Loading Tool Production Calculation

Bob Jones, Komatsu Australia

A commonly asked question of earthmoving equipment suppliers is: How much can I move with a wheel loader or excavator?

A good question and one that needs a better response than the maximum theoretical production possible in perfect conditions.

A number of earthmoving equipment suppliers have both simple and detailed programmes available for determining production capabilities but there are many variables that need to be factored in to come to what we could term “Practical Production Capability”.

Factors such as weather conditions, operator skills, equipment condition, ground conditions, fragmentation, bucket configuration, bucket size in relation to truck capacity, tight site operating conditions, available hours versus actual site hours, crusher capacity, etc. etc. all have an influence on the actual production capability.

For instance, a loader or excavator maybe able to produce at one rate simply side casting or load and carry, but at a significantly lower rate if required to load out trucks.

Often it is possible to get a good feel for actual production capabilities of a different piece of equipment by doing some site measurements and applying the same constraint factors to the new equipment.

However, it is like the computer reports:

Junk in = Junk Out.

Consult your earthmoving supplier for more details of support services that assist you – the end user – in getting the best solution for the task.

In the end neither the end user nor supplier is a winner with a product supplied but not well suited to the task.

Some simple methods of calculating production are shown below but must be adjusted to take into account the above factors.

Bob Jones, Komatsu Australia
Includes some internal Komatsu training material

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