Productivity

The relationship between haul road quality, productivity and unit cost is undoubtedly complex and different for every mine. However, in all cases, it does exist. A full analysis requires many factors to be considered including: Expected haulage (quantified) for each segment Haulage units (ie size, gross weight, rimpull and retardation) Availability of material to build subgrade, pavement and wearing courses Climactic variations in rainfall and temperature Construction and

A common issue for many sites is getting excavator bucket sizing right. It seems straightforward on the face of it – you order a given size and that’s what should arrive. In practice, it’s not that simple. Typically, GP buckets for 30t excavators can vary by more than 12%. If you’re working to a 10% margin, that could mean the difference between making or losing money. When excavators are hired for a site, it’s important to stipulate bucket sizes and then run a check to see

On the face of it, the question ‘how much is a cubic metre’ is pretty simple: it’s the volume occupied by a cube where all sides are 1m in length. However, for those of us working in bulk earthworks, it’s slightly more complicated. Three stages of earthmoving Earthmoving generally involves three processes: Digging Hauling Placing At each of these stages, the material has a different density. That’s why we like to be careful with how we name the volume it occupies. What’

If you’re involved in earthmoving, then you probably need at least some understanding of Ground Engaging Tools – or GET. It’s something we take very seriously because we have firsthand experience on projects where getting it right made the difference between just breaking even and exceeding forecast cost rates. The role of GET in your production rates While many projects get their GET right, there are just as many that don’t. Too often, we see plant hire agreements where th

For a while, it looked like we were seeing the end of scrapers on civil projects. The availability of 50T mine trucks, and the lower running cost of articulated units, combined with a shrinking pool of experienced operators, were making scrapers something of a secondary consideration. Nevertheless, good things tend to last and, in recent years, there has been renewed interest in using scrapers on civil projects. This is because people have realised their natural predator – t