Big Cat Rips it Up in the French Alps

Came across this superb video over the weekend and felt it would make for a fitting Friday blog post here on the Digger Man Blog.

The footage was taken by French plant man Gilles Auriol whose You Tube channel has over 18.8k subscribers. He is another of these “You Tubers” who manages to get onto some really interesting job sites and the stunning backdrop on this video doesn’t get much better, with the action taking place high up in the French Alps.

The work here involves the ageing Caterpillar D9R ripping rock which as you will see in the video is extremely challenging and hard on both the machine and the operator in the cab. This skilled operator uses the combination of the 107,550lb Cat's 302kw (405hp) diesel engine working its single tyne ripper and blade to remove the larger lumps to be pushed further on down the mountain. There is little information on what they are doing but one would imagine its work on making tracks in preparation for the forthcoming winter skiing season. Enjoy the action!