Hi there, To start with, I would be the least experienced person in this forum. And just started the business of heavy equipment operations & contracting. I have a big job to do now related to shifting huge amounts of sand, silt, and clay in one big area of land. We started out by thinking that three D637 "Double Engine" Scrapers would be able to shift a large quantity "approx 500,000 M3" After consulting with many experienced contractors they all said it would be more productive to go with Loaders and Trucks to get a better and faster job. So what do you guys and gals think??
How far are you moving it?
if you are moving the dirt more than 500 meters i would go for the trucks and loaders/excavators
For any distance over here, you usually see excavators and articulated trucks, at least in michigan that is.
Here in CA, we would use scrapers. Three is not good though, as push-pulls work in pairs. I would use 4 or 6 with at least one or two as spares, so when one breaks down, the operator gets a fresh one, and the mechanics go to work. Of course it depends on the time you have to get it done how many you really need, and how far you are hauling it. I would say up to about 2 kilometers with the scrapers. Another consideration is skilled operators. Trucks are easy, and you only need a skilled loader op to fill them. Scrapers need more skill, and you may not have it locally. If that is the case, then trucks may be better.
One mile or less
Grate answer... thanks it was very informative