A dragline is a massive piece of heavy equipment used in surface mining to remove overburden, usually for coal mining. The dragline consists of a large bucket that is hanging from a boom with wire ropes. The bucket is maneuvered by numerous ropes and is powered by a large diesel or electric motors. Draglines are almost always electrically powered, and may have bucket capacities in the 100-150 yd3 range.
A mining shovel is a specialized piece of heavy excavating equipment normally used to scoop overburden, ore, coal, or sand in surface. Shovels are either powered by diesel fuel or electricity. Shovels bucket capacities may be in the 25-50 yd3 range.
Some of the main differences between the dragline and the shovel, other than their relative capacities, are: