How to dig gravel out of hillside

[rickyb01]

I recently purchased an 28,000lb excavator and I’m trying to figure the best way to dig gravel with it. Prior to excavator I dug into hillside with a back hoe. I basically scraped the wall of gravel down and pushed it up with the front bucket and loaded in dump truck. Does this seem that be the way to do it with excavator. I have tried digging from up top but can’t dig but straight in front of me. This is some hard gravel.

 

[bmaverick]

- Pickax a hole about 2-inches in diameter and 8 inches deep.
- Clean the area of all living moving things.
- Next place in the DYNAMITE with a long slow burning fuse wick.
- Review your escape route, mainly 90 degrees to run away from the blasting.
- Take a smoke break.
- With the last few puffs, take a deep one and lite the wick.
- Run like hell.

And that sir is how Clint Eastwood did it.

 

[CADplans]

Every construction site, or mine that I have seen excavators doing this type digging,,,
the excavator is ONLY used to dig from the top.

I think if you look at the specs of the machine,
you can probably generate close to double the force when digging from the top, compared to digging from below.

That is a MAJOR advantage,,

Not being able to dig in front of you is only a practice thing,, you will learn quickly.
It is kinda like walking into a pitch black dark room, you will remember where the chair is, after stubbing your toe 2 or 3 times.

 

[CADplans]

- Pickax a hole about 2-inches in diameter and 8 inches deep.
- Clean the area of all living moving things.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
And that sir is how Clint Eastwood did it.

Yea, but, Clint is REALLY old,,,,,,,,,,,,, LOL!!

 

[bmaverick]

Yea, but, Clint is REALLY old,,,,,,,,,,,,, LOL!!

maybe now.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

We only used loaders to mine gravel borrow at the pits I worked at for my last employer. Excavators and draglines were used to mine below the water table. Decide what level your pit floor is going to be and start taking the gravel across the bank left to right or right to left. whatever suits you. We basically ran into the bank, then lifted and curled the bucket while applying a good amount of forward push to the wheels and trying not to spin the wheels, sometimes it was easy, sometimes not so much. A toothed bucket or even a spade toothed bucked helps with hard banks, If we did dig with the wheels, we repaired our boo-boo so the next guy didn't have to fight the divots. They used a bulldozer to skin the topsoil off before we started digging out of the bank. Banks were limited to about 20' high for safety.

 

[mrmikey]

Reverse your bucket...........Mike

 

[Diggin It]

OP's post tells me they should not be doing this. At all.

Experienced operators are needed and would not have to ask this question.


Trying to do it from the top can send you over the edge. Trying to do it from the bottom can bury you.

 

[Clintock]

So many ways to do this. When I’m loading out trucks I usually load from top of pile. Since you say your hoe won’t cut it just pull some down from pile. Enough to make pad to get you elevated. Then pull down another pile beside you to dig from.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

OP's post tells me they should not be doing this. At all.

Experienced operators are needed and would not have to ask this question.


Trying to do it from the top can send you over the edge. Trying to do it from the bottom can bury you.

And trying to do it without mining permits can get you big fines in most states.