![\"Why](\"http:\/\/www.ytchihong.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Why-Underground-Pick-Scalers-Matter-More-Than-Ever-in-Modern-Mining.webp\")
<\/div>\nUnderground mining never stops getting tougher. Tunnels go deeper, rock gets harder, and safety rules keep tightening. In the middle of all that, one machine quietly keeps the whole operation alive: the underground pick scaler.<\/p>\n
Most people walk past it without a second thought, yet nothing moves forward without it.<\/p>\n
What an Underground Pick Scaler Actually Does<\/strong><\/h2>\nThink of the roof and walls in an underground mine like a ceiling that\u2019s always trying to fall on you. Every blast loosens big slabs, sharp flakes, and blocks ready to drop. That loose rock \u2014 miners call it \u201cbad ground\u201d \u2014 has to come down before anyone works underneath it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the job.<\/p>\n
An underground pick scaler<\/a> is a diesel or battery-driven rig with a long telescopic boom and a hydraulic breaker or pick at the end. The operator stands in a protected cab, reaches up 6\u201310 meters, and knocks down anything that looks ready to fall. Simple idea. Life-saving result.<\/p>\nBut it does more than just pull loose rock:<\/p>\n
\n- Clears the back (roof) and ribs (walls) after blasting<\/li>\n
- Breaks oversized boulders that won\u2019t fit in the loader bucket<\/li>\n
- Digs drainage ditches and sump holes<\/li>\n
- Lightly grades the floor so haul trucks don\u2019t get stuck<\/li>\n
- Sometimes even installs rock bolts or mesh in smaller headings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
One machine, five or six different daily tasks.<\/p>\n
Safety: The Biggest Reason These Machines Exist<\/strong><\/h2>\nOld-school scaling was brutal. Two guys with 12-foot pry bars, standing on a muck pile, poking the roof while dust and small rocks rained on them. One slip or one surprise slab and it was over.<\/p>\n
Today, the operator sits inside an enclosed, FOPS-certified cab, far away from falling material. The boom does the dangerous reaching. Ground falls used to be the number-one killer underground; pick scalers pushed that number way down.<\/p>\n
Modern cabs also come with:<\/p>\n
\n- Full air filtration \u2014 no more breathing diesel fumes or silica dust all shift<\/li>\n
- Ergonomic joystick controls \u2014 less fatigue, fewer mistakes late in the day<\/li>\n
- Cameras and proximity sensors \u2014 you can see exactly where the pick is, even in bad light<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Less risk, longer careers, happier families waiting topside.<\/p>\n
How the Machine Changes Daily Production<\/strong><\/h2>\nA clean heading means faster work for everyone else.<\/p>\n
Loaders move quicker when the floor is smooth and the bucket doesn\u2019t snag on hanging rock. Drills set up faster when the face is clear. Trucks dump and turn around without waiting for someone to bar down a widow-maker first.<\/p>\n
In narrow-vein gold or in deep polymetallic mines, the scaler often works alone for an hour after the blast, knocking the place clean. That one hour decides whether the shift hits target tonnage or falls short.<\/p>\n
Real numbers from typical operations:<\/p>\n
\n- Scaling time per blast: 45\u201390 minutes<\/li>\n
- Average loose removed: 8\u201315 tons per heading<\/li>\n
- Downtime saved for the rest of the fleet: 2\u20134 hours per shift<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Do the math across a year and the scaler pays for itself many times over.<\/p>\n
Design Features That Actually Make a Difference Underground<\/strong><\/h2>\nTight turns, low backs, wet floors \u2014 everything fights against you down there. Good underground pick scalers are built for that reality.<\/p>\n
\n\n \n\n\u041e\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/th>\n Why It Matters Underground<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\nNarrow overall width<\/td>\n Fits in 2.5 m \u00d7 2.5 m drifts without trimming ribs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nLow profile<\/td>\n Clears 2.2 m backs without folding the boom every time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nFour-wheel drive + crab steering<\/td>\n Turns around in its own length in dead-end headings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTelescopic boom<\/td>\n Reaches far without moving the machine constantly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nQuick-change pick\/breaker<\/td>\n Switch tasks in under five minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nCentralised greasing<\/td>\n Daily service done from ground level, not on your knees<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nSmall details, big time savings.<\/p>\n
Power Choices: Diesel vs Battery<\/strong><\/h3>\nDiesel still rules in most deep mines \u2014 reliable, powerful, easy to refuel. New Tier 4 or Stage V engines run clean enough that ventilation handles them without trouble.<\/p>\n
Battery versions are catching up fast in shallower or high-ventilation-cost mines. Zero emissions in the heading, quieter, less heat. Charging happens at the portal or with fast-swap packs. Running cost can drop 40\u201360 % once the infrastructure is in place.<\/p>\n
Both work. Pick the one that matches your mine\u2019s layout and power grid.<\/p>\n
Maintenance \u2014 Keep It Simple, Keep It Running<\/strong><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
![\"Underground](\"http:\/\/www.ytchihong.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Underground-Pick-Scaler.webp\")
<\/div>\nUnderground machines<\/a> live hard. Water, dust, shock loads every day. The best scalers are the ones you can fix fast.<\/p>\nLook for:<\/p>\n
\n- Ground-level fluid checks and fills<\/li>\n
- Modular hydraulic hoses that pull out in minutes<\/li>\n
- Breaker or pick tools that change without pulling the whole boom<\/li>\n
