L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024

024

Front-end Loader Dozer

Scraper

Course Instructor
Dr. Sunita Mishra
Assistant Professor
Department of Mining Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Kharagpur, West Bengal - 721302.

Introduction
• The machine accepts and delivers load • This equipment is designed to • A dozer consists of a large,
through the front portion and hence the dig, haul, dump and spread vertically curved steel blade
name front-end loader. material. mounted at a fixed distance
in front of a tractor, secured
• It is also referred to by various other • The cutting edge on the front of
by arms on a pivot or shaft
names such as pay – loader, shovel dozer the scraper bowl is lowered into
near the horizontal centre of
and tracavator. the ground and the forward
the crawlers and the blade
motion of the scraper causes dirt
• These machines mainly handle loose itself can be raised or
to flow up into the bowl.
materials in dumping yards either to load lowered or tilted vertically by
railway wagons or other modes of transport means of control cables or
equipment. hydraulic rams.
• The main functions of these machines are • The operating weights of a
to accept the material from the dumping dozer are 21,000kg; 33,460
yard, carry it to the loading point and, after kg; 44,900 kg.
discharging it at the loading point, to finally
travel back to the starting point.

Prof. Sunita Mishra 1

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Classification of Front-end loader

• Depending upon type of mountings:
• Wheel mounted machine (Mounted on four wheels, Mobility
and maneuverability is much more in case. They can travel
at a faster rate, but the capacity is limited.)
• Crawler mounted machine (Rests on two crawler units.
They can negotiate a high gradient road or floor with heavy
load.)
• Depending upon type of transmission:
• Power transmission through mechanical means (Power is
transferred to the driving wheels through mechanical
components, as found in automobiles.)
• Power transmission through hydro-mechanical system
(Power transfer to the driving wheel is partly through
mechanical components and partly through a hydraulic
system.)
• Depending upon the technique used in activating the bucket:
• Gravity dump buckets (Have an arrangement to release the
loaded bucket under gravity. These buckets are lifted up
either by a rope pulley or by a hydraulic jack system.)
• Power controlled buckets (Under the control of the operator
whether they are lifted or lowered. They are usually
controlled by a hydraulic system.)

Components
The following are the components of a front-end loader.
(i) Engine
(ii) Bucket
(iii) Arms
(iv) Steering system
(v) Transmission system
(vi) Hydraulic circuit for bucket operation
(vii) Brakes
(viii) Undercarriage unit of frame

Prof. Sunita Mishra 2

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Buckets
• The buckets used here are similar in shape and size to those
used in hydraulic shovel.
• They are mostly overturning buckets.
• The buckets are either fitted with a cutting edge or teeth at the
front end are usually made of manganese steel.

Arms
• These are mechanical linkages operated by a
piston cylinder arrangement.
• There are two types of operations performed
here.
• The lower piston - cylinder arrangement provides
an up and down movement to the bucket.
• While the upper piston - cylinders provide a wrist
action of the bucket for loading, discharge and or
turning of the bucket about the central axis of the
bucket
• There is another type of arm provided, which
holds the bucket with the help of a rope pulley
system and the bucket is allowed to fall under
gravity.
• Pivot points of the bucket are allowed to pass
through a guide channel placed at the front of the
machine.

Prof. Sunita Mishra 3

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Transmission System
• There are two types of transmission system.
• In a wheel mounted loader, the engine delivers power through
the torque converter, gear box, universal joints, propeller shaft,
differential & finally to the driving wheels. This is the rear wheel
drive system.
• In case of all wheel driven units an auxiliary gear box is fitted to
deliver power to the front wheel through a universal joint
propeller shaft and differential.

• In a crawler mount loader various design have been produced.

The more important among them are as follows:
• Conventional type: Here power from the engine is delivered to
the transmission through the torque converter. Finally, power
from the transmission is delivered to the two driving sprockets
through an individual clutch.
• Hydrostatic drive: Power from the engine is delivered to a
torque converter and then to a gear box. The output shaft of the
gear box has two ends, which drive two separate hydraulic
pumps, and these pumps drive two hydraulic motors. These
motors can be controlled individually by the operator from his
seat.

Hydraulic system for bucket operation

The circuit consists of the following components.
a) Oil tank
b) Oil pump
c) Control valve
d) Lift or hoist cylinders
e) Tilt or dump cylinders
f) Leavers for operating control valve
g) Double open relief valve.

