Magorian Mine Services has relinquished a roadheader in favour of a modified backhoe loader to excavate wine storage caverns. It has mounted a Webster Schaeff Transverse Cutting Unit (TCU) on its Caterpillar 416 backhoe loader to excavate in consolidated volcanic ash for the Green & Red vineyard in Napa Valley, California. The caverns are needed to provide a stable ambient temperature for wine to be stored during fermentation. The TCU and Cat combination has proved more cost effective than the roadheader in excavating the ground, which ranges in hardness from 6.9-10.3MN/m². Typical 9h shift advance rate is 3m.
