NARRATOR: In a bid to reach 9,000 ounces,
Tony Beets is starting early, but the Yukon
winter is fighting back.
His brand new 950 excavator is just days away.
But before Tony can take delivery,
he must clear 400 tons of snow in Arctic temperatures.
God damn.
Is it me, or it got colder?
RUBY: No, they're frozen.
RUBY: It's really cold right now.
So when we start it up at minus 30,
everything takes a little bit longer than it's supposed to.
NARRATOR: To clear the claim in time,
Tony decides to revive the family's trusty old snowplow,
his 700 horsepower D10 dozer.
NARRATOR: The 50-foot army parachute, designed to airlift
tanks into war zones, should trap enough warm air
to thaw the frozen oil, raising its temperature
above 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
NARRATOR: If Tony tries to fire up the million dollar D10
dozer before the oil is warm enough,
it could destroy the engine.
[ENGINE SPUTTERING]
NARRATOR: Tony Beets is attempting
to fire up his snow plowing D10 dozer in sub-zero conditions.
NARRATOR: The oil is thawed and has
reached 0 degrees Fahrenheit, but now he needs more of it.
One more of these, and we'll be ready to go.
NARRATOR: Tony must now clear the 400 tons of snow
before his new excavator arrives in just a few days' time.
We make some room before that 950 shows up, that we can have
somewhere to [BLEEP] build it.
NARRATOR: Tony's crew is still battling sub-zero conditions
to prepare Paradise Hill for the arrival
of his colossal 950 excavator.
The body of the machine is just three hours away.
[TRUCK HONKS]
NARRATOR: But the boom and counterweight have already
been delivered to Tony's storage yard,
15 miles west of Paradise Hill.
NARRATOR: Next, the huge 17-ton counterweight.
NARRATOR: Designed to stop the 950 from tipping
over when lifting a heavy load.
NARRATOR: Plan B, a risky double loader lift.
[TIRES SQUEAK]
NARRATOR: One wrong move, and the counterweight
could slip off and topple a loader.
NARRATOR: Tony's back on the road to Paradise Hill.
NARRATOR: And just in time for the arrival of the 950's body.
NARRATOR: Keeping him on-track for a record
breaking 9,000 ounce season.