A heavy piece of earthmoving equipment consisting of a revolving deck, a boom, and a bucket that digs outward and upward from the machine. These units are typically powered by high-voltage electricity via a trailing cable rather than diesel engines. They are the primary loading tool in large open-pit operations, capable of moving dozens of cubic meters of blasted rock in a single pass.
Heard on the job
Keep the haul trucks staged tightly, the power shovel is clearing the muckpile faster than expected.
Insider tip
Operators judge a good shovel pass by the fill factor. If the bucket is consistently coming up half empty, the blast fragmentation is likely too poor or the bench height is wrong.
Also heard as
- Electric cable shovel
- Rope shovel
- Mining shovel