Hi Gavin84w there was an old contractor in california must of started pre 1940 that moved dirt different than most contractors back then, the name of the Co. was Earl Brown he believed in using bottom dumps, he believed in scrapers dumping into the bottom dumps, he made a slat platform, and would drag it any where in the cut and and take loaders and dig out a slot under the slat platform, then he would use DW21's and haul the dirt to the platform, then scraper would stop and dump his load into the bottom dumps, most bottom dumps had two or three traylors. The way Earl Brown would load the scrapers was with DW20 tractors, sometimes four maby five pushing the scrapers all at one time maybe second overdrive you talk about loading the scrapers fast,mabey 12seconds, 15seconds at the longest couldn't hardley get the scrapers out of the ground. eventually he went to 660 tractors loading 651's scrapers loading into 660's with 100 ton athey wagons the 660's would have two 100 ton bottom dumps and usually a 50 ton traylor behind the two 100 ton traylors. Now that was interesting to watch Earl Brown move dirt, after working 12 hours he would then make us move the platform and dig new ramps for the next day. I use to have a earth magazine showing another California Contractor Silva and Hill moving his dirt with a spread of 660's pushing 651 scrapers, they would never push with less than five 660's mostly six 660's the dirt would almost jump into the scrapers. When you would come into the cut with the scraper you had better be ready to cut about 1 1/2 feet deep because the 660's hitting you in second and multiplying that by five or six 660's you would be fully loaded in about 18 seconds. I use to have that Earth Magazine but the X wife got everything in the divorce. Thought you might enjoy this story. Mike Nebergall