The following are the different operating positions of the bucket:

a) Hold position
b) Raising or lowering bucket
c) Float position
d) Tilting position

Prof. Sunita Mishra 4

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Hydraulic system for bucket operation

Hold Position: When both the control levers are in the hold position, the oil is supplied from the tank through a
pump to the control valve and back to the oil tank. Thus, oil in the hoist line is being trapped and no hoist action
takes place.
Raising or Lowering Bucket: When the lever is pulled to the raise position, the spool valve of the control valve
opens to such a position that oil flows to the bottom of the hoist cylinder thereby forcing the piston and the
bucket is raised, while oil from the other side of the piston flows back to the tank through the control valve.
When the lever is pulled to the lower position, the spool valve is shifted to direct the oil to flow from the top of
the hoist cylinder thereby lowering the bucket. Oil in the base ends of the cylinder is forced back to the tank
through the control valve.
Float Position: When the control leaver is moved to the float position, the spool valve is so shifted that the oil
trapped at the base ends of the hoist cylinders is released. The weight of the bucket forces the hoist piston to
move downwards and expel the oil out and back to tank, while a fraction of the oil is redirected to the top of the
hoist cylinders to fill up the void created due to bucket lowering.
Tilting Position: When the control leaver is in the ‘dump’ or ‘tilt’ position, the control valve directs oil at the
base end of the tilting cylinders, thereby tilting the bucket in a forward direction. Excess oil pressure that may
develop in this line is taken care of by a dual open relief valve so that excess oil may be returned to either the
control valve or to the tank. To prevent cavitation at the base end of the tilt cylinders during rapid dumping, the
dual relief valve opens thereby sucking oil from the tank return line and maintaining pressure.
When the control valve is moved to the ‘tilt back’ position, oil is directed to the top of the tilt-hoist cylinders and
the bucket is retracted to its initial position while oil from the base end of the tilt cylinders is forced back to the
tank through the control valve.

Steering system
• There are two types of such a system, one for a wheel mounted unit and the other for a
crawler mounted unit.
• Wheel mounted steering is governed by a hydraulic system.
• The steering system of a crawler mounted unit is the same as has been discussed for the shovel.
• Each crawler assembly is individually controlled by a separate clutch. By engaging the clutches fully
and or partly the rpm of the driving sprockets can be varied thereby the machine accordingly.

10

Prof. Sunita Mishra 5

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Comparison of Crawler Mounted with Wheel Mounted Unit

Crawler unit: Wheel unit
1. Tractive effort is more 1. Less tractive effort
2. Can negotiate high gradients 2. There is some restriction and limitation in
negotiating gradients.
3. Bearing pressure for the ground required to
support the machine is less 3. Bearing pressure for the ground is more.
4. The machine are stable 4. Less stable in comparison with crawler unit
5. Speed is less, being limited to 8 to 15 km/ 5. Can be operated at speeds of 30 to 40
hours. km/hours.
6. Economical travelling up to 100 m. 6. Economic distance is about 300 m.
7. Difficult to steer and manoeuver near 7. Mobility is more.
dumping
8. Road damage is less during operation.
8. Less mobile equipment
9. It damages the road as it operates.

11

Braking System
There are two types of brakes used here. They are:

• Hydraulic brakes: This system is very similar to that of an automobile brake. This consist of
master cylinder, pedal lever, pipelines and brake-shoe assembly.

• Parking brakes: This brake is applied when the machine is allowed to stop on a temporary
basis or to reduce the speed at times. This is a mechanical linkage hand operated brake.
Brakes are usually operated at the rear wheel side. Rear wheel brake-shoe assemblies are
connected through a mechanical linkage to the hand lever. The brakes are applied by
operating the hand lever.

12

Prof. Sunita Mishra 6

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Undercarriage Unit
• Chassis or frame of the wheel mounted unit is similar to that of dumper.
• This consists of a main frame made up of two parallel channel members. The channel members are
connected rigidly by a bracing member.
• The front end of the frame is suitably shaped to accommodate the front structure. A counter weight is
attached at the rear end of the frame.
• This frame supports the engine, bucket and its arms and other accessories on the upper side, while
the whole of the above along with the frame is supported on four wheels.
• Crawler mounted undercarriage units have constructional feature similar to those of the diesel shovel
undercarriage unit.
• It has two crawler units that have a driving sprocket, driving wheel and tension adjustment
arrangement.
• It has also an endless chain over which shoes with grousers are fitted. The chains are supported at
the middle by support rollers and track rollers.
• The two crawler units are connected to the main frame of the machine.

