Tandem Scrapers Move 850,000 cu. yds. in 45 Days for Dairy Feedlot Pad

On the plains of Texas lies acre upon acre of dairy feedlots. While the finished product of a dairy feedlot may seem commonplace, the development of the site involves bulk excavation, long haul roads and precision finish grading.

Consider a jobsite in Dumas, TX, where 850,000 cu. yds. were required to be moved within the project time frame of 45 working days. In order to meet these strict timelines, the contractor used two K-Tec 1263 ADT pull-pan ejector scrapers.

The units each a heaped capacity of 63 cu. yds. have and were pulled behind Caterpillar 740 and Deere 460 articulated dump truck power units. The ADT hitch system on the scrapers transfers 32% of the scraper load weight directly to the point where the truck is designed to carry weight. The balanced machine provided for a modest fuel consumption of 18.5 gph. The in-cab digital display screen provided visual operating details, tracking load count productivity and troubleshoot serviceability.

With a cut zone of 750 ft., and the desire to achieve more than the struck load capacity, the contractor chose to push-load the scrapers for increased efficiency. To minimize the strain on operators and structural steel, the 1263ADT comes with a standard roller push-block feature. Averaging a loading time of 90 seconds per scraper, the units climbed out of the borrow pit and headed down the 3,500-ft. haul road at an average haul road speed of 25 mph.

Once the scrapers reached the 1,500-ft.-long feedlot pads, they simply ejected the load, allowing for an even distribution of material that was packed and compacted in place. The full cycle time for the operation averaged 9 minutes. The bulk excavating ability of the scrapers enabled the contractor to finish the dairy feedlot project on time.