Andrew Reiter i have a on of respect for George Barron who designed the system. I want to build a working scale model. Any info would be very helpful. i understand its benefits and the working mechanisms. I just need some details to build accurately. Any help would be much appreciated
The SuperFront was a brilliant digging machine, in Australia holding its own against a P & H 2800. It could dig ramps and pry muck out of the toe of the face. Its a really clever design which bears a look now with AC and digital control. I made a RC model of this machine and a BE Doubler, the BE Doubler was never in the same ball park as this design.
I used to work for P&H, so hearing praise for the competition always catches my attention. This machine is unlike anything I've seen before and interesting to watch.
phdiggeruk I'd put a 190 B up against a P&H 1900 just about any day. One disadvantage of P&H in magnetic Taconite was keeping the Electrotorque drive clean, especially if over greased. They would get clogged up with a mix of magnetic dust and grease that plugged up all the cooling air grooves and make them burn up. Yes, been there and done that as a new engineer in Minnesota.
phdiggeruk I am part of a facebook group for scale mining models. "Scale model mining" almost 2000 members. We would love to see what you made. I personally love superfront. I drove 7 hrs each way to see the static models in Marion, Ohio. It would mean alot for me to see them.
Marion called it the Superfront. The idea was to reduce weight so a bigger bucket could be used. Also the bucket could rotate as it reached out in a level plane so it could skim overburden or a thin seam of coal rather than just swinging up in an arc like a conventional shovel. Marion built about 20 of them from the early '70's to the late '80's. Don't know why they stopped, but my guess is there were too many moving parts.
The 204M was quite the machine. The breakout force at the teeth was some unbelievable number like 6 million pounds or something like that. Even in Siberia they managed to perform well. Not so much fun putting them together.
I heard there was only about 9 of them. After awhile the whole machine deck would start to break up. We had to replace the machine decks in these units at Ok Tedi and I thing they on did three of the four.
Hi msjvista, the digger driver certainly makes his machine "work" big time and the trucks he is loading! Really great video taken from one hell of a distance, so a huge thank you for this, OK? Take care. mrbluenun
I always wondered what a Superfront looked like. Marion promoted these for a few years in the 70's and 80's, but none made it to Minnesota. I only saw pictures of them until now. Now to find some video of the Bucyrus Erie Doubler in action, another experimental mining shovel that was kind of a hybrid of a cable shovel and a more modern hydraulic front shovel. They made a few in the early 70's, two made it to Minnesota for a short period.
It's hard to imagine this got beyond the rough sketch idea? Was the idea to get a longer stroke along the floor before rising up the face? Is it still working or long since scrapped?
Hi msjvista, thanks for uploading this. OK? I have never seen this face shovel before, but it looks kind of 'experimental', or a one-off? And if I did not know how huge it was I would say it was a model which is made to look like a face shovel, well kinda? Take care mrbluenun
Cable will always out perform hydraulics in this game. It's a matter of physics. This is one of the best examples in a face shovel IMHO. The power of winches with multiplying enabling breakout-power that will never be beaten. Horses for courses. This is not one of hydraulics strong points.
на мой взгляд конструкция очень сложная и не удачная . Может быть я не прав . но наши экскаваторы ЭКГ 5, 8, 10. !5, 20, практичные надёжные , долговечные , дешёвые в производстве и экономичные , в казахстане работают экскаваторы с 50 лет , никакой зарубежный до этого возраста не доживёт
Great to see this. I was the commissioning engineer for these 4 204M superfront shovels 1988/89.
Andrew Reiter i have a on of respect for George Barron who designed the system. I want to build a working scale model. Any info would be very helpful. i understand its benefits and the working mechanisms. I just need some details to build accurately. Any help would be much appreciated
Jadon Cramer - there is a lego model. www.flickr.com/photos/engineeringwithabs/41181075555
At first it seems archaic but to watch it work and see it’s speed, productivity and suprising exceptional power with its simplicity is really cool.
The SuperFront was a brilliant digging machine, in Australia holding its own against a P & H 2800. It could dig ramps and pry muck out of the toe of the face. Its a really clever design which bears a look now with AC and digital control. I made a RC model of this machine and a BE Doubler, the BE Doubler was never in the same ball park as this design.
I used to work for P&H, so hearing praise for the competition always catches my attention.
This machine is unlike anything I've seen before and interesting to watch.
