In the frozen heart of the Yukon, gold miner Tony Beets is charging into a high-stakes season with a bold new weapon: a $1.4 million CAT 395 excavator, capable of moving 10 tons per scoop and promising a major boost toward his ambitious 9,000-ounce gold target.
But before the machine could tear into paydirt, Tony and his crew had to assemble it—piece by massive piece—in bitter sub-zero temperatures.
“We gotta get the boom, the stick, the counterweight on it,” Tony said. “If we’re going to get 9,000 ounces, this thing’s going to be a game changer.”
The 15-ton boom alone, weighing as much as four fully loaded pickups, had to be hoisted with precision. “Watch your fingers, guys,” Tony warned, as his daughter Monica and operator Mike maneuvered the parts into place. Despite the cold, frustration, and a few laughs—“Use that big butt to swing the hammer,” Tony joked to his crew—the team secured the critical pin and attached the 20-ton counterweight.
With the final piece—the giant bucket—locked in, the Beets crew took the 100-ton machine for its first spin. However, the icy road to Paradise Hill had other plans, causing the excavator to slip dangerously downhill.
“There is literally nothing I can do,” Mike shouted, trying to keep control.
Despite the drama, Tony remained optimistic. “If we can load a 40-ton truck with three buckets, that’d be the trick,” he said. “You’re looking at seven or eight buckets with anything else.”
After testing, the verdict was clear: “This is going to play a key role,” Tony said. “Speed things up, load more trucks quicker, for less cost—that’s the name of the game.”
With production ramping up and Paradise Hill finally thawing, the Beets family looks set to claw their way to one of their most lucrative seasons yet.
