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Material appetite really dictates what type of earthmoving system will work best given your soil conditions. "Any soil can be loaded with a pull scraper as long as the concentration of rocks is less than that of the dirt," says McCrory.

But hardpan and rock prove difficult for pull-scraper systems. "They don't work well in rock and real hard hardpan," says Clark. "Even though they are stronger now than they used to be, you will still bend them up."

When the ground is hard, self-propelled scrapers have a definite advantage. "They have the capability to put a lot more horsepower to the ground," says League. "You can push them with a dozer or they can push each other with a push/pull. There are parts of the country where there is more rock. You really have to push that horsepower up and get into that rock. There is a lot more steel in the self-propelled scrapers. They are certainly more durable."

Confined spaces also favor the use of self-propelled scrapers. Pull scrapers really need room to operate. "They are best suited for large quantity, large sites," says League.

Clark has four self-propelled scrapers for tighter conditions and harder-loading material. "There are places where the [self-propelled scraper] is just ideal, and conditions where you can't get two pull scrapers and a tractor into," says Clark. But he prefers the pull scrapers when there is ample room. "For cost of operation, those tandem scrapers will move almost the same amount of dirt and they will run for almost half the cost. The repair costs on the self-propelled scrapers are so high."