13

Operation
The work cycle consists of load, haul, dump and return. The work cycle begins with the loader facing
the materials to be loaded.

• The bucket is lowered to the ground level and rotated forward so that the flat front portion of the
bucket lies on the ground. The load is broken out of the surrounding material by rotating the bucket
and lifting slightly. This is known as loading of the bucket.

• When the bucket is loaded, the loader is reversed and maneuvered to the dumping point, which is
known as hauling.

• At the dumping point the bucket is raised, if necessary, to clear the point. Discharging of the
material is done by rotating the bucket all the way forward to spill out the material.

• The loader is then backed away and maneuvered so that it again faces the material to be loaded,
thereby completing the cycle.

14

Prof. Sunita Mishra 7

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Scraper

15

Self-Propelled Scraper
The following are the main parts of the scraper as shown
in Figure.
• The bowl holds the dirt. In some scrapers the bowl is
hinged and tips forward to roll the material out. In
others a tailgate, which is a wall in the rear bowl, is
used to push the material out. The bowl is held in
position by two lift cylinders. The cylinders are
mounted on a frame.
• The apron may be a straight or curved wall in the front
of the bowl, which opens and closes to regulate the
flow of earth in and out of the bowl. The movement of
the apron is also controlled by a separate piston
cylinder arrangement.
• The cutting edge is lowered into the dirt to make a
shallow cut.
• Scrapers are rated according to capacity, struck and/or
heaped, preferably both.
• Two scraper bowls may have the same struck capacity
but exhibit different heaped capacities. This means
that one bowl design sacrifices bowl height for width
and possible length, thus increasing the heaped
capacity, whereas the other is built tall and narrow.

16

Prof. Sunita Mishra 8

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Classification of Scraper
This equipment can be classified in the following manner:
(i) Self-propelled scraper
(ii) Towed Scraper
• Both of them can be either cable controlled or hydraulically
controlled.
• These are also classified as free, half-forced and forced
discharged types.
• They are also designated by the bowl capacity.

17

Self-Propelled Scraper
• Scrapers can be pulled either by crawler tractor or rubber tyred self-propelled
tractor.
• Crawler tractors were the earliest and still in wide use.
• They exhibit their usual tremendous tractive effort, which is made available for
loading and grade climbing processes.
• But they are not well suited for haulage with a maximum speed only 8 to 10
km/hour.
• They are generally selected for short hauls of up to 350 m and for movement
over rough ground and high ground.

18

Prof. Sunita Mishra 9

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Self-Propelled Rubber Tyre Tractor Scraper

• Have high haulage speed, which may reach as much as 50 km/hour, but a
sacrifice in tractive effort has to be made in terms of road holding capacity.
• The use of pusher tractor, however, provides the extra effort when it is needed
during the lower portion of the cycle.
• These are available as four-wheel units or as two-wheel overhung units.
• Four-wheel units are usually selected for projects requiring long hauls at very
high speeds of up to 50 km/hour. Their stability, smoothness of riding and ease
of operation not only give confidence to the operator but also make them a safer
unit to operate.
• Two-wheel overhung tractors are used where speeds of under 30 km/hour are
required. A lower number of wheels means lower operating and maintenance
cost and give greater facility for maneuvering in limited areas prior to loading and
unloading.
• The mechanisms that activate the apron, the ejector and the lowering or raising
of the bowl are either cable, electric or hydraulically controlled. The oldest
method, and one which is still in use, is the cable, but more recently electric and
hydraulic units have appeared with the hydraulic system being the most
successful.

19

Towed Scraper
• The scraper unit of this type is usually mounted on four wheels as shown in
Figure.
• These wheels carry only the load of the machine and materials. They are neither
steered nor driven.
• This is attached at the rear side of the tractor.
• The individual motion of the scraper body is performed by two drum power
controls units mounted on the back of the tractor.
• These consist of a pair of highspeed winches driven by the power take off shaft
and controlled separately by friction clutches and brakes.

20

Prof. Sunita Mishra 10

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Different Components
The following are the components of a scraper:
(i) Bowl, apron, cutting edge.
(ii) Transmission system
(iii) Steering system
(iv) Braking system
(v) Control Unit (cable or hydraulic)

21

Different Components
Bowl: This is a box type container open at the top. The bottom and sides are part
of the body. The bowl may be shaped in two way-box type or oval shaped at its
lower portion. Sometimes the bowl is hinged & tips forward to roll the material out.

