Drag Line Excavator - Are there any Digging Functions where this kind of Excavator can't be used?
A drag line excavator is a powerful machine in civil engineering, surface mining and excavation. Its limitation is the height and length of the boom, as this limits where the drag line can dump waste material. The effectiveness of the drag line is in excavating materials below the level of its tracks. Drag lines aren't suitable for loading piled up material.
Any kind of precision trenching or digging where accuracy is required, such as foundations, etc requires a backhoe or other controlled digging device. A drag line is better for open pit mining or other kinds of excavation where accuracy is not as important.
They are very commonly used in coal mining. There are several in North Dakota. There were some really big ones but I think they are no longer in use.
