 The Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency has developed a following video program to support the Air Force Qualification Training Program. This video covers step-by-step procedures for specific tasks identified in the specialty training standard of the Career Field Education and Training Plan. This video does not take the place of on-the-job training. It is not intended to replace the applicable technical reference. However, this program is intended to enhance the on-the-job training process, standardize the training procedures, provide spin-up training, and provide the minimum knowledge on a task or piece of equipment when a unit does not have the equipment. We hope you'll find this video program a valuable training tool. This Civil Engineer Air Force Qualification Training Program video tape contains wheel-mounted front-end loader, load material, Part 1 scoop method, Part 2 clamshell method. What's the most versatile piece of construction equipment Civil Engineer pavement and construction equipment operators have in their vehicle parking area? Most will say it's the rubber-tired front-end loader. This machine can be equipped with a variety of attachments. They include a standard bucket, multi-segment bucket, commonly referred to as a 4-in-1 bucket, forklift attachment, and a boom attachment. These attachments can easily be interchanged via a quick coupling system mounted on the front-end loader boom assembly. While all the attachments serve a specific purpose, the bucket attachments are by far the main attachments you'll be using in both peacetime day-to-day operations and during contingency operations where rapid runway repair must be performed. There are basically two ways to load material with the front-end loader, a scoop method, and the clamshell method. This is a two-part video. Part 1 will cover the scoop method to load a bucket and place the material into a dump truck. The second part of this video will address the clamshell method of loading and dumping material. The wheel-mounted front-end loader works best in soft to medium material. When the material is virgin earth or medium to hard-packed material, this loader's efficiency is reduced. Likewise, efficiency is lost if the area has poor drainage and poor underfoot condition. Lack of operating space also greatly reduces this machine's productivity as well. A flat smooth surface and plenty of space to maneuver can peak the loader's efficiency, provided the operator is proficient in the task at hand. The key to loading the bucket is to follow four simple steps each and every time you load the bucket. These steps are approach the stockpile, enter the stockpile, crowd the bucket, and leave the stockpile. Each step has some critical points that must be accomplished on each pass in order to maximize the loader's capability. The first step is approach the stockpile. Sounds easy enough, but this step gets most people in trouble. It will be hard to get a full bucket of material if these points are not followed. Lower the bucket close to the ground. 6 to 8 inches is fine. Most front-end loaders have a bucket position indicator that will point to a pre-designated mark when the bucket is level. Tilt the bucket until it is level. Some position indicators may be off just a little and not position the bucket correctly. You should check this prior to using the loader. Level and lower the bucket to the ground. Dismount the front-end loader and check the bucket to make sure it is level and flat on the ground. If the bucket is tilted too far back, it will ride up the face of the material when entering the stockpile. If the bucket is tilted too far down, it will dig into the ground before you even reach the stockpile. If the bucket correctly positioned, let's move on to our next step, entering the stockpile. The bucket should skim the ground as it moves toward the stockpile. Gradually increase the throttle so the loader is at full throttle when the bucket enters the material. Continue to move forward, filling the bucket until the front-end loader engine starts to bog down. The bucket should be in the stockpile about two feet. Do not spin the tires. This only damages the tires and will not move the loader any farther forward. When you've entered the pile as far as you can go, you must accomplish the third step, crowd the bucket. This is nothing more than trying to force the maximum amount of material into the bucket. This step also separates the operators from the drivers. The operator must coordinate three things at the same time. Continue inching the loader forward into the pile. Simultaneously curl and raise the bucket as the loader moves forward. Continue to curl or roll the bucket until it is rolled all the way back. And third, raise the bucket only high enough to clear the stockpile. When the bucket has cleared the pile, stop raising it. These three actions should fill the bucket to the max every time when loading soft to medium material. If the material to be dug is virgin earth or medium to hard packed material, you may have to set the front-end loader up a little differently to maximize both the engine power and hydraulics. Upon entering hard packed material, the bucket may actually stick in the material. The front-end loader with the transmission engaged cannot produce enough power to drive the hydraulic pump fast enough to lift the bucket. To overcome this situation, most loaders have a clutch cutout feature. On newer models, when the lever or knob is activated, the transmission will automatically disengage when the brake pedal is pushed down. This allows the engine to run at a higher rpm and drive the hydraulic pump faster for better bucket movement. On some older model front-end loaders, the clutch cutout feature is activated by a floor-mounted pedal. Depressing the pedal will automatically disengage the transmission for increased hydraulic