Apron: The front wall of the bowl is known as the apron. This may be a straight
wall or a curved wall, which is operated to control the material flow, this movement
may be controlled by a cable or a piston – cylinder arrangement.

Cutting Edge: This is made of wear resistant steel bolted onto the bowl bottom
and is made of three pieces; the middle one is long and the two sides are short in
length.

22

Prof. Sunita Mishra 11

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Different Components
Transmission System: The transmission system is similar to that of Dumper
transmission system as shows in Figure.

• Travel speeds are as follows: Forward 8.5 km/hr to 44.1 km/hr, Reverse 4.4
km/hr.

• There are five forward gears and one reverse gear.

• Steering and braking systems are the same type as that of a Dumper.

23

Different Activities of Scraper

The following are the different steps of scraper operation:
(i) Digging/loading: The tailgate is retracted to its extreme position, the apron is opened partly
and the bowl is lowered until the cutting-edge rest on or penetrates into the ground. The pushing
tractor runs in a suitable gear. By regulating the depth of the cut (about 10 to 20 cm.), slices of
earth or material are fed into the bowl. The process is continued till the bowl is filled.

(ii) Hauling: Transporting of load from the face to the dumping pit is referred to as hauling.
During hauling the bowl is raised sufficiently above the ground so that the lower portion of the
bowl does not hit any object on the haul road. Raising of the bowl should be controlled according
to the grade of the haul road, and in extreme cases the bowl should not be dragged over the haul
road to make it more suitable. Caution should be taken during movement of the scraper down a
gradient and during turning.

(iii) Dumping and spreading: The bowl is lowered until the cutting edge touches the ground.
The apron is then raised just enough for the material from the bowl to start flowing. The tailgate
is then moved forward gradually, discharging the material form the bowl.

During this activity the scraper is allowed to move, so that the material is spread in a layer. When the
spreading is complete the gate is fully retracted, the apron is dropped and the bowl is raised to the
carrying position.

24

Prof. Sunita Mishra 12

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Dozer

25

Classification of Dozer
There are six major types of dozers:
I. Straight or bulldozers: It is the conventional dozer with
a cutting edge and a blade at right angles to the
longitudinal axis of the tractor. The blade can be raised,
lowered and tilted slightly, but cannot be angled to the
direction of travel. This type of dozer is used for pushing
material in a straight path, especially when operating in
a self-cut slot.

II. Angle Dozers: In this type, the blade can be turned at

an angle to the direction of travel as shown in the figure.
For this purpose, the blade is generally activated by
hydraulic rams. It can carry continuously a full load at a
greater speed than a straight blade can, even though its
capacity is smaller. A particularly important feature is that
it can throw off a window on one edge of the blade, a
feature required when grading haul roads. It is also
useful in cutting away the toes of earth embankments or
making hillside cuts.

26

Prof. Sunita Mishra 13

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Classification
There are six major types of dozers:
III. Tilt dozers: The tilt dozer is a modification of the
straight dozer, has a blade which can be pitched
through vertical arc of a degrees when top of the
blade is pitched to the rear. It cuts better, which is
advantageous for hard material. When the top of
the blade is pitched forward, its capacity for
carrying loose material such as light soils,
increases.

IV. Push dozers: The push dozer has a blade which

has been reinforced in the centre with a heavy
steel plate. The shape and size of the plate and
often the blade itself is such that the rear types of
the unit being pushed, usually in a tractor scraper
will not be damaged. The primary purpose of the
push dozer is to make contact with the scraper’s
push block so as to combine its drawbar pull with
that of the tractor scraper to speed up the loading
of the scraper and to boost it on its way to fill the
area.

27

Classification of Dozers
There are six major types of dozers:
V. U-shaped dozers: The U-shaped blade is
horizontally curved dozer designed for the straight
pushing of free- flow or light material. This blade is
an attempt to overcome excessive blade roll-off of
the material. The U-blade carries a large load, 20-
30 percent more than the straight blade, but does
not have its digging power. The situation can be
improved by fitting digging teeth at the corners.

VI. Brush or rock rakes: The wide variety of blade

modifications includes rakes of different sizes to
handle brush and rocks. Stingers or shearing
blades mounted on the dozer blade will cut all but
the largest trees.

28

Prof. Sunita Mishra 14

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Classification
Dozers can also be classified in the following way:
I. Wheel-mounted dozer
II. Crawler-mounted dozer
III. Dozer with cable operated blade
IV. Dozer with hydraulically operated blade

29

Components
A dozer consists of the following components – blade, arms,
undercarriage unit, transmission system and blade operation
system (cable control and hydraulic control unit).

