Extreme Earthmovers at Work new DVD by Eric Orlemann and Keith Haddock advance information

Extreme Earthmovers at Work, Eric Orlemann and Keith Haddock. DVD, approx 67 minutes plus 10-minute Extra. ISBN 978-1-908397-48-5. Now available from Old Pond at £16.95 inc VAT.

Extreme Earthmovers at Work is a compilation of film recorded by Eric Orlemann in 2005-8 at surface mines in the United States.

You will see that he has focused on some of the largest and most impressive machines of their classes. ‘The Silver Spade’, a Bucyrus-Erie 1950-B, was one of the biggest stripping shovels ever constructed, weighing in at 7,200 tons. Eric captured its 200ft boom and 80 cu m bucket at work before it was stood down in 2006.

You will also watch examples of the world’s largest production bulldozer, the Komatsu 575-A, at work as well as the LeTourneau L-2350, the world’s largest wheel loader.

Other truly big machines, including scrapers from Caterpillar and a hydraulic shovel from Liebherr, will add to your excitement.

In his script, Keith Haddock gives you the full context of the machines and the surface mining operation in which they are involved. The running time of the main programme is just over an hour. This is followed by a ten-minute Extra of more (un-narrated) footage of The Silver Spade.

The following are the principal machines in the film are:
Bucyrus-Erie 1950-B Stripping Shovel, ‘The Silver Spade’
Komatsu D575A Super Ripper
Komatsu D575A Super Dozer
LeTourneau L-1850 Wheel Loader
LeTourneau L-2350 Wheel Loader
Caterpillar 994F Wheel Loader
Caterpillar D11R Bulldozer
Caterpillar 657E Scraper
Liebherr R995 Hydraulic Shovel.

Eric Orlemann, based in Decatur, Illinois, has written many articles and books on earthmoving topics. He was co-founder, with Keith Haddock, of the Historical Contruction Equipment association (HCEA) that now has 5,000 members.

Keith Haddock, a British mining engineer now resident in Canada, prepared the first two programmes in Old Pond’s successful 'Massive Earthmoving Machines' series of DVDs. He is the author of earthmoving books and contributes to earthmoving magazines in the UK and United States.