pump action. What a lot of novice operators forget to do is let the rpms drop back down before they disengage the clutch cutout feature. This high rpm transmission engagement creates severe jerking movement which is hard on equipment and the operator. Each loading application is different, but for the most part leave the clutch cutout lever in the drive position. The transmission will stay engaged when the brake pedal is applied and you should have sufficient power to drive the loader's hydraulics. With the bucket raised out of the pile, let off the accelerator and place the transmission in reverse. Look behind you before you take your foot off the brake and leave the stockpile. As soon as the loader starts to move away from the stockpile, immediately lower the loaded bucket close to the ground. Most accidents have been caused by inattentive operators backing the front-end loader with the bucket high in the air. They'll tip over so keep the bucket close to the ground at all times. Start turning the loader as you back away from the pile. Back up far enough so it's easy to line up with the parked dump truck when you move forward. What you're looking for is to reduce load cycle time by the shortest and most direct route to the dump truck. The dump truck should be positioned at a 45 degree angle to the stockpile. This parking area must be kept clear of mounds of material and as level as possible by the front-end loader. The smoother the surface, the easier it is on both operators. The dump truck should be parked with the window rolled up and the driver out of the cab. The tailgate should be locked in the closed position. The dump truck driver should be standing over to the side and out of the way as the loader approaches the truck. Simultaneously move the loader toward the truck and raise the bucket. The bucket should rise a above the side of the bed as the loader tires reach the edge of the truck. Do not run into the side of the truck with loader tires. This is a common cause for bent battery boxes, dented fuel tanks, and leaking rear axle seals. Bring the front-end loader close enough to the dump truck to place the bucket over the center of the bed. Also watch the front edge of the bucket closest to the headache wrap. You don't want to hit the rack. Hopefully the front-end loader bucket and the dump truck bed are size compatible. If the loader bucket is larger than the bed, some of the material to be loaded will spill over the tailgate and onto the ground. If the bucket is smaller, be prepared for additional trips to fill the truck. The first load dumped into the bed is the most important. Slowly uncurl or tilt the bucket forward and watch the material fall into the bed. If you're off-centered a little, move the loader forwards or backwards until you're centered. Continue tilting the bucket over and monitor the flow of material into the bed. The bucket may have to be raised to keep it from hitting the bed sides, tailgate, and headache wrap. When all the material has emptied from the bucket, reposition the bucket back to the level mark on the bucket position indicator. Back away from the dump truck and lower the bucket back down close to the ground. Most dump trucks need two or three bucket loads to fill the bed. You don't want to overload the truck by weight or volume. Likewise, you don't want to overload the bed to one side or pile the material so high that it falls over the sides and creates FOD problems. Back the loader up until you can turn and set the loader back up for the approach the stock pile step. Refill the loader bucket following the procedures just discussed. Think before you do that and don't worry about how slow you seem to be going. It's better to be slow and have a full bucket than be fast and only come away from the pile with half a load. Practice and experience will generate a smoother operation and speed. Continue loading until the dump truck is full and you signal the truck driver to leave the area. When the truck has departed, take a minute to dress up the area. Remove any excess material that may have flowed over the bed and onto the ground. Keeping the surface as smooth and level as possible will help foster a better working environment for all. What could be simpler than following four steps to load a front end loader bucket? Each step has a specific purpose that must be followed in order to fill the bucket each and every time you enter the stock pile. It's real easy to tell a proficient operator just by watching how smoothly they operate the front end loader and how full the bucket gets on each pass. Have you ever tried to dump a load of material and the material won't slide out under the tailgate? Before attempting to dump material, always check and or adjust the tailgate chains so the tailgate will swing all the way open. A thorough vehicle pre-operational inspection will catch this frequently overlooked step. This operator's tip has been provided in an effort to make you a more proficient pavements and construction equipment operator. Civil engineers must make the most of the construction equipment that they have available. The wheel mounted front end loader is no exception while the standard bucket on a front end loader can accomplish a lot of work for you. It's hard to beat the multi-segment or four-in-one bucket. This bucket can accomplish four different tasks. It can function as a regular bucket. When the bucket segments are opened all the way up it can perform dozer functions. Opened partway up you can load the bucket in the scraper position and the last function which uses the opening and closing of the bucket segments is called the clamshell method. This video will demonstrate how to pick up material using the clamshell method and how to deposit material in a dump truck using this same method. The multi-segment bucket is especially adaptable to picking up tree limbs and pieces of