Take-Charge Loader Operators Fill Trucks Faster: Wheel loaders are most productive when trained operators spot trucks properly, fill the bucket in the power band, and automate repeated boom functions

摘要

Two key factors determine how fast a properly sized wheel loader can load trucks-the trucks' position relative to loading face, and how well the operator fills the bucket with each pass. Construction sites present some challenges that aren't found on a mine's loading floor, but most obstacles can be overcome.. Barely perceptible losses in loader efficiency can be quite costly. Suppose, for example, a 3-cubic-yard loader is loading a mixture of rock and dirt from a loose stockpile into 9-cubic-yard trucks. On a decent loading surface, a good operator can fill a bucket, dump it into a truck and get back to the face in 30 seconds. Assuming there are 50 minutes of work in every hour, you'd expect to move 133 truckloads in a morning But suppose the trucks aren't spotted properly and the operator isn't employing the loader's full power to fill the bucket quickly, and cycle time increases by 20 percent-adding just six seconds to each pass, You move 111 truckloads in four hours, That's 22 fewer trucks, leaving nearly 200 cubic yards of material on the pile.