Beaver (frost) tooth for 637

[keller434]

Hey guys, I am having a tough time convincing my new employer to drop that beaver tooth off of my scraper. I have been operating 27's and 37's for 5 years now and have always run a straight cutting edge. They claim that the production is going to increase (easier loading) and that you will get bigger loads heaped in the center of the bowl.
I however am not buying into that. I believe it makes the scraper more prone to "duck walking" when ejecting the load and also makes it more difficult to make things smooth while panning. I am also curious to see how good of a top soil pile I will be able to build, as it will be more difficult to drool dirt off the sides off my pile. Also, when push-pulling it will be easy to get a load that boils over whatever edge you run.
I am hoping to get some feedback on this situation. Even though this seems like a relatively benign situation, after bouncing around all day I am going to try to do anything possible to make my ride smoother, especially when having my machine set up in a fashion that is nothing more than a nuissance. :cussing
Thanks for you time.

[digger242j]

First, welcome to the Forums!

It's good to see someone posting about larger equipment. I think we've got a pretty solid knowlege base available between all the owners and operators of smaller to medium sized equipment, but I don't think we have as many members with experience on the bigger pieces. (Or if they're here, they don't post often.)

Hey guys, I am having a tough time convincing my new employer to drop that beaver tooth off of my scraper. I have been operating 27's and 37's for 5 years now and have always run a straight cutting edge. They claim that the production is going to increase (easier loading) and that you will get bigger loads heaped in the center of the bowl.

Take the following for what it's worth, because I've never been on a scraper, and honestly haven't seen the kind of tooth you're talking about. I have spent some time though, trying to convince people (employers or otherwise), of things. (Not always successful at that either.)

Even though this seems like a relatively benign situation, after bouncing around all day I am going to try to do anything possible to make my ride smoother, ...

They're probably not concerned with your comfort, unless it has an adverse effect on productivity, but you already knew that.

If they're your "new" employer, then chances are you haven't yet had the time to establish your credibility in their eyes. That counts for a lot. If you've worked for someone for quite a while and they know you're usually right about things, it's a lot easier to persuade them to your way of thinking.

I think any hope you have of getting them to change the setup lies in convincing them that you and the machine will be more productive without the tooth. Does it impact fuel efficiency, or maintenance of the machine? Even if the productivity is the same, increased cost can make the case against the tooth. You made your points here in the post pretty well. Hopefully you can make them on the site just as well.

Is there a similiar machine on the job that doesn't have a tooth? Maybe a side by side comparison would help to make the point.

If they already believe that it will increase production, it sounds like you're going to have to live with the situation, at least for a while.