Trucks And Shovels At Bingham
This page last updated on January 2, 2022.
(Return to Bingham Index Page)
(These timelines focus on the companies and specific models of trucks and shovels used by Kennecott at Bingham.)
Overview
Utah Copper was one of the pioneers in using steam shovels to mine low grade copper ore, beginning in 1906. They electrified the shovels in the mine in 1923, and the shovels being used have grown steadily since.
The earliest shovels at Bingham were steam shovels, mounted on railroad wheels. These were replaced in 1923 by similar railroad shovels that had been converted to use electric motors, but using the same digging mechanisms. Within a year the railroad wheels were replaced by four crawler treads. In later years, up to today, those early railroad shovels were replaced by full-rotation electric shovels mounted on two crawler treads. Today these are known as electric cable excavators.
Kennecott Copper was a pioneer in the use of large haulage trucks for mining, when in 1963, trucks arrived at Bingham to reduce the cost of moving waste material, replacing some of the rail operations. In 1983, trucks replaced rail completely for the removal of waste rock, and by 2001, all rail had been removed from the mine.
Trucks at Bingham
Trucks at Bingham -- Narrative history of the use of haulage trucks at Kennecott's Bingham Canyon copper mine.
Truck Shops at Bingham -- Brief history of the truck shops at Bingham, including the Yosemite (1964-1986), Bingham (1986-2013) and Copperfield (2006- ) shops.
Equipment Roster Listings -- Number-by-number listings of the trucks at Bingham.
Truck Builders Timelines -- Brief histories of Dart, Haulpak, Lectrahaul, Caterpillar and Euclid trucks.
The Unit Rig Story -- A history of Unit Rig & Equipment Company, by Jerry A. Shelton, Retired Vice President Sales
Shovels at Bingham
Shovels at Bingham -- Narrative history of the use of shovels at Kennecott's Bingham Canyon copper mine.
Equipment Roster Listings -- Number-by-number listings of the shovels at Bingham.
Shovel Builders Timelines -- Brief histories of Bucyrus, Marion, and P&H steam and electric shovels.
Cranes and Derricks at Bingham
Cranes at Bingham -- Number-by number listings of railroad locomotive cranes and wreck derricks used at Bingham and at other Utah Copper and Kennecott sites.
Industry Milestones
Milestones in the development of earthmoving equipment that likely affected operations in Bingham Canyon were:
- 1912 -- The crawler-mounted power shovel
- 1934 -- The modern heavy-duty, off-highway truck (Euclid Road Machinery Company)
- 1958 -- LeTourneau-Westinghouse Haulpak off-highway truck with a new mainframe concept, suspension system, and body style
- 1958 -- R. G. LeTourneau electric wheel-equipped earthmoving products
- 1963 -- Caterpillar 769 truck, oil-disc brakes on earthmoving equipment
- 1964 -- Unit Rig M-85 electric-drive off-highway truck
- 1972 -- WABCO 3200 off-highway truck of more than 200 tons
- 1978 -- Caterpillar D10 track-type tractor with elevated- sprocket, flexible undercarriage
- 1995 -- Komatsu 930E off-highway truck of more than 300 tons
- (Source: William Haycraft, Yellow Steel, pages 384-387)
Sources
Some of the sources used for this project include:
- Bucyrus Heavy Equipment, Keith Haddock, Iconografix, 2008 (ISBN 1-58388-219-7)
- Bucyrus, Making The Earth Move For 125 Years, Keith Haddock, Motorbooks, 2005 (ISBN 0-7603-2286-4)
- Giant Earthmovers: An Illustrated History, Keith Haddock (ISBN 0-7603-0369-X)
- The Earthmover Encyclopedia: The Complete Guide to Heavy Equipment of the World, Keith Haddock, Motorbooks, 2007 (ISBN 0-7603-2964-1)
- Marion Mining & Dredging Machines, Photo Archive, edited by the Historical Construction Equipment Association, Iconografix, 2002 (ISBN 1-58388-088-7)
- Power Shovels, Eric Orlemann, Motorbooks International, 2003 (ISBN 0-7603-1104-8)
- Yellow Steel, William R. Haycraft, University of Illinois Press, 2000 (ISBN 0-252-02497-4)
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