Universal machines essential in earthworks
Scrapers combine the features of mining and transport machines, which makes their cost-to-work efficiency ratio very favorable and thus they enjoy great recognition among their owners. They are primarily used during road construction, but can also be found in many other places, such as leveling areas for airports, work on large housing estates, or in industrial plants.
Scraper - machine characteristics
The work of a scraper takes place in a cyclic system and includes the following processes: soil cutting (up to 0.5m), filling it into the box, transport of overburden (at a distance from several dozen meters to even several kilometers), unloading and return (so-called idle run).
The aforementioned box (together with the cutting edge) is the most important working element and based on the criterion of its capacity, scrapers are divided into small (capacity up to 5m³), medium (5-15m³) and large (above 15 m³).
The scraper is a machine whose work always goes forward, and the work cycle can take place using the following types of movement: bidirectional, zigzag, figure-eight, and circular also called elliptical.
The efficiency of the work carried out depends on several variables: the type of soil, the size of the box, the way the work is carried out, or the properties of the scraper itself.
There are many criteria for classifying these machines, and the most popular divisions include:
- Depending on the type of driving system:
- self-propelled scrapers
- trailer scrapers
- scraper sets
- scrapers with a pusher
- Depending on the type of towing tractor:
- crawler
- wheeled
- Depending on the method of loading the overburden:
- bottom-up
- assisted by a system
- Depending on the method of unloading:
- forward
- backward
- rotary
Scraper work technology
We distinguish 2 basic ways of detaching the soil using scrapers:
- flat – the working tool, which is the knife, is lowered to the maximum possible depth, and then as the box load increases, the depth of the knife lowering decreases.
- comb – during the distance covered, the box is lowered and raised several times.
In addition to the basic function, which is of course scraping and transporting overburden, scrapers perform a number of other tasks such as:
- leveling the terrain
- building embankments
- cutting slopes
- building excavations
Grader - brief machine description
This machine has a very versatile application, but it is primarily used for leveling the processed terrain for road construction, airports or cubature investments. However, there is nothing to prevent this machine from being used in such activities as cutting earth banks, tearing up old surfaces, digging ditches, mixing road aggregate or even snow removal (in this case, special care should be taken for any invisible obstacles hidden under the snow).
Grader division
The basic division takes into account the frame construction and for this reason we distinguish graders:
self-propelled, further divided into two-axle and three-axle (consisting of two rear axles and one front), and a separate category is towed graders.
Currently, the most popular are graders equipped with a articulated frame, which are more efficient than other models. Especially in narrow and spatially limited terrain, the possibility of using such machines is invaluable.
Grader equipment
The working devices of the grader include, first of all, the plow, which is the basic tool used for scraping the soil layer, and the second is the ripper - used mainly when the top layer of soil is too hard for the use of the plow.
In modern machines, equipment and navigation systems have been greatly developed, which has improved efficiency and thus the speed of work.
Various automation systems and digital measurement are already commonplace - the use of laser measurements, a special system for monitoring work and the position of the plow (based on GPS technology). Finally, it is worth mentioning that graders are machines that can be controlled mechanically or hydraulically.
Which machine to buy?
When deciding to buy a scraper or grader, several aspects should be taken into account - primarily the scale of planned works and the type of material the machine will face.
Taking these factors into account, we select equipment of the appropriate size, models are available from a few to even over 30 tons, and some graders have an operating mass exceeding 70 tons.
Of course, when buying such as well as any other machine, a thorough assessment of the technical condition of the equipment is very important and therefore it is worth entrusting this task to people who know their stuff and have the appropriate experience.
It is worth remembering that basic components such as the driving system, combustion engine, or hydraulic system should be thoroughly evaluated, as they guarantee the smooth operation of the machine during daily use.