I also made a an RC 1/12th P & H 1900AL model, good machine, tough diggers better than BE
phdiggeruk I'd put a 190 B up against a P&H 1900 just about any day. One disadvantage of P&H in magnetic Taconite was keeping the Electrotorque drive clean, especially if over greased. They would get clogged up with a mix of magnetic dust and grease that plugged up all the cooling air grooves and make them burn up. Yes, been there and done that as a new engineer in Minnesota.
phdiggeruk I am part of a facebook group for scale mining models. "Scale model mining" almost 2000 members. We would love to see what you made. I personally love superfront. I drove 7 hrs each way to see the static models in Marion, Ohio. It would mean alot for me to see them.
This is a unique machine. Do you have any pictures of the r/c model?
Marion called it the Superfront. The idea was to reduce weight so a bigger bucket could be used. Also the bucket could rotate as it reached out in a level plane so it could skim overburden or a thin seam of coal rather than just swinging up in an arc like a conventional shovel. Marion built about 20 of them from the early '70's to the late '80's. Don't know why they stopped, but my guess is there were too many moving parts.
The 204M was quite the machine. The breakout force at the teeth was some unbelievable number like 6 million pounds or something like that. Even in Siberia they managed to perform well. Not so much fun putting them together.
I heard there was only about 9 of them. After awhile the whole machine deck would start to break up. We had to replace the machine decks in these units at Ok Tedi and I thing they on did three of the four.
I've always wanted to see one of these Superfronts in action. Thanks for uploading!
Nice video !
Excellent concept 👍👍👍👍
It is a pitty that super front shovels are not manufactured any more
Best machine available for digging level floor and the operator still manages to make it uneven.
Hi msjvista,
the digger driver certainly makes his machine "work" big time and the trucks he is loading!
Really great video taken from one hell of a distance, so a huge thank you for this, OK?
Take care.
mrbluenun
I always wondered what a Superfront looked like. Marion promoted these for a few years in the 70's and 80's, but none made it to Minnesota. I only saw pictures of them until now.
Now to find some video of the Bucyrus Erie Doubler in action, another experimental mining shovel that was kind of a hybrid of a cable shovel and a more modern hydraulic front shovel. They made a few in the early 70's, two made it to Minnesota for a short period.
Unusual set up
It's hard to imagine this got beyond the rough sketch idea?
Was the idea to get a longer stroke along the floor before rising up the face?
Is it still working or long since scrapped?
i would guess its to give it more power in the up stroke for tougher material but thats just a guess.
Hi msjvista,
thanks for uploading this. OK?
I have never seen this face shovel before, but it looks kind of 'experimental', or a one-off? And if I did not know how huge it was I would say it was a model which is made to look like a face shovel, well kinda?
Take care
mrbluenun
Cable will always out perform hydraulics in this game. It's a matter of physics. This is one of the best examples in a face shovel IMHO. The power of winches with multiplying enabling breakout-power that will never be beaten. Horses for courses. This is not one of hydraulics strong points.
что-то много движушующихся частей.конструкция наших Экг 8-10-12 лучше и проще
Awesome
What part of the world was this filled
This was the Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea
Unique superfront
Very efficient digging machine. Too much better than the 6 months life span hydraulic machines
Like early version of tri-power 👍👍👍
The floor might be uneven because the operator is chasing a seam or rock layer.
The bench grades were all pretty much level. Most of these operators had never seen any equipment before this mine started.
.......and then the biggest Grader I've ever seen drives by.....
на мой взгляд конструкция очень сложная и не удачная . Может быть я не прав . но наши экскаваторы ЭКГ 5, 8, 10. !5, 20, практичные надёжные , долговечные , дешёвые в производстве и экономичные , в казахстане работают экскаваторы с 50 лет , никакой зарубежный до этого возраста не доживёт
No finer truck in mining today than the 789 series
Weird looking excavator!
Always like 👍 👍
1000000 👍 like 👍 👍
What a contraption!
The machine isn’t balanced very well. Watch it rock when swinging.
That is some slow earth moving. I guess you get paid by the hour. The truck driver can have a nap.
How fast do you think it should move with a 30 cubic metre bucket on the front of it. That's like 50 tonnes of rock in it.
1й раз такую хрень вижу
Your are to far from the action and your zoom sucks.
It's 1990/91 film. Excellent quality for that year