Working in the Rock Quarry

A rock quarry is a place where minerals, sand, and rocks are extracted from the earth’s surface. An open-pit mine a rock quarry is open to the earth’s surface. Quarries are used to provide landscaping materials and construction materials. Rock quarries have varying lifespans, and the materials can be depleted in as few as 5 years, or they could last for as long as 50 years.

Rock Quarry Equipment

Many kinds of heavy equipment are used in a rock quarry to remove rocks and minerals. Stripping and drilling equipment is used to remove the material between the materials being extracted and the surface. Usually, large-scale bulldozers, which are called crawler tractors, are used. Blasting with explosives is often necessary. The crawler tractors can remove large amounts of dirt by using front-mounted blades and rear-mounted ripper arms.

Wheel loaders have hydraulic buckets and arms that can load the dirt that the crawler tractors move. These massive loaders have a bucket with a capacity of as much as 35 tons. These loaders are used for loading rocks and minerals into rock trucks, which then transport the goods to be processed. Rock trucks are huge trucks that are used to haul the excess dirt that is moved so the rock can be extracted. These trucks can have engines with up to 3,500 horsepower and can haul up to 3,600 tons. They can haul a lot of material in a short timeframe.

Crushers are used to turn large rocks into small stones. These are powerful machines that have fixed steel plates, vibrators, and jaws so they can crush material from the trucks and turn it into the finished product that is sold to customers. These crushers can be adjusted to produce gravel and stone of different sizes and weights, depending on the needs of the client base. After the crushing has been completed, smaller-scale yard loaders will take the product and create smaller stockpiles, where customers will then come pick it up.

The Proper Training

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator School trains individuals to operate all kinds of heavy equipment so they can pursue careers working in a rock quarry. To learn more about the programs available at Associated Training Services, call (800) 383-7364 today.