G`Day from Down Under

[ClickTheYellowChick]

....That is likely too much information unless you are following Barrick down here. I will try and get a few pics of the road trains they use as they can be 4 trailers long.

It is a very interesting job, I am in the maintenance end and have worked at this mine for nearly 5 years. We look after another small project that is closing down, they are taking out the crown pillars now. This will be the third small project since Bullant started in mid 2002 that we have also covered. I find I am still learning lots every day as mining methods change and the equipment is changing allso.

Speaking of equipment...I loved that photo you shared of the CATAD55 I think you called it.  Thanks.

Being in maintenance and all, may I ask a couple questions about the Catalytic converter on that puppy?

1) Is it one that you can remove, recharge, and re-install, or do you have a set hours of use, pull it and pitch it policy for them?

2) What year is that hauler CAT itself?

3)  What is the CID of that diesel engine on that CAT?

4) How often do you have to replace one of those C/Cs?

5) Do you maintenance guys have anyone who takes them home and gets the PGMs out of it, or buys them from you for that purpose?

6) What is cost to replace one of those CCs?

7) If a recycler buys them from you as scrap, what is the going "buy price" nowadays?

PS...I realize you will be talking Aussie Bucks with me should you have a minute to answer those 7 Qs.
I'll convert into US buckos and Canadian buckos for the forums benefit, so don't worry about that part.

It is SOOOOO cool a Barrick man on the ground popped in here on this neat forum
You are about as close as I'll ever get to Australia, let alone to a Barrick mining op! 

Thanks for your patience and I hope I didn't ask too many questions for my first exchange with you.

[caauug]

CTYC, I will try my best to answer your questions.

We have 2 Cat AD55`s, one came on site at the end of last year and the other in Janurary. When they came out of the factory it would have been a very short time before they came on site as they are all preordered for the next 2 or more years, so they would be last years model.

http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37840&x=7

Copy and paste that link if it does not highlight. You can see all the factory specks on the truck there, engine included.

Now the Catalytic Converter. It will be a honeycomb type all of them are on under ground gear here and everything diesel under ground has them except Utes (pick-ups). Gasoline is band on minesites. LPG (propane) is only for the barbbie (BBQ).

We do not replace them, the only time we would if they get damaged and then we would have a good try at fixing it. They can get plugged up if there is a malfuction in the engine, injector, turbo or aftercooler failure. For that we take them off and wash them with a pressure washer.

There might be a replacement one on the R2800 (front end in the other pic), it was before my time. That LHD was repowered with a 60 series Detroit 12L as the old Cat mechanical engine was getting really tired and the electronic injected engines run cleaner.

Home? To bring something home without a letter from way up the food chain would mean you will never work in the mines again and most of the places in town. Letters are hard to get, next to impossible now that we are Barrick.

Scrap dealers can come to site but not often as we are not in the scrap buisness, for clean up when a project ends you can count on it as there will be steel and copper wire for them. Recycling here is way behined North America. Location has a lot to do with that, that is also why scrap is worth a lot less here.

Being Barrick is not special here as at this time we are the largest lease holder in the area and likely the largest employer if you count the Joint Ventures like KCGM with us.

I hope I answered your questions, if not:
1)yes, ?, yes, no, no
2)2006
3)1106.44 CID
4)When it is non repairable.
5)no
6)unknown
7)Depends on how much other stuff goes whith it, not my department to know and I would not be there it find out.

There you have nothing to convert your job is made easy. Keep asking them and I will try to answer.

[bcdigger]

Interesting concept with the magnet rake. Please do keep us posted on your progress Caauug

BCD

[caauug]

BCD, this should really be under another topic... who do you blame for that? ME!
I was going to go out today but.... Nature said no. So maybe tomorrow with any luck.

I hate to take away from this board but if you read my first post on this thread you will see were I came from...so to speek. I try to tread lightly as some boards kick you off for the smallest thing, no I have not be banished anywhere yet. The thread that started me thinking is here:

http://www.finders.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2271&highlight=manetic+rake

One of my co-workers talked about it at the same time as this came out, so eather one could have been the icing on the cake to get me to do it. I will, under respect, post on Finders first just after I tell my co-worker how it went. Yes I will post here also but I will start a new thread as I feel there are too many topics going at once, not that I mind really but...
I will post pics here when I get it the best I can.

[caauug]

I was out today but did not have much luck but I did get a few Pics. This one is of some old workings, a mined out stope.

[caauug]

If a mining company has enough leases in one area it worth there time to buy or rent the pastural lease (there can be more than one type of lease on the same piece of land). The area here is also used for graizing sheep or cattle.

[sincerely]

Just curious to know how a person without mining experience can possibly make a proper decision about patented mining claims
in a strategic location that are boxed in by the  biggest mining venture.  Anyone with advice?

[GPEX admin]

Hi Sincerely...
The big mining boys don't really have you boxed in, they're just snuggling up close to you likely for what lies on your property.  If you've got it and they don't, that makes "you" the big mining company.  You just don't have dozers and stuff like that yet. Just go about doing your own thing, and if you get approached to see if you'd sell, you'll then know just how big of claim you do have.  With the Big Brother presence, your ancestory evidentally knew what they were doing.

[GPEX admin]

caaug....
............have a question for you Sir.  I've always wondered about this.  You live on a big island, but compared to the world, it's more small than big.  And you're way out in the ocean, with no help from continents at all.  Well.... without big mountanous landscapes and all other sources of feed like we have up where I live..... where did all the "big" nuggets come from in your part of the world ?  Were you at one time attached to North America where a glacier dropped all the good stuff on you, then your forefathers said bye bye and instituted the continental divide ?  Or does your volcanos (if you have such) spew out humungous gold globlets every now and again.  You boys sure do pick up some big ones.

Larry

[caauug]

Larry, sorry for the long delay on getting back to you. I have seen this information somewhere else but I can not find it again, so I will have give you this link.

http://groups.msn.com/GoldDetecting/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=31296&LastModified=4675627292445789794

Go down to the post by "Gypsy". I think this will answer some of your questions. It is the best way of describing why the nuggets are there or not there in this area. The key is saline groundwater.

My appologies for linking to another forum once again, and thanks goes to Gypsy for the information.