Work on a Firm Floor
Working on a firm, hard floor will improve wheel loader productivity. Making sure that you address this issue can pay dividends – some thoughts from the field.
Overview
Some loading tools are better at certain applications than others. One thing that can really reduce wheel loader productivity is working off a floor that has a high rolling resistance, that is, one that is not firm, but spongy.
While sometimes this is unavoidable, wherever possible, loaders should not be worked on a spongy floor for two main reasons:
- Safety
- Productivity
Safety
Operating off a soft, spongy floor can be a real challenge for even an experienced wheel loader operator. There is nothing more disconcerting than that point where you have the bucket high in the air ready to dump into the truck and a wheel drops into a spongy hole and the loader lurches (sometimes hitting the truck).
Realise as a supervisor or manager that if you are working wheel loaders in areas prone to spongy ground e.g. stripping, overburden removal etc. there are inherent safety risks in doing this.
Productivity
Spongy ground = high rolling resistance. This affects the productivity of both wheel loaders and haul trucks. While you can’t do that much about reducing rolling resistance for the trucks (other than perhaps run them on the top of the bench and top load with an excavator), you can (whenever possible) ensure that excavators or hydraulic shovels are used where floor condition conditions are sub-optimal.
Remember, high rolling resistance will slow the loader cycle time. Slowed loader cycle time equals reduced productivity. This combined with the fact that the ground is less predictable (and likely more slippery) will have a significant impact on the operation.
Action Item(s)
- Identify areas of the pit where there are spongy floors.
- Allocate loading tool type by role/bench area when scheduling equipment wherever possible.
Summary
Take the time to understand the impact of different applications on the safety and productivity of your machines. It is not always possible to avoid situations like spongy floors.
An awareness of the potential issues however will help you make more informed decisions.
This is part of an ongoing series of posts on the fundamentals of Load & Haul. If you like this post, please take the time to check out others in the series.