Hi, i`m a pretty new operator on a d6r, can anywone explain the best way too seperate the larger rocks from the finer materiale when your building ex roadfilling so you get the largest rocks in the bottom and the finer material on top? I`m sure there are some older pro`s that can help a new operator to learn some tricks in the trade.
We have to deal with this in limestone at times. We just call it a "Rock Lift". Most of the time on my jobs they end up being half dirt & half rock. I generally keep the Lift/ Fill around 3 to 4 feet deep. As you are pushing the material towards the edge of the fill gradually start lifting the blade letting the fines pass under leaving them on top and the bigger rock will stay in the blade & roll over the edge to the bottom of the fill.
Yair . . . Well put td25c . We used to call it a "surge pile". When pushing dumped material for land reclamation the larger stuff tends to segregate naturally and roll down the front face of the fill. As mentioned a little bit of judicious blade lift will help to leave the fines . . . the problem there of course when building road the "lifts" or layers may need to be less than the ideal three or four feet. So to sum up D6r I don't think there is any particular procedure. As with most things a bit of thought and common-sense and work it out as best you can. Cheers.
I'm glad you brought that up about the "surge pile" Scrub Puller. I've heard you use that term in the past and wasn't sure of it's meaning. I also try to let the size of rock determine the depth of the lift when possible. Bigger the rock , deeper the lift . In my case most of the time it runs 3 to 4 feet to cover the bigger rock.
TD25 and Scrub beat me to it. We call it shot rock as 99 times out of 100 it's been blasted.
One thing I did not see mentioned is that when you dump the material, or guide the trucks in, dump it on grade, not over the end of the fill. If you dump it over the end, you loose your fines in the mess. Don't dump it too far from the edge either, just right at the edge. You don't want to push it far, or you will loose the advantage. If you dump the pile on grade, then push it over as described, slightly raising the blade, but not letting anything big slip under, you will leave a nice layer of fines to cap the rock that rolls off of the end and gets buried in the fill. If you lift too much and loose some rock it is no bid deal. stop before you run the tracks over the rock, back up and make another short pass while raising the blade again. each time you lift the blade, it lifts and separates the rock from the fines. Anything you do with rock is best done in a series of short passes instead of one long pass. Adjust the thickness of the lift depending on the rock size you are dealing with.
Very good advice as well Jerry, I was going to go into more detail but I was late to work. I like to use a track loader for rock fills for the same reason. Dump the material on top of your lift ( I always try to do this if site conditions allow as it aids in compaction and less time running the roller regardless of the material) and use the loader to weed the larger rocks out and into the fill. This also leaves a good amount of fines to cover the lift.
I am a neophite operator at best and my limited experience is limited to making tractor roads in the woods. Lots of places I have more rock than dirt it seems. I don't truck in material so my road get lower as I remove the rock. If I understand what you guys are saying here it seems if I dig out a trough where the road is going and then push the material back in using the tecnique described here I should be able to bury the rock and have a dirt surface w/o lowering the grade. Am I thinking right or is there a better way. I am not on the clock so time is not much of a factor. In the picture I left the rock rather than deal with a low spot. I would rather have a dirt surface that would be easier to maintain. Thanks.
Thanks for all the good advice, they give me something to work with,All good advice from experienced drivers are great, experience is everything
Yair . . . g_man . Mate I think you have a problem. From the looks of your picture you start digging in that stuff and you are going to end up with more stones. If you have segregated the piles of rock shown with a dozer you have more patience than me and you are doing a bloody good job. Depending on what the roads are for I really think you need a few loads of hauled in material to fix the gnarly and low spots. Cheers.
Thanks for the comment Scrub Puller. I think I understand what you are saying. The roads are so I can get my tractor around in the woods and do some logging. So they don't have to be very good. Basicly tractor skid roads. The one in the picture is fine for my use but at the same time I am trying to learn some better operating methods and techniques with the dozer so my work isn't so rough. The only place I see anything is on this site, I'm pretty isolated.
And don't use the slot dozing technique!
Good post Jerry, makes a lot of sense