain slopes.  Dozers push dirt from one place to another.  When mines close and they begin to fix the land that has been changed, dozers push dirt and materials where they need to go. 

  • Motor grader:  These are used to make the ground level when they are clearing off the land for mining or fixing it when they are done.

• Underground Mining

  • Articulated Dump Trucks:  These are used to move large amounts of material in the mine.  They can turn easier inside mines than most trucks can.

  • Continuous miner:  This machine is used to cut out long sections of the inside walls of the mine.  They use this machine instead of blasting and drilling. 

  • Longwall mining equipment:  This is used to cut out the coal in layers.  Part of the machinery will hold up the roof, too. 

  • Shuttle car:  These were used to take out the coal or minerals from the mine.  They look a little like our buttons on the left, but not colorful.  The ore or coal was loaded into these to be taken out of the mine.  Trucks are used for this in up-to-date mines.

• Hand tools

  • Hand pick

  • Pan

  • Rockers

  • Sluices