Case Study: How Power Team Hydraulic Technologies Lifted a 13.6-Million-Pound Dragline Excavator

In the world of mining operations, few pieces of equipment command as much respect and present as many maintenance challenges as the massive dragline excavators that move millions of tons of material. When one of these industrial giants requires servicing, the scale of the operation demands engineering solutions that match the magnitude of the equipment itself.

The Challenge: Maintaining a 13.6-Million-Pound Industrial Giant

The task was nothing short of extraordinary: maintain a 6-story-high Marion 8750 dragline weighing 13.6 million pounds. This colossal machine required a full-scale maintenance operation spanning 92 days of round-the-clock work and over 100 skilled technicians.

The project presented multiple critical challenges:

• Massive Scale – Moving and positioning enormous components safely
• Precision Requirements – Achieving exact positioning for machining tolerances
• Safety Concerns – Protecting more than 100 workers over a 3-month period
• Operational Continuity – Maintaining stable, synchronized lifting throughout all phases
• Equipment Reliability – Zero tolerance for system failure under extreme loads

The mine operator and repair contractor needed a custom-engineered hydraulic solution that would perform with absolute precision and reliability under immense pressure.

Our Solution: Coordinated Heavy-Lift System

Power Team was selected to engineer one of the largest hydraulic lift operations in the company’s history, leveraging proven Power Team pumps and cylinders. Here’s how the impossible was made possible:

Phase 1: Initial Separation

The lift began with the deployment of four RD5006 500-ton hydraulic rams, strategically placed to raise the upper frame of the dragline. This initial separation allowed the lower “tub” to be moved to a specially prepared concrete pad for structural repair.

Phase 2: Precision Positioning System

The heart of the system featured:

• (17) RD5006 500-ton double-acting cylinders
• Each cylinder powered by its own PE184 hydraulic electric pump

This distributed configuration allowed:

• Individual Control – Each cylinder could be independently adjusted to balance load and correct position in real time
• Centralized Operation – All pumps were connected to a single control panel equipped with individual pressure gauges for each ram, allowing one operator to safely manage the entire 8,500-ton lifting system
• Operational Flexibility – The dragline was first lifted into an “as digging” position, then precisely leveled to facilitate critical machining of the rotating frame
  
  

Advanced Safety Features

To ensure load stability throughout the 92-day operation, Power Team implemented pilot-operated check valves across the entire system. These critical safety components:

• Prevented unintentional pressure loss or load drop
• Ensured precise, smooth lifting and holding
• Delivered fail-safe load control in all conditions
  

Engineering at Scale: When Standard Solutions Aren’t Enough

This project exemplifies the kind of engineering excellence and problem-solving that’s required when standard tools and systems won’t do.

By combining:

• Heavy-duty RD5006 cylinders

• Precision PE184 electric pumps

• Advanced pressure management and safety systems

...Power Team created a hydraulic solution capable of executing one of the largest and most complex mining maintenance lifts ever undertaken.

Setting the Standard for Heavy-Lift Operations

From the initial lift of 13.6 million pounds to the final alignment of the dragline’s rotating structure, every part of this operation ran precisely, safely, and without a single component failure.

This case study proves that with the right hydraulic system, even the largest industrial machines can be maintained with precision, safety, and repeatability.

For mining operations facing similar challenges, whether in dragline maintenance, shovel repositioning, or other large-scale lifts, Power Team hydraulic solutions set the standard for performance and safety in the most extreme environments.

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