You might say that the Trencor 3000SM Surface Miner has a voracious appetite for rock: It can cut 10 feet wide and 26 inches deep in a single pass, says Trencor/Astec Underground. The power to make these impressive cuts is generated by a 1,650-hp Caterpillar 3512B engine, and the up-cutting drum is "driven through a hydraulic clutch to transmission belts and a planetary gearbox mounted in the drum." The four-track 3000SM provides three steering modes, and optional GPS automatically controls grades and alignments. Estimated list price: $2.50 million to $2.75 million.
