Rip and Load.

A Real Alternative to Blasting.

®
Ripping as a production technique in quarries, can have three major advantages:
• lower cost per tonne
• better end-product quality
• less environmental impact and safer site operation
You can rip rock with the following characteristics:
• high degree of stratification
• frequent planes of weaknesses: fractures, faults and laminations
• weathering such as moisture permeated formations
• brittleness
• low compressive and tensile strength
• low field seismic velocity
The above are the first factors to evaluate in deciding whether ripping is, or is not,
possible in your quarry. In marginal cases, evaluating rock rippability may be more complex,
but Caterpillar’s experienced network of personnel and Dealer professionals has
the expertise to help you with geological and financial viability analyses.

Operator training to

develop the necessary

skills and knowledge are

critical for meeting ripping

and loading production

targets

From rip to load in 35 seconds

Optimum cycle times in

ripping and loading :

Matching Machines
• ripping: 30% and Work Tools
• tool change: 3%

• loading: 35% In ripping and loading, excavator size should be matched to crusher production, rather than
• preparing: 25% hauler fleet capacity. The rugged design of Caterpillar heavy duty undercarriages, mass excavation
booms and sticks makes Cat excavators ideal machines for rip and load applications.
• waiting: 7%
Caterpillar work tools offer a wide range of buckets, ripper tines and other implements.
These allow your operator the flexibility to adapt to different ripping and production requirements,
even in the hardest rock seams. Caterpillar rip and load excavators are durable, stable and
provide a high degree of operator comfort.

Caterpillar Rip
and Load Match Guide Work Tool

Bucket Quick Ripper

Capacity (m3) Coupler Tines
(SAE 1:1)
330C L ME
Rock Bucket 2.3 CW-45 TR-45
Rock Bucket 1.9 or
HD Rock Bucket 1.7 CW-45 narrow
345B L II ME
Rock Bucket 2.8 CW-55 TR-55
Rock Bucket and HD Rock Bucket 2.6
365B L II ME
Rock Bucket 3.8 CW-70 TR-70
Rock Bucket 3.6 TR-70 short
Rock Bucket and HD Rock Bucket 4.4
Rock Bucket and HD Rock Bucket 4.0
385B L ME
Rock Bucket 5.6 CW-70 TR-70
Rock Bucket and HD Rock Bucket 5.2 TR-70 short
Rock Bucket and HD Rock Bucket 4.8
When you have any other bucket requirements that are not mentioned
in this overview, please contact your Caterpillar dealer for further information.

In rip and load applications Caterpillar hydraulic excavators are recognised as being durable,
stable and providing the maximum operator comfort. Caterpillar is the equipment manufacturer
that can provide expert analysis as well as machines and work tools produced and serviced
to the highest quality standards.

Caterpillar excavators equipped with Cat quick

coupler systems allow you to change from ripping
to loading in less than 35 seconds. As well as sav-
ing time, the ability to adjust to work area and
crusher feed requirements, adds flexibility and
efficiency to your operation.
Real Benefits for Business
A financial argument
Ripping with excavators can greatly improve your quarry margins. Drilling and blasting costs
can be significantly reduced or eliminated. Using the same excavator to load trucks as well
as rip can cut loading costs. Ripping allows more selective rock extraction, resulting in better
quality product for the crusher, with lower crushing and processing costs. In the right
conditions, ripping as an alternative to blasting can considerably reduce cost per tonne
of aggregate produced.

End-product quality improvement

Because you rip only what you need for the crusher, extracted rock is less exposed to
weathering than material that has been blasted. The final product has less internal cracks,
with fewer fines and less