Maybe some of you experienced hands out there could give me an opinion. It´s often quite poorly shot rock, highway construction, lift thickness app. 0,5 to 1 meter. Machine would also be used for other things like finish work, shoulders etc. What machine size and blade type would you reccommend? We would be talking about Komatsu or Cat. Thanks
I will propose a D5 or a D6 with a semi U blade. Size depends on the width of the road. Bigger roads, go for a 6. Or a Komatsu D65 with a semi U. A semi U blade is o compromise that gives u a more flexible machine. Standard trackgrousers. Attachment: a ripper or winch to get it bether balanced. And makes the machine more usefull to other tasks.
Nothing smaller than a D8 or Komatsu 155 for sure, next size up would be even better if the muck is coming fast, but depends on what's hauling it too, end-dumps, belly's, side dumps, etc. Preferable blade type would be a semi-U, but a U-blade would do alright on the fill too. The 8 or 155 would maybe do better on finish and slope work, again depends on material it has to work in. 1 Meter, boy you weren't kidding when you said it was shot poorly were you? Good Luck!
Hey Joe. I bet Hjolli dosen't make roads like u do in the states. Here around a 90 km/h road is built on a ap 8-10 meter wide stonefilling. Height of the stone filling is ap 1-1,5 meter.(55 miles/h, 26 - 32 ft, 3-4,9 ft) He didn't say, but on iceland i don't think they make wider roads than here in Norway.
Huh! Yeah, I may have misread the post a little. I thought he meant that the rocks in the fill material was .5 to 1 meter thick, a meter, that's what -- about 42 inches, that's a pretty good size Colorado love stone for a D6 size dozer to handle. But, I remember a couple of new D7H's that was used in New Jersey on shot rock fill and believe it or not, out in front of a couple of 992's in the shot occasionally. Our corporate maintenance manager was so mad when he heard about the project using those small dozers in the rock that he flew up to the site and fired the equipment superintendent, called in a couple of transports, and had the 7's hauled to my job in Western Pennsylvania. Boy, those Cat's were beat up bad and only 1800-2000 hours on the meters. I would personally hate to put any dozer smaller than an 8 in shot rock unless it was real soft rock or unless it broke up real well in the shot. Smaller Cats just do not hold up well in rock no matter how good the operator is. I've rebuilt enough of them to know. I know that some roads overseas are built smaller than ours, but a rock is a bloody rock no mater where it is........
Thanks for your comments guys Of course not everyody is familiar with the metric system...... And yes I think our road construction in Iceland is pretty similar to to what you have in Norway. But I guess our volcanic rock is a bit softer and fractures more easily from the grousers of a dozer than in some other countries. But still, a rock is a rock......
Spreading shot rock Hi, Hjolli. I'm with Surfer-Joe on this one - a Cat D8H or better would be my choice. If somebody else is signing the checks, go for an 8R or 8T. A smaller dozer might spread the rock and even keep up with the arrival rate but it will suffer a LOT more than a bigger machine and it won't do as good a job. The bigger machine will break more rock up and punch more of the bigger lumps down into the grade. It is all very well to 'economise' on a smaller machine but, especially in rock, there is usually another price to pay down the track in increased wear and tear on that smaller machine. Hope this helps.
I am with u all. But i understand that Hjolli is going to use it on the rock filling in the roadbuilding. Trucks will back up on the filling and dump the load on the edge of the filling. I prefer to have them dump it on the flat for compression. It's easier to get a levell filling that way. If u dump over the edge, it will be up and downs because of different compression as you go ahead. We use the dozer to push it over the edge, and levell the filling as u go. U are waiting for the trucks, desiding where they shall dump the load. And u push parts of the filling over the edge, so that u get the "small" stones of the filling on top and the big stones roll down. I buy your arguments on the 8. But, when u got a 8 meter wide filling a 8 blade uses 5 meter of it, there is little room for the trucks to pass it and dump their load. I now we got 5's and 6's that lasts for many. many years in this type of job. The drivers desides how long, you know Regarding the rock at iceland, i bet it will produce a very nice filling top as the tracks crush and levells it on top.
LGP in rock Well, I was posting this thread more for fun than for any decision making, the dozer is already there (not MY choice) a D6R LGP with a PAT blade, that is a machine you normally would use for finish grading in soft material. But I still think it´s kind of crazy to use this machine in shot rock. You got it exactly right MKTEF, this is just what I´m doing, building a 10 wide road, and I´m also having the 40 tons articulated trucks dumping on the egde of the fill, or where I want them. And I pick out the largest stones and throw them over the edge, trying to get the fine particles on the surface. As long as the stones are not too big, the machine handles this well, but if it´s badly shot it becomes a real nightmare with this low ground pressure dozer. One big advantage it still that with this kind kind of blade you see exactly what you are doing as you can always see the corners of the blade. But the blade is badly worn already and today one of the angling cylinders acually broke. Thanks for your comments, maybe I´ll post some pictures tomorrow
hahahahaha i run dozer everyday and the best dozer to do that is not my dozer cause well its not good for my boddy lol call one of the excuvators over to do it.
Rock and LGP's I was in the Falklands about 22 years ago and I thought they were crazy when I first saw them running LGP's on rock but I found it was way more comfortable for the operator ( though I don't suppose that was of any concern to the managment) and those wide pads chopped up the small stuff, leaving a nice finish. I am not saying that I would do the same if I owned the machine but a few sets of tracks on that job was peanuts and they did a better job than the standard tracked dozers ( they were D6D's at that time).
