Prairie Roadbuilders and the Snake Pit of Doom!

[clovakid]

I remember when these guys showed up @ toba, and kept rambling on and on about needing scrapers. This is rad, but they still wouldn't of worked

[doZerrpowerr564]

is the snake pit of doom big enough to live in?

[theoman69]

FUCK!!!



[nucleonst]

Scrapers rule! I want a vid of that hole also.

[godackgudalach1]

Do you like the older more heavy scrapers or the lighter newer ones.

[vantagetes]

@godackgudalach1 Do you like getting the shit kicked out of you and getting stuck everywhere that looks a little bit wet cause the torque converter heats up? Don't run a G then. Then again having all the controls on one joystick sometimes makes it worth it. That and having a retarder that works...

[Graveltrucking]

How many yards does one of those scrapers dig out in one pass ?

[vantagetes]

@Graveltrucking 31 BANK (dirt at 100% compaction, so no swell) cubic yards for a 657.

[Graveltrucking]

@vantagetes Good amount of material in one pass I doubt you get a whole lot of fluff factor in that clayish material. I'am used to using explosives to dig a hole being on the West Coast.  I can see why scrapers are efficient in soft ground conditions where you can scrape and carry.

[25mfd]

@vantagetes Is that HEAPED?????

[vantagetes]

@25mfd Yes. Remember bank does include swell as it is 100% compacted as found in the cut. If you are simply measuring how much volume the scraper can hold it's actually 41 cubic yards. Scrapers "boil" the dirt into the bowl so we average the swell rate out to around 30% which brings us to 31yds3 bank from the scrapers actual capacity volume wise of 41yds3.

[25mfd]

@vantagetes So, in this instance can you even apply a swell factor to a material that is all or mostly clay????

Does clay swell if it is disturbed???? (i'm guessing the makeup of clay would not lend itself to too much swelling,if any)

If it doesn't , then when your doing earthwork estimations for an area of all clay, you can chuck the 30% swell factor formula,right?????

[vantagetes]

@catkomatsudeere115 220+

[WesternStar4900SA]

@vantagetes You just replied to a 14 year old boy. Good job Jason.

[MrDigger150]

i dug a borrow pit that was 52 ft deep once

[25mfd]

I noticed how difficult it is for the scrapers to eject that sticky clay.

Why not use a few hoes and some rock trucks to remove the clay?

Rock trucks could more easily dump the clay,right?

[vantagetes]

@25mfd The cost to run a truck fleet is around three times higher than it is to do it with scrapers. Trucks need a hoe to load, dozer to spread and a grader to fix the roads. Scrapers do it all themselves.

[25mfd]

@vantagetes Makes sense.

You mentioned the clay being used to build an on-ramp.....

Is this a TEMPORARY ramp for construction vehicles ONLY or is the ramp part of the finished project for auto traffic???

I ask because if this is an all or mostly clay foundation how do you intend to compact a mostly clay material and have it pass compaction tests???

[vantagetes]

@25mfd This will be the actual roadway. Clay packs fine if the moisture is right.

[Xxslayer410xX]

sooo why dig a whole just to fill in back up?

[vantagetes]

@Xxslayer410xX They are borrowing dirt, check my other comment for a full explaination.

[69rd96]

Any deeper and little Chinese men will come running out.

[twinpower68k]

The only way to move dirt is with a D10 and a 657 :)

[vantagetes]

@twinpower68k How about a D57T?

[twinpower68k]

@vantagetes Yes It Would Be Good To See A Good Video Of The D57T Working In That Snake Pit :P

[RJM159]

@vantagetes Or a 25M

[unclestinkyfinger]

@twinpower68k Steep burrow like that the 57s should be able to use gravity instead of the 10. Load straight down the bank. Of course it is always nice to have a 10 around in case someone doesn't make it back out.

[powellvalley]

soooo....why are they digging a hole just to fill it back in?

[Makemyday0126]

@powellvalley Borrow Pit? They are taking the sub soil to use elsewhere I guess, then fill it back with rock or soil/gravel they can't use and then cover with topsoil to reinstate the ground.

[vantagetes]

@powellvalley Look at what they are doing. Taking good clay out to build up an on-ramp and then filling the hole back up with topsoil you cannot use to build anything with. This trick is called a "borrow pit" or "snake pit" as you are borrowing good dirt to use as fill.

[Gavin84w]

Great vid from the northern division, downunder approved 100%

57,s are working hard there pulling out of that pit