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A Tow-tal success: Mining products put Montana on the global map

Spring Creek Mine in southeast Montana is built on muscle, not on hustle. Its giant mining shovels chew through coal seams voraciously, but have a top-end cruising speed of about 2 mph.

Maybe "cruise" isn’t the right word to describe a mining shovel’s forward progress. Owner’s manuals for these mammoth earth eaters describe their motion as a "walk." Casual observers might liken it to a waddle, a heavy, creep and tilt, back and forth on steel treads.

A tiny company in Belgrade makes a product that helps mines pick up the pace. TowHaul Smith Equipment USA http://www.towhaul.com/ builds patented, off-road lowboy trailers for hauling the giant 550-ton mechanized snails of the world between jobs.

Theirs is a trailer so big it requires a modified Caterpillar 700 series mining truck to do the towing. You know, the trucks that require a 12-rung ladder climb to get to the cab? TowHaul does nothing small.

Story By TOM LUTEY Photos By LARRY MAYER Of The Gazette Staff‌

Full Story:http://billingsgazette.com/business/article_2a217273-86a2-55cb-9542-5ba31edef012.html

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