I own a evergreen tree farm and landscape business and this upcoming spring I am going to get into the mulch business, selling bulk mulch. I have a bobcat t180 with 1 yard bucket that is capable of loading most small trucks and trailers (which is what I will mainly be loading). My problem is that some of the larger 10 wheels are giving me some concern. I have loaded them before but it is a slow process and the t180 is just a little bit short in its reach. I don't think that I will be loading many big trucks but I don't want to discourage them from buying from me because of a slow load time. That being said here is my question: To avoid buying another tractor for loading big trucks do you think its plausible to build a ramp out of fill material with a level pad at the top, probably 4-6 feet high where the trucks could pull up parallel with the pile and just quickly load them? in my head this makes a lot of sense, even if I am 10 yards away from the pile to be able to avoid creeping up and attempting to feather the load into the truck without hitting it. I think that for the small amount of big trucks (if any) I would be loading it would help save time and money if I don't have to buy another tractor. Many people on here are used to going to places to pick up bulk materials and any comments on setups that you have seen work well would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your thoughts, Aaron
Never seen this, but there were some pics on here recently of ramps for loading dump trucks with DOZERS in the good ole days. So I don't see why a ramp wouldn't work. A lip/curb would be a very good idea.
Oh really? Do you know what I would search to find that. I just can't justify buying a new tractor just to load mulch. It wouldn't be able to pay for a new tractor. I just want to have a backup plan if a dump truck comes rolling in looking to get 20 yards or mulch....$$$
Have no fear, even the big guys do it so they can load faster. You make a U with mafia blocks and fill the inside and make a ramp out the back. You will start having the little trucks go there too because it will be a faster cycle time. Set it up right next to the pile
Welcome to the Forums aabower! :drinkup You are spot on with your idea and I do this from time to time when we only have a skid steer on the job and have to load a tri-axle. The problem is getting those last buckets to fill the truck, the solution is simple just build a dirt ramp. For you application however, I would build a dedicated loading area - use some rail road ties or mafia blocks to build a loading ramp where the trucks can pull in and you can load them from a higher elevation. This would be more efficient that an a dirt ramp as you wouldn't have to maintain it, over time and with weather, the dirt ramp will deteriorate. I would set the ramp up close to the stockpiles and have a dedicated "loading zone" for all the trucks. ON EDIT - AlldayRJ posted ahead of me, good info.
Yair . . . aabower . If you just put "Chinaman" into the search box at the top right of the page it should take you to the thread. Its a very simple concept and depending on what you have on hand material wise it could work out quite inexpensive. It should work good on woodchip/mulch. Make it wide enough to tip in if you are hauling in by truck or you could just place the material on there with the bucket. In light material like that you would load a truck in just a couple of minutes. Cheers.
Well its good to hear that my idea isn't totally out of the question. I don't have any mafia blocks but I do have some very large concrete slabs that I could probably use. It probably wouldn't be too much of a problem to amend the ramp a couple of times a year I had anticipated that anyways. As long as I place it strategically it seems like it can be done.
Mafia blocks are like $25 each. Make the ramp 2 or three wide and two or three deep so its not super steep and narrow
Might as well take the time to build a nice ramp now. Even if you add a larger loader to your fleet later it would still be nice to be able to see what your doing.
That's great advice!
With all of this being said, I have a T180 compact track loader that has a tipping load of 5,496lb and an operating capacity of 2,748lb. I have done some research and mulch that is moist weighs about 800lb's if im not mistaken. I have a 1 yard bucket on there now but I was wondering if I could make some mods to the bucket to allow it to hold 2 yards. This would obviously double my efficiency of loading. Do you think there will be a problem of loading mulch only at 2 yards a bucket?
I'm not even sure that it would be an issue, but just verify the dimensions needed and figure out if that leaves you with enough visibility. Aside from that, you could easily do 2 yards if not 2.5. The other thing to consider is how to accurately measure the volume you're loading to keep your billing accurate. Would you have a way to gauge 1y3 if you're loading with a bigger bucket? The last time I picked up mulch the loader had an offset pivot point on the bucket that allows it to reach higher than it normally would using the normal bucket pivot axis. Same exact idea as this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zupNqIP8gg
What came to mind for your bucket is something like a brush grapple with an oak board where the teeth would be it would be removable you would need to make sure it opens wide enough
Yeah aabower, A dedicated loading ramp/dock will work great for your operation. This is common in my area as the skid loader seems to still be the tool of choice for cleaning out poultry buildings. The ramp allows them to load any size truck with ease. Few guys even use portable ramps with running gear under them so they can move the ramp to a building that doesn't have a dedicated ramp . One thing I might add if you decide to build a ramp is make it plenty wide so the truck doesn't have to pull forward while loading. A nice wide ramp also adds to the safety factor .Good luck with it .
Exactly what I was thinking, visibility will be the issue and not the weight. A 2 CY bucket on a T180 is probably going to be a visibility problem. My 953's bucket is a 2.5 CY capacity and there is no way you could see around/over it, if it was hitched to your CTL.
Now that is something to look into. That is really convenient. But I guess I could now see how visibility could be a problem. It would just be nice to load twice as fast. I will have to do some sort of test with makeshift sides. And as far as judging how many CY accurately I would just have to do a test with 5gal buckets and just get the feel for how much should be in each bucket. It would be time consuming to count and fill each bucket but I don't know any other way of figuring it out.
How long would it take you to load a tandem dump with your skid and a 1yd bucket? Maybe 10 minutes? I think I wait that long in the line at the grocery store sometimes...... I wouldn't sweat it.
Sounds good. Keeping me at ease!
ramp will be great for loading everything ... look where excavators load out from and many bulk operations where the stockpile doesn't move far as for the bucket getting bigger it would look something like this 88" high volume bucket built for s850 that i was moving around with the t630
Wow that huge! how many yards does that hold? and do you know the weight of empty bucket?
also any visibility issues there?
i just used the 630 to carry it and load it on to trailer i had to lean forward with the bucket in that position to see cutting edge also to get out of the cabin i had to have the bucket in that position as with the floor flat on the ground boom was 6 inches in the air as for yards im not sure but i believe that bucket was about 1.5 cubic meters heaped cap weight im not sure of
Okay so that is just about 2 CY. Did you buy that or make it?
it was work i think its a genuine bucket
Do you or anyone have any idea how much it would cost to have someone fabricate something like that