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West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge | How far can you move dirt with each method efficiently? Have some project that will involve moving subsoil from 100 up to over 500 feet. Currently have track hoe and truck, looking to get either a big dozer cat or a big scraper to pull with a 4WD tractor. How far can I push dirt with a Cat before I am better off loading it in a scraper, and how far with a scraper before I'm better off loading it in the truck?
Edit to add, this is all heavy sticky clay. And I already have a 12 foot 6 way blade on a tractor for spreading/ levelling, but it's not enough tractor to move compacted dirt.
Edited by Alberta Farmer 4/9/2018 10:21
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Norhtwest Iowa | I'd say get a scraper, you can use it to pack also. |
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north-central Indiana west of Fulton | I agree with Pete, scraper is best. Dozer the worst for that distance. We have a small 2 1/4 yard scraper and have moved a lot of dirt over the last 45 years. A bigger one would really be nice. |
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S.E. Iowa | Lots of variables to consider. If not much dirt to move then use what you got available if conditions allow. Kinda depends on cost and availibility of optional equipment.
I feel like our D7 starts getting pretty inefficient at 200 plus feet but will go 300 feet for a while to avoid moving the scraper in. The larger the Dozer, the longer the efficient push.
Scraper might be best option for you as long as you don't need another machine to assist in some way (2 motors running).
Track hoe and haul trucks and scattering machine are more for longer hauls(3 motors running).
Good luck. |
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Camp Douglas Wi. 40miles nw of wi. dells | Scraper all the way; Spring of 07 putting up another grain bin and build a road around all the bins for better semi traffic, got hold of couple contracters to move sand 1/2 mile, they wanted $25k, Got to shopping around and fond demo Ashland 13 yard direct mount scraper bought it for $29k, hooked it up to one of our 8410Ts, took me 4 days to move the dirt. Then to my suprise we could dig waterways in alot faster and cheaper, filled in ditches then tilled, along with custom work in the neighbor hood we payed for the scraper twice the first year. Its in the top 10 ROI on our farm. Still have it, never needs anything but a grease gun.
Dan |
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West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge | This looks unanimous for a scraper.
I should add that I would have other uses for a Cat, but most of those can be done by the hoe, but not quite as efficient. I'm looking at Cat's that are close to the end of their lives, so that when something major goes wrong it is painless to scrap it, a big scraper of any age will cost at least as much as an old cat. But will cost much less going forward. |
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| cheaper to carry wet dirt, then to push it |
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East Central Saskatchewan | Scraper. To move dirt that far with a cat and if moving as much as it seems, you need a D10 plus for that kind of stuff to get anything done. Most farmers don't have the budget for that. A big scraper can get a lot done with a good sized tractor on it. Could you hire a motor scraper to come in for a couple days? You can really move some dirt with those. |
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West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge | Is there a limit to how wet the dirt can be for a scraper? This clay does not flow, never turns to powder. Will it unload regardless?
Will stripping topsoil be faster with a scraper? |
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Sac & Story county IA | I can do a better job with a scraper. Both where I get dirt and where I place it. Also, make a few passes on where last load was placed with full scraper to achieve density. Top load scraper with track hoe if you want. Sitting in nice tractor with right temperature air in face beats heck out of open dozer. You can go a lot faster with power shift, rubber tire, tractor than steel tracks. |
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| There are 3 different types of scrapers that I am relatively familiar with. You can get the self loaders with the chain and paddles-they also self unload. Little more complicated in that lots of moving parts. Then there are the "push off" type that will use a hydraulic ram to unload the pan, and finally the tip up pan that hydraulically tips the bowl and soil flows out. I have only used the latter two and can say that the tip up will tend to hold the sticky soils and takes some banging up and down to get the soil out but they are the cheapest and easiest to maintain. The hydraulic push out cleans things out pretty well. Seen the self loaders work and seem to do good job of loading and cleaning out. Just depends on how many yards you have to move, how far, what you have to pull it with, and your wallet. Good Luck. |
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south east SD | 18 years ago I needed fill for a new shed. Contractor came with a scraper, hooked it to my JD 4650. Took his trackhoe to dig a hole and the dirt went in the scraper that I pulled to the dump spot. It was 50 yard one way. His wife had the grade stick to help fill it in level. Always pulled across full to pack then dump. She was good at getting it packed and level as we went. |
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South Texas | If you have the 4wd already, get the scraper. 17 yard pans can be had around $20k, here. Or $50k for an 18 yard ejector. Depending on the size of job you might want two. Ejector lays the dirt out nicer, works better in wet sticky dirt, but I’ve moved plenty with pans. |
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Wallis, TX | Back in college I took a CE cost estimating course. Prof was really good(had actually worked in construction) and he said somewhere between a 100 feet to a hundred yards was the breaking point between a dozen and scraper.
As to scraper vs truck it would depend on several factors. Depth of cut, compaction needed on fill ( scraper will normally pack enough), road conditions, and of course length of haul. Really need to do a cycle time analysis for each job. |
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Nw Iowa | We have a Ashland 11 yd and can pull it with a 300 hp front assist easily, Can pull it with a 4440 if only want to fill it about 2/3 full. I was hauling clay fill alittle over a mile and did it very efficiently. Not only are you dumping but partially packing. I have a excavator and a 17' dump truck and thought that would be faster but didn't hold a candle to the scraper. Love the Ashland, pulls nice and completely cleans out and spreads nice. A few shots of grease and ready for the day and never get out of the tractor seat. 1 man can get a lot done. |
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West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge | Next question. I tend to do most of my dirt work in early Winter or early spring, Typically below freezing temperatures. So less moving parts and Mess cleanup required at the end of the day would be best, What that be a pushoff type? |
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Camp Douglas Wi. 40miles nw of wi. dells | Our Ashland 130 is pushoff, that would work good in freezing weather as it would clean itself with a little shovel work when you shut down at night.
Dan |
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210 Industrial Dr., Arlington Wisconsin 53911 | If a lot of dirt needs moving I agree on scraper. In my case I had to move dirt about 150'
I used a D3C Cat to break the ground loose and a big bucket skid loader to move dirt. It
was quick and was great to level the grade. I did a lot 200' x 300' long at grade at the top
of the 200' side and 7' deep at the bottom. I'm sure it took longer but its what I had
available. Later sold the cat and the skid loader is still with me. |
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| Here is a handy chart I found as to the optimal distances for moving dirt efficiently: 
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Southern Alberta | Depending on how much dirt you have to move, Flamans rentals has reasonably priced leon 10 yd scrapers for rent. They will dump wet clay no problem. I would try and move the dirt in a dry season when it is not freezing at night. Job will go much faster and less trouble. |
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West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge | If Only we had a dry season ... We have frozen season and a mud season. We start seating before it is dry enough to work, and finish combining into frost which doesn't leave much time either |
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Moving dirt with Dozer vs. scraper vs. truck, distances and efficiency?
