Dumpers - Cab or no Cab

[JD450A]

guy that i worked for always insisted that the digger and dumper should be the same size ie 3 ton digger 3 ton dumper 30 ton digger 30 ton dumper
always seemed to work out fine

Digger should always be a dumper and a half bigger...... 1.5t digger, 1t dumper, 2t dumper 3t digger, 6t dumper 9t digger, 9t dumper 14t digger, 25t ADT 40ish ton digger.
That's my view anyways

 

[Canal Navvy]

I have it in the back of my mind that for maximum efficiency an excavator should fill the dumper in seven passes

 

[JD450A]

I have it in the back of my mind that for maximum efficiency an excavator should fill the dumper in seven passes

Ideally 4 passes for anything over 20 tons.... Under 20t you are really talking a need of a cycle time rather than passes.

Efficiency wise regardless of size your cycle time should be under 2 minutes in poor conditions.... When working for Trax I could setup a 40t EC360C on a bench and load A25c's in under a minute and A30's in just over a minute.

That said a poor driver can completely blow the sizing out the water with just a poorly run load out. As I did a few times when learning @Conor

 

[Gunners]

I really like my 1.5t swivel Thwaites - its been a great little dumper - basically a big wheelbarrow, and there's not many places it wont go. Sure its half the size of a 3t dumper, but these are easily and cheaply hired. So if I really need to move stuff, I hire a 6t and do it properly!
But for most of my groundwork jobs, the 1.5 is ideal.

 

[Bri963]

Digger should always be a dumper and a half bigger...... 1.5t digger, 1t dumper, 2t dumper 3t digger, 6t dumper 9t digger, 9t dumper 14t digger, 25t ADT 40ish ton digger.
That's my view anyways

Doesn’t work with my 900kg Kubota. It’s a pain hitting a 600kg dumper with a 2’ bucket. Not bad as a general rule, but if the site isn’t set up right you can piss any advantage away getting the wagons on position. Then you have to factor in dumper drivers….

 

[JD450A]

Doesn’t work with my 900kg Kubota. It’s a pain hitting a 600kg dumper with a 2’ bucket. Not bad as a general rule, but if the site isn’t set up right you can piss any advantage away getting the wagons on position. Then you have to factor in dumper drivers….

That's because you need me and a wheelbarrow...

 

[Vinpetrol]

I find 9 tonne dumpers awkward and high point of gravity . Personally I like a straight skip 6 tonne dumper with 13 tonner . You can shift a hell of a lot of stuff in a short space of time . I’m usually stripping topsoil off new sites when I’m loading dumpers and usually a short run . I like to sit up slightly on the heap and load as this makes it even faster . Keep the strip tidy between loads .

 

[Conor]

That said a poor driver can completely blow the sizing out the water with just a poorly run load out. As I did a few times when learning @Conor

You had it well sussed when I was there Rory credit where it’s due 🫡

For me the big difference is who you have in the seats in competitive muck shifting. Used to drive me nuts when a pc400 could do more on a shift then a case 800. Komatsus had far quicker cycle time than the big cases and better driver so burning all that extra diesel for nothing. Then add in bad dumper or truck drivers who can’t position themselves under the bucket and your not long about dropping loads

 

[JD450A]

Used to drive me nuts when a pc400 could do more on a shift then a case 800.

Bit like the 210c Volvo Vs the 290C Volvo though..... Cycle times you could piss quicker with the 210 than the 290 despite a 10t weight advantage.

 

[Bri963]

That's because you need me and a wheelbarrow...

I’ll have a shovel and you still won’t keep up.

 

[Bri963]

One problem with bigger machines is you often see them with buckets that aren’t making best use of the power. I used to operate a Cat 235 and it had a huge bucket on it, 6’ wide and very deep. It Seemed slow after a 325 but the material it moved each pass it didn’t need to be fast. 3 1/2 passes to fill an A25, 5 for a 35.