- On-board diagnostics that actually tell you what\u2019s wrong<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A scaler that sits broken for two shifts kills the whole cycle. One that\u2019s back in service after lunch barely gets noticed \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly what you want.<\/p>\n
Choosing the Right Supplier<\/strong><\/h2>\nNot every factory understands real underground conditions. Some care more about pretty brochures than broken hoses at 2 a.m.<\/p>\n
But it does more than just pull loose rock:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Clears the back (roof) and ribs (walls) after blasting<\/li>\n
- Breaks oversized boulders that won\u2019t fit in the loader bucket<\/li>\n
- Digs drainage ditches and sump holes<\/li>\n
- Lightly grades the floor so haul trucks don\u2019t get stuck<\/li>\n
- Sometimes even installs rock bolts or mesh in smaller headings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
One machine, five or six different daily tasks.<\/p>\n
Safety: The Biggest Reason These Machines Exist<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Old-school scaling was brutal. Two guys with 12-foot pry bars, standing on a muck pile, poking the roof while dust and small rocks rained on them. One slip or one surprise slab and it was over.<\/p>\n
Today, the operator sits inside an enclosed, FOPS-certified cab, far away from falling material. The boom does the dangerous reaching. Ground falls used to be the number-one killer underground; pick scalers pushed that number way down.<\/p>\n
Modern cabs also come with:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Full air filtration \u2014 no more breathing diesel fumes or silica dust all shift<\/li>\n
- Ergonomic joystick controls \u2014 less fatigue, fewer mistakes late in the day<\/li>\n
- Cameras and proximity sensors \u2014 you can see exactly where the pick is, even in bad light<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Less risk, longer careers, happier families waiting topside.<\/p>\n
How the Machine Changes Daily Production<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A clean heading means faster work for everyone else.<\/p>\n
Loaders move quicker when the floor is smooth and the bucket doesn\u2019t snag on hanging rock. Drills set up faster when the face is clear. Trucks dump and turn around without waiting for someone to bar down a widow-maker first.<\/p>\n
In narrow-vein gold or in deep polymetallic mines, the scaler often works alone for an hour after the blast, knocking the place clean. That one hour decides whether the shift hits target tonnage or falls short.<\/p>\n
Real numbers from typical operations:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Scaling time per blast: 45\u201390 minutes<\/li>\n
- Average loose removed: 8\u201315 tons per heading<\/li>\n
- Downtime saved for the rest of the fleet: 2\u20134 hours per shift<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Do the math across a year and the scaler pays for itself many times over.<\/p>\n
Design Features That Actually Make a Difference Underground<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tight turns, low backs, wet floors \u2014 everything fights against you down there. Good underground pick scalers are built for that reality.<\/p>\n
\n
\n \n\n <\/colgroup>\n \n \n\u041e\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/th>\n Why It Matters Underground<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Narrow overall width<\/td>\n Fits in 2.5 m \u00d7 2.5 m drifts without trimming ribs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Low profile<\/td>\n Clears 2.2 m backs without folding the boom every time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Four-wheel drive + crab steering<\/td>\n Turns around in its own length in dead-end headings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Telescopic boom<\/td>\n Reaches far without moving the machine constantly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Quick-change pick\/breaker<\/td>\n Switch tasks in under five minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Centralised greasing<\/td>\n Daily service done from ground level, not on your knees<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Small details, big time savings.<\/p>\n
Power Choices: Diesel vs Battery<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Diesel still rules in most deep mines \u2014 reliable, powerful, easy to refuel. New Tier 4 or Stage V engines run clean enough that ventilation handles them without trouble.<\/p>\n
Battery versions are catching up fast in shallower or high-ventilation-cost mines. Zero emissions in the heading, quieter, less heat. Charging happens at the portal or with fast-swap packs. Running cost can drop 40\u201360 % once the infrastructure is in place.<\/p>\n
Both work. Pick the one that matches your mine\u2019s layout and power grid.<\/p>\n
Maintenance \u2014 Keep It Simple, Keep It Running<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nUnderground machines<\/a> live hard. Water, dust, shock loads every day. The best scalers are the ones you can fix fast.<\/p>\n
Look for:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ground-level fluid checks and fills<\/li>\n
- Modular hydraulic hoses that pull out in minutes<\/li>\n
- Breaker or pick tools that change without pulling the whole boom<\/li>\n
- On-board diagnostics that actually tell you what\u2019s wrong<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A scaler that sits broken for two shifts kills the whole cycle. One that\u2019s back in service after lunch barely gets noticed \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly what you want.<\/p>\n
Choosing the Right Supplier<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Not every factory understands real underground conditions. Some care more about pretty brochures than broken hoses at 2 a.m.<\/p>\n