1000 kN Underground Recovery Winch
1000 kN Underground Recovery Winch
A 1000 kN underground recovery winch designed and built in Yatala to haul longwall machinery out during seam moves, driven by twin 350,000 Nm planetary wheel drives on 60 mm Dyneema rope with an onboard closed-loop hydraulic system.
Recovery Winch Project Overview
A custom-built 1000 kN hydraulic winch for longwall recovery
A 1000 kN line pull winch designed and built to recover longwall mining machines from underground during a seam move. Longwall shearers and roof supports weigh hundreds of tonnes and have to be dragged out along the gate road when a panel is finished, and a machine that stalls underground stops the whole mine. The winch uses two 350,000 Nm planetary wheel drives to produce the required torque, pulls on a 60 mm Dyneema rope with 300 m on the drum, and carries an onboard closed-loop hydraulic system driven by a special motor that runs on the underground emulsion supply, 95 percent water and 5 percent oil, rather than mineral hydraulic oil. Engineered, built and tested at our Yatala, Queensland workshop and delivered as oversize freight.
Key Project Highlights
Exceptional performance, precision and reliability
This 1000 kN underground recovery winch is one of the largest machines ACW has built, sized for longwall equipment recovery. Headline specifications:
1000 kN
Rated Capacity
300 m
Rope Storage
Mining
Industry
Longwall recovery
Application
Design & Manufacturing Considerations
Built for durability and efficiency in demanding environments
Specified with the mine for longwall recovery on the emulsion circuit and assembled in-house at Yatala. Key design considerations:
Heavy-Duty
Steel Frame
Material Choice
Hydraulic
Powerpack
Power System
1000 kN
Rated Line Pull
Drive System
Manual
Standard Control
Control / Brake
Operational & Technical Breakdown
An in-depth look at the 1000 kN underground recovery winch's performance and technical capabilities
Torque comes from two 350,000 Nm planetary wheel drives acting on the drum, each with its own hydraulic motor and brake, so the drive is split and the winch keeps holding capacity if one motor is isolated. The drum is machined for 60 mm Dyneema synthetic rope, chosen for its strength-to-weight ratio and for being safer than wire if it parts underground, and stores 300 m for the recovery pull. The frame is a heavy fabricated skid with a full guard cage and lifting points rated for the complete machine.
The hydraulic power is unusual. Underground longwall circuits run on emulsion, not oil, so the winch carries a closed-loop hydraulic system driven by a special emulsion motor fed from the mine supply, with the winch’s own oil circuit sealed inside. The power pack, tank and valve connections were all documented for the mine, and the winch was load tested at Yatala before being lifted by crane onto an oversize truck for delivery.
Other Winch Applications
Versatile winching solutions across multiple industries.
Beyond mining, very high line pull recovery winches of this type suit heavy salvage, tunnelling and pipeline pulling where conventional winches run out of torque.
Rig skidding, module pulls and heavy equipment recovery on remote well sites and gas plants – high-torque hydraulic drive with counterbalance valving for controlled heavy pulls.
Anchor handling, heavy mooring and slipway recovery of large vessels – hydraulic winches built for saltwater service and certified to Lloyd’s, ABS or DNV where required.
Project Conclusion
The 1000 kN underground recovery winch shows ACW engineering at full scale, from twin planetary drives and Dyneema rope to an emulsion-powered hydraulic system built for the longwall environment. Designed, built and tested in Yatala by Australian Certified Winches.
Like every winch we build, it was designed to AS 1418, the Australian Standard for cranes, hoists and winches, and signed off by our RPEQ-registered engineers before load testing in Yatala.
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- [email protected]
- 2/14 Freight Street, Yatala, QLD 4207
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2/14 Freight Street, Yatala, QLD 4207
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about high capacity recovery winches for longwall and underground mining.
Why is the winch driven by two planetary wheel drives?
Splitting 1000 kN of line pull across two 350,000 Nm planetary drives keeps each gearbox within a proven size, shares the load on the drum shaft and gives redundancy: the winch can still hold the load if one motor is isolated for service.
Why use Dyneema rope instead of wire?
At this line pull a 60 mm Dyneema rope is far lighter than the equivalent wire, which makes handling in the gate road practical, and it does not store energy the way wire does if it fails. The drum was machined specifically for the synthetic rope.
What does running on emulsion mean?
Longwall hydraulics use an emulsion of about 95 percent water and 5 percent oil. The winch has a special motor that runs on that mine supply and drives a sealed onboard oil circuit, so the winch plugs into the longwall system without a separate power unit underground.
How much rope does the winch hold?
The drum stores 300 m of 60 mm Dyneema, enough to reach and recover equipment along the gate road without re-rigging. Other lengths and rope sizes can be accommodated with a different drum.
How was a machine this size delivered?
The complete winch was load tested at Yatala, lifted by crane onto an oversize truck and transported to the mine under permit. Lifting points and transport frames were designed into the skid so the winch could be moved in one piece.
Planning a Seam Move?
Tell us the machine weight, the grade and the rope run. Our RPEQ engineers will size a certified recovery winch for it.