Kevin Beets and his crew have been pushing hard, determined to hit their ambitious 1,000-ounce season goal. Running the operation around the clock, they’ve been chewing through paid dirt at an incredible pace, knowing that without a steady stockpile, their chances of reaching the target diminish by the day. But achieving that target is proving to be an uphill battle.
Running an operation 24/7 means burning through paid dirt at an incredible rate. Without a steady supply, the entire season could be in jeopardy. With just over 300 ounces banked, Kevin knows that stockpiling paid dirt is essential. The crew has been pushing hard to stay ahead, but setbacks keep piling up. The Lynx Cut extension, the key to Kevin’s long-term success, is still a long way from being fully stripped. And without it, there’s nowhere to mine.
The Struggles Begin
To make matters worse, breakdowns have slowed progress. Kevin is running out of both paid dirt and time. But just as he starts to regain momentum, disaster strikes in the worst possible way. His only working excavator catches fire, threatening to shut down the operation entirely.
Mining is always a race against time, but for Kevin, this season has felt like an endurance test. His team has already mined out 3 acres of the Lynx Cut and begun stripping a 2-acre extension near the tailings pond along with another 300 ft section to the north. Now, they’re pushing hard to strip another 3 acres to secure enough pay to keep the season going. However, resources are stretched thin. Kevin doesn’t have the luxury of a full crew. With multiple pieces of equipment already sidelined, the team is operating at a fraction of their full capacity.
The Fire That Changes Everything
Brennan Rualt, one of Kevin’s most experienced operators, has been running the D10 dozer, pushing dirt to the only working excavator. Chaseger, a former gravel pit worker, has been hauling rock trucks all season and is now stepping up to his biggest challenge yet—running the excavator. It’s a critical moment for Chase. If he can prove himself on the machine, it will be a huge help to the team.
But just when it looks like things are finally falling into place, everything comes crashing down. Chase has been running the 700 excavator, loading rock trucks with stripped material so they can haul it to the waste site. But as he works, something smells off. At first, he brushes it off. The operation produces all sorts of burning smells from machinery running at full capacity, but this one is different. Within moments, smoke starts pouring from the back of the excavator. Something’s burning.
Chase radios to Brennan. Brennan rushes over and immediately sees the problem. Smoke is billowing from the engine compartment. If they don’t act fast, they could lose one of the most critical machines in the entire operation. Kevin arrives on the scene and quickly identifies the issue. The starter has shorted out, melting metal and sparking a fire inside the engine.
It’s a devastating blow, but what makes it even worse is that this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Earlier in the season, the same thing happened to the 700 excavator when the solenoid caught fire. At the time, Kevin replaced the starter motor, thinking it was a one-time issue. But now, it’s clear that something went wrong with the repair.
The Team Scrambles
The crew scrambles to put out the fire before it causes even more damage. After what feels like an eternity, they manage to contain the flames, but the damage is done. The 700 is out of commission. And with it, Kevin has lost his only working excavator.
For Kevin, this is more than just a mechanical failure. It’s a catastrophic blow to his season. With no working excavators, they can’t load trucks, meaning paid dirt won’t make it to the wash plant. Without pay dirt, the wash plant sits idle. And if the wash plant isn’t running, Kevin isn’t making any gold. The timing couldn’t be worse. Kevin is already nearly 700 ounces short of his 1,000-ounce goal, and every day of lost production pushes the target further out of reach.
Fixing the Excavator
Kevin had hoped that Chase stepping up to run the excavator would help ease the workload, but now the entire team is scrambling for a solution. Without an excavator, the operation is dead in the water.
This wasn’t the first time the issue had occurred. Earlier in the season, Kevin had already replaced the starter motor when it shorted out, melting metal and sparking a fire in the engine compartment. Now, history was repeating itself, bringing his mining operation to an abrupt standstill.
Kevin’s crew was already working with limited resources, and now both excavators were out of commission. The team had no way to load rock trucks, which meant no way to haul pay dirt to the wash plant. Without a steady flow of pay dirt, the season was slipping through Kevin’s fingers.
The Moment of Truth
“We have no excavators to load trucks, which means no way to haul pay. Our goal is looking less and less likely,” Kevin admitted. As the clock ticked down on the mining season, the pressure was mounting. Every last minute put Kevin further behind in his chase for gold.
With no other option, Kevin rolled up his sleeves and got to work fixing the excavator himself. He knew the issue lay in the starter, but as he inspected the damage, he realized the molten steel from the short-circuited starter had caused serious problems inside the engine compartment. If he didn’t fix it properly this time, the machine could fail again and another breakdown could spell disaster for the season.
Determined to prevent another fire, Kevin made crucial adjustments. He ensured the power cables were correctly connected and securely fastened. He added extra protective insulation to reduce the risk of another short. He double-checked the entire electrical system to catch any other potential weak spots.
After hours of meticulous work, it was time for the moment of truth. Will the excavator start? Kevin hooked everything up and took a deep breath. This was it. If the machine refused to start, it would be back to square one.
“All right, let’s see if this thing fires up,” Kevin said, trying to stay optimistic. He turned the key. The engine coughed, but didn’t catch. A second attempt. Still nothing. The tension in the air was thick. If this didn’t work, they would be facing a massive delay.
Kevin tried one more time and finally, the engine roared to life. “She’s running. She’s all yours,” Kevin called out triumphantly. The crew breathed a sigh of relief. The 700 was back in action and production could resume.
Racing Against Time
With the excavator repaired, Brennan Rualt jumped into the cab and immediately got to work. Every hour lost had cost them valuable time. And now, it was a race to move as much paid dirt as possible before the stockpile ran dry.
For Kevin, this season has been an unrelenting battle of setbacks and perseverance. The fires, breakdowns, and mechanical failures have tested the crew at every turn.
“This season has been a fight from start to finish,” Brennan admitted. “But we have to stay positive for the last few weeks and hope we can still crush our target.”
With just weeks left in the mining season, every minute counts. Kevin and his crew know that there’s no room for error. The 1,000-ounce goal is still within reach, but only if they can keep the machines running and the paid dirt flowing.
The Final Question
Can Kevin recover? Despite the setback, Kevin knows that giving up isn’t an option. The team immediately gets to work troubleshooting the problem, hoping for a quick fix. Kevin is frustrated but focused. He knows that setbacks are part of the game, but this one could cost him everything if they don’t find a solution fast.
If they can’t get the 700 running soon, the season could be over. If they don’t hit their 1,000-ounce target, Kevin’s hard work to step out of Tony Beets’ shadow might not be enough.
The fire has left Kevin with more questions than answers. But if there’s one thing he’s proven, it’s that he won’t go down without a fight.
One thing is certain—Kevin Beets won’t stop fighting until the very end.
Will they overcome the odds and finish strong? Or will another breakdown push Kevin’s season to the brink?
