PAGE 2 OF HEAVY TRUCKS AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
Returning to the past; --- In 1983 Roy took his son, and made an exploratory trip out to the Athabaska Tar Sands, at Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
This site in Alberta really displays monstrous equipment for a monstrous country. There is nothing small about either. The equipment displayed below was over 20 years ago. And like man, can only grow with time.
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Roy took his young son with him on this excursion, and both were totally impressed.
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The giant front end loader is completely dwarfed by the surrounding equipment. The conveyers, rotary buckets, and their surroundings, even from 20 years ago, still leave one awestruck.
Alberta Tar Sands.
These are situated in the Athabaska, Cold Lake, Peace River and Wabaska,
regions.
Most of the viable tar sands (bitumen)
in the world are in Alberta, Canada. There are deposits in Venezuela and Russia. The
Alberta tar sands are the only ones being exploited at present and will soon be
providing 50% of Canada's oil
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The boom on this dragline, is higher than a 20 story building, and picks up a humongous load as if it were a feather.
Its been more than 20 years since Roy made his first trip to the Alberta Tar Sands. During that time, the equipment has continuously grown in size, and efficiency.
Recently PREMAY EQUIPMENT LTD. --- division of MULLEN TRANSPORTATION INC. made the largest move in North America, from DACRO INDUSTRIES in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, over the highways to the Suncor Energy plant site north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, where the company's oil sands upgrader expansion is under way.
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These Coker vessel loads were 38' high, 34' wide, 290' long with the lead tractor unit and a gross weight of 1,800,000 lbs. Actual vessel weight was 940,000 lbs.
The trip to site was 800 km long and lasted 9 days. Obstacles en route ranged from days when it was too cold to move, to days when warm weather caused pavement loading concerns and power lines to droop! With seven tractor units pulling and pushing up hills the PREMAY team moved these loads safely and without incident to their clients plant site.
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Visit the PREMAY EQUIPMENT LTD., web site for more great moves.
--- http://www.premay.com/main.html ---
(Photos used with permission)
A little bonus here about being
embarrassed, by doing your job.
A dozer operator in Australia, working with extra large equipment, had a little
incident at work.
He drove his 4 X 4 Pick-up truck, to his dozer's parking spot. We all know how good it can be, if we can park right beside our job. Once in a while, it just doesn't pay to save a little walk to the job site. When your view is obstructed by the size of the equipment that you are operating, unexpected things tend to happen, as shown below. It is not only in Australia, it has been known to take place here in Canada as well. MORE THAN ONCE.
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--------- William (Diesel Gypsy) Weatherstone RETURN TO HOME PAGE
