Applications and site work

What is a Terrain Leveler® surface excavation machine (SEM) used for?

Whether you’re prepping a site for civil construction, surface mining or extracting aggregates from a quarry, the Terrain Leveler SEM can help you be more productive.

This machine allows surface mines to separate different grades of valuable material from the waste and also helps eliminate the need for a primary crusher. It also helps produce a smooth, consistent floor which can reduce wear and tear on hauling equipment.

Utilizing a Terrain Leveler SEM in a civil construction application allows you to cut to grade and have a usable product.

Transporting product in a quarry can be costly and logistically challenging. This machine helps produce smaller, more consistently sized product and may allow you to access reserves otherwise inaccessible due to existing infrastructure and urban encroachment.

Surface mining

Aiding in the reduction of drilling and blasting and primary crushing are only the beginning of the benefits accrued from precision surface mining. Reduced shock, vibration, dust and noise from precision surface mining enables operations to take place closer to roads and existing structures than would be permitted by drilling and blasting.

The advantages of the Vermeer technology are numerous:

  • Produce a smaller, more consistent particle size
    • Help eliminate the primary crusher step
    • Help reduce fines to increase usable product
    • Use the Terrain Leveler SEM in heap leach applications
    • Increase payload in mine trucks over drill and blast material
  • Separate chemistries from waste
  • Increased access to areas of surface mines where drilling and blasting cannot be done because of physical or permit limitations
  • Use the Terrain Leveler SEM for haul road construction and maintenance
    • Help increase haul truck speeds
  • Produce a smooth floor to help minimize wear and tear on mine trucks and loaders
  • Potential to work next to power lines, pipelines, urban areas and other existing structures
  • Mine reserves that otherwise may be left behind

Quarry application

An issue for quarries is transporting product – it’s expensive and logistically challenging. Most of these products are used for building materials, so the goal is to locate quarries near where road and other construction projects occur. This is typically in urban areas, which is becoming an even bigger concern for mining companies because of increasing regulations on drilling and blasting methods due to environmental and safety concerns, especially in highly populated areas. One solution is the Terrain Leveler SEM.

Benefits of utilizing a Terrain Leveler SEM in a quarry application include:

  • Produce more consistently sized material and leave a smooth floor which makes loading and transporting more efficient
  • Help reduce the need for a primary crusher
  • Help reduce the amount of dust entering the air with an optional dust suppression system
  • Work around water tables with reduced risk of fracturing the layer between the floor and water table
  • Access reserves on a slope utilizing the tilt head
  • Work around restrictions placed on quarries, such as minimum distance to roads, utilities and buildings
  • Mine reserves that may otherwise be left behind to help extend the life of the quarry
  • Help get the quarry to market faster

Civil construction

For a civil construction contractor, deadlines are everything. In the site planning phase, a Vermeer Terrain Leveler SEM is a solution to get your job done more efficiently.

Designed for site preparation, soil remediation, road demolition and construction, the Terrain Leveler SEM offers fewer restrictions and permit requirements than using explosives. This helps reduce the need for supporting equipment and produces a smooth working surface for easier loading. This leads to less wear and tear on the loading and hauling equipment. All this helps increase efficiency and productivity.

Examples of civil construction projects include:

  • Cutting canals and building islands, foundations for buildings, retention ponds, water spillways and golf courses
  • Developing new communities
  • Reclaiming mines
  • Lowering tunnel floors
  • Highway and runway demolition

Benefits of utilizing the Terrain Leveler SEM in a civil construction application include:

  • Create a near-vertical highwall
  • Create square corners
  • Machine low center of gravity provides stability and maneuverability on uneven jobsite terrain
  • Produce a usable product for backfilling and road bedding
  • Work next to existing infrastructure
  • Produce a controlled floor in 3D with tilting head