• Blade: This has a rectangular base and the back structure with a
knife edge riveted to the bottom part. The body is a steel
structure and the edge of which projects ahead is made of hard
steel. Dimension (through varying from design to design) used
so far are 4260 × 1060; 3460 × 1280 mm, etc.
The edge is usually in three pieces, a wide centre and two
corners which are bolted or riveted. They are of a system (cable
control and hydraulic control unit).

• Arms: Arms provided to the dozer blade are made of two parts.
They are push arms and pitch arms.
• Push Arms: These are heavy hollow beams connected from
hinge points of the body to the bottom of the table. They are
usually mounted on the outside track frame; however, there are
some designs where frames are fixed on the inside of the track
frame.

30

Prof. Sunita Mishra 15

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Components
• Pitch Arms: These are diagonal bracing members placed
between the push arm and top of the blade. They provide
support when the load above the line of the push arm. They also
help in controlling the pitch and tilt of the blade. They are either
single piece members or two-piece members. Two-piece
members help in lengthening or shortening the pitch arms,
thereby helping in forward and backward tipping.

• Undercarriage Unit: This consists of two crawler units mounted

on their frames. The driving sprocket is fitted at the rear end
while the idle wheel is fitted at the front of the frame. An endless
chain passes over the driving sprocket and the idle wheel and is
supported in between by carrier rollers and track rollers. Shoes
are fitted on the endless chain throughout its length. The tension
adjustment is fitted between the crawler frame and the idle wheel
to adjust chain sag. Shoe construction is as shown in Figure.

31

Components
• Transmission System: Power delivered from the engine is distributed for the travelling of the
machine and for running auxiliary components. For machine travel, power from the engine is
delivered to the main gear box through the main clutch and is usually mounted on the outside track
frame; however, there are some designs where the frames are fixed on the inside of the track frame
intermediate brake. This gear box has two output shafts. One is the power take-off (P.T.O.) shaft to
drive the cable control unit and the other drives a bevel gear shaft, which in turn drives two
sprockets through steering clutches and reduction gear boxes.
• For running auxiliary components like steering pump, main clutch pump, power control unit (PCU)
and the drive shaft, power is taken through a suitable gearing arrangements as shown in Figure.
• The machine is steered by controlling the steering clutches individually. During the forward motion of
the machine both the steering clutches are fully engaged, while the steering clutches at the left and
the right are engaged or disengaged accordingly to turn left or right.

• Blade Control: This is usually done by two methods:

Cable controlled, or Hydraulic control.

32

Prof. Sunita Mishra 16

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Cable Control Dozer

This is again divided into two types depending on the position of
mounting.
I. Front mounted unit, and
II. Rear mounted unit.

Front mounted unit: The control unit is mounted at the front of the
dozer near the engine crank shaft One drum is provide, which is
operated by the crank shaft. The drum is controlled by a clutch and a
brake with suitable lever arrangement. The cable is reeved upward to
hoist sheaves along with the blade.

Rear mounted unit: The control unit is placed at the rear end of the
machine, where it is driven by power take off (PTO) shaft. The number
of drums vary from one to three. Each of them is controlled by a clutch
and a brake. The cable is wound around the sheaves through the pipe
or guard channel on the side of the radiator form where it goes to hoist
blade as indicated in Figure.

33

Merits and Demerits of Front and Rear Cable Control Unit

1. Front control unit (FCU) is very simple in construction.
2. F.C.U is subjected to less wear and tear, hence maintenance cost is less
3. Operation time lag is less in FCU
4. The rear control unit (RCU) can precisely control blade operation.
5. Heavier blades can be operated by RCU.

34

Prof. Sunita Mishra 17

L14_FrontendLoader_Scraper_Dozer_29thOct2 29/10/2024
024

Operation of Dozer
• Digging: This is performed by moving the dozer in a forward direction. During this
operation the edge of the blade may be in the same horizontal plane as the crawlers. For
dip cutting, the edge along with the blade may be lowered.

• Braking Piles: Material stored in bulk, in the form of a pile, may be knocked down and
redistributed in the remaining space by walking the crawler into it with the blade at the
desired angle.

• Transporting and Spreading: These activities are done within a limit of about 100 m.
Transportation is done by dragging the loose soil by the dozer blade in front of the
equipment. The spreading of loose material is done by adjusting the dozer blade slightly
above the ground.

35

Prof. Sunita Mishra 18