Caterpillar has introduced two wheel loader bucket designs—the dozing bucket and the load-and-carry bucket—for solid waste handling in transfer stations and recycling centers.
The buckets are specifically designed for Cat small and medium wheel loaders in waste applications. The buckets range from 6.0 to 14.0 cubic yards and complement Cat wheel loaders ranging from the 924K to the 980K. Two distinct types of waste buckets give the fleet manager the ability to choose the optimum based on the facility layout and the specific tasks to be performed. Also, both types of buckets can be equipped with bolt-on cutting edges or rubber edges to suit the requirements of the facility.
The Cat dozing bucket has a shallow throat and a taller profile than a standard bucket. It is specifically designed to push loads along the floor to a hole or hopper that feeds a hauler or processing machine below. The bucket design has high volume for its size because it pushes the load, rather than carrying it. In addition to its high volume, the strength of the dozing bucket is its fast loading capability due to its deep floor design, Cat says.
The Cat load-and-carry bucket has a deeper throat and less height compared to the dozing bucket, which enables it to carry high volumes. It’s designed for light weight materials and achieves a fill factor of 1.3 or greater. The bucket can be used for stockpiling or loading haulers or pushing away from trucks tipping on the floor. The bucket design enables the loader to work in any facility layout—loading below grade, partial grade separation, or at the same level. The load-and-carry bucket also has tamping capabilities.
