Loading trucks can be laborious and time-consuming work, but it doesn’t always have to be. Here are some of the best industry tips and techniques to make loading materials into a truck easier and more effective:
- Plan your site to reduce travel distance. Loading near the stock pile will reduce fuel, tyre wear and time, making the job easier and more cost-effective.
- Reduce bucket wear. Ensure the wear edge of the bucket is the only point of contact with the ground when scooping, to reduce bucket wear and friction.
- Lift while crowding back in a stock pile. Gentle lifting motion with the arms can assist the bucket tear out pressure, to ensure full use of bucket capacity.
- Save material wastage and truck damage. Gently shake the full bucket to ensure excess material is not lost, avoiding damage to the trailer or hopper prior to dumping.
- Reduce machine wear and tear. A controlled approach into a stock pile is more effective and reduces wear and tear to the machine and attachment.
- Prevent loader over-turning. Always travel from stock pile to truck with the arms in a lowered position, to prevent overturning and excessive wear and tear on the machine boom pivots.
- Controlled lifting. Lift the arm boom in a controlled manner when machine travel speed is safe to do so on approach to the truck, to avoid losing the load or loader overturning.
- Controlled dumping. Always dump material in a controlled manner to ensure best placement, even distribution and unnecessary damage to the truck.
- Review your equipment. New technology is being refined and developed all time. Assess your resources to determine whether you have the right tools to do the job.
- Invest in a high dump bucket. Achieve the clearance, vision and fastest unloading times possible by upgrading from a standard to a high dump bucket.