debris that otherwise could not be picked up with the standard bucket. These items are grabbed between the open bucket segments. Once clamped into position they may be transported or loaded into vehicles for disposal. On projects where you have to load material for transport off-site most of it can be loaded using the standard bucket technique. This method will work fine until you get down to the last little bit of material. No matter how hard you try all you seem to be doing is pushing this little pile all around because you can't get it to flow into the bucket. The clamshell method of loading a bucket is the answer to your problem. This method entails performing three steps. They are the approach, skid away, and fill. We'll cover each in detail to recover the last remaining pile of material. Let's start by preparing the bucket for the approach step. Watch the bucket position indicator and tilt or curl the bucket until the indicator is at the dozer position. Open the bucket until the front segment is opened all the way up. The back segment of the bucket should be relatively straight up and down. This part of the bucket will be pushing the material into a small pile. Do not repeat. Do not push or pull material with the front part of the bucket. The front segment is the weakest part of the bucket. It can easily be bent out of shape to the point where the bucket won't close properly. You may have to make several passes with the bucket in the dozer position to gather all the material into one pile. When all the material has been gathered make one last pass to force as much material as possible up against the rear of the bucket. Roll the bucket assembly forward until the front segment hits the ground on the far side of the pile. What you've done is literally trapped the material between both bucket segments. The second step in clamshell loading is called skid away. This step brings the two segments together and traps the material inside the bucket. Sounds simple enough. Just close the bucket together. Well it's not quite as easy as it sounds because both segments will try to dig into the ground. The trick is to get both segments to skim across the ground and not dig in. Place the lift control lever in the float position. This will allow the boom assembly to raise or lower automatically as the front segment closes. Slowly close the front segment and curl the bucket back at the same time. The front segment should just skim across the ground as it closes. Tilting the bucket back will help keep the material inside the bucket during the closing process. Continue tilting and closing the front segment until both bucket segments are closed tightly together. When the segments come together the bucket is in the last step filled. If you have accomplished the previous two steps correctly then most if not all of the material should be in the bucket. You're about to find out. Raise the bucket high enough to clear any obstacles six to eight inches and back up to see what's left of the pile. What you'll probably see is a small row of material similar to a windrow. After you have dumped the load just picked up return to the pile to pick up the remaining material. This time line up the front and loader to straddle the material that was left behind. Set the bucket to the approach step position and push the material into a small pile in front of the rear segment. Perform the skid away and fill steps as previously described to clean up the remaining material. This time when you backed away the area should be pretty clear at least as clear as you're going to get it with the front and loader. Let's take a minute to go over another way to deposit material in the dump truck. This time instead of just tilting the bucket over we will open the clam shell. Approach the dump truck with the bucket slowly rising in the air. When the bucket is above the bed height pull the loader forward until the bucket is centered over the middle of the bed. Once again watch the front part of the bucket to ensure it clears the headache rack. When the bucket is in position slowly open the clam shell to let the material flow out of the bucket and into the bed. If the material is not landing in the center of the bed simply move the loader forward or backwards. Continue to open the bucket until the material stops flowing. Tilt the rear segment forward just a little as material will stay trapped against the rear of the bucket. When all the material has stopped blowing close the clam shell. Back the loader away from the dump truck. When the bucket is clear of the truck lower it back down close to the ground. The scenario just covered helped to clear up the small piles of material from a job site. The clam shell loading technique can also be used to load out of large piles of material. However this technique usually isn't nearly as fast as the standard bucket loading technique. If you are handling material that is wet and likes to stick in the bucket try the clam shell method of dumping material. It will normally work better than just tilting the bucket over to dump. As this video has just demonstrated you can pretty well clean up the remnants of a stockpiled material with the multi-segment bucket. Using the clam shell method to load a bucket and dump material is another technique that every proficient equipment operator should have in their hip pocket when the need arises. As your civil engineer career grows so will the opportunity to use various equipment operating techniques. This program was produced for headquarters Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency Operation Support Directorate Training Division. We gratefully acknowledge the 96th Civil Engineer Group, Horizontal Repair Section, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and Silver Flag Exercise Site Pavements and Construction Equipment Cadre for their support in producing this program.