Well, i'm not so far away u know. And i have heard some stories from our atlas copco salesman, the Norwegian departement serves Iceland too. My experience on that type of job is that it is a lot of work if you want a good result. Much driving with the dozer... I use to always have the dumpers to tipp on the flat of the filling. Not so long from the edge, but still on the flat part. Never on the edge or outside. That way i will get the sand/small stones to fill any holes that is on this part of the filling. And it gets compressed at the same time. Then i take smal cuts of the load, like in an angle to the road direction. And move them over the edge of the filling. I also lay the filling like 5-10-15 cm higher than the wanted result at the end. So the filling goes like a ski jump towards the end. This extra height will be compressed by the tipping and dumpers driving. How much higher is something that i find out after some filling and a check by the engineers. I take the smal cuts cause then i am in controll of the big rocks, and can make it exactly right on the width of the filling. LGP is not the best choice, you will wear a lot on the tracks like the others here says. But with a good job u will drive mostly on flat ground, and with no big rocks comming up of the filling. Taking smal cuts means that it isn't so heavy to push it over either. u will then drive on the fine particles of the rock. And the lava rock will be chrushed to a nice surface.:drinkup Well this is my recepie for a job like this. I'm curious about the pictures!
i wouldnt want anything less than a d6, a d8 would be better. get it close with the 8 than lay down some fine material and grade with a 6
Havago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Hi, Tylermckee. What's wrong with grading the fine stuff with the D8 too?????
Shot rock in Iceland Hi Thought i´d show you some pics from my work site, the road I´m making with this D6R in shot volcanic rock. When you get used to it, it´s actually a very nice machine for this job as long as the stones are not too big. A shame that the blade is very worn and the tilt cylinder isn´t working properly. Each lift (layer) is about 1.0 meter thick. Another pic of the same machine doing shoulder work in the dirt. As I´m not the most eperienced dozer driver in the world, I´d prefer this 6 to a D8 for visibility. And yes, I always have them dump the load on the flat surface close to the edge for the fine particles.
One more pic, the boulders can be as much as 80 cm, a real pain to work with
Nothing if you have a good operator
Nice pics!:thumbsup
I have built a lot of road base with recycled asphalt or concrete chunks about that same size or bigger. Best machine I have used is a 963 tracked endloader. You can rake the big stuff out ahead and over the edge with the teeth and the fines filter out and stay behind. Also able to drag the bigger chunks back that work their way out to the edges and get them buried in the middle. The track pads on the loader also pack a little better and doesn't rip it up so bad when you're backing up.
Nothing if you have a good operator Hi, Tylerkmckee. I may be just a tad biased but I like to kid myself that I HAVE a good operator - - - ME. Funny thing is, a lot of people want me back to do their next jobs. One client couldn't even remember my name from the last job 2 years ago and the boss couldn't remember who had done the last job for him either. Then the client said, "He was a big bloke, always telling jokes." The boss knew straight away who THAT was. Could it be my sense of humour that has them wanting me back for their next job?????????????
u know if you can fine grade with a high track cat and a semi u blade, ur pretty good
How about fine grading with a D47U with small front idlers? That might test ya Deas!! either that or maybe it might bring back some memories. And Im not having a dig at your age........ Yet!!
Bringing back memories Hi, Nextdoor. I did a lot of my early learning on a 2T D4 with small idlers, an agricultural tractor with a standard Cat hydraulic angle dozer. Small or large front idlers, the basic principle is still the same - drive on balance. It's just a bit easier on big idlers is all. Maybe small idlers make better operators? Re having a shot at my age: no matter what else you may have done in your young lives, there's one thing you young whippersnappers haven't managed to do yet - live long enough to get to be as old as I am. Think you'll live THAT long? LOL.
Deas, I guess you would have learned at an early age not to stall it then. Gotta love those donkeys!! Being somewhat lacking in hair and a tad weathered (so my wife tells me) Im happy to be called a whippersnapper! Cheers
Thin on top? Hi, Nextdoor. My brother had a quite pronounced 'thin spot' on top when he got married at age 24. By the time he was 30, he was wearing a toupee 25 hours a day, 8 days a week, 53 weeks a years, even unto bed. Sensitive?
Track Loaders Work well also , Using the teeth to weed out large rocks and letting the fines fall on top , gives you a smoother grade easy on the body KMS
Track loaders in rock. Hi, KMS. Track loaders may do a pretty fair job spreading rock but I personally would rather have an oscillating-tracked dozer for the job as they ride smoother and it's very difficult to get all the larger rocks COMPLETELY covered with fine material. Plus I have a preference for dozers anyway, the bigger, the better. I spent a lot of hours on 2 iron ore railway projects in Western Australia back in the 1960's, spreading shot rock with Cat D8H's - with semi-U blades.
Hi all, New to the forum here, and a great site. My opinion on building a road with tons of boulders. I would have to say an 8 with a semi U. Been on a 6R for a year now and LOTS of BIG stuff coming in. A 3' lifts,but a 26' fill, however I seem to see ALOT of 4' rocks. The dozer keeps up fine so long as the drivers dump where they should. All trail dumps hauling in and between 4000-5500 ton a day. So long and its just short of the edge and I can bury the bones and spread the fines over the top it comes out nice. We have an elliot attachment on the roller to break up the top surface and it works nicely, with just the 6 by itself, it is too light to crush the top surface. And when red topping if it get's 5 or 6 tenths too high, it can be a real SOB to cut. Thats when the 8 would come in handy. Otherwise the 6 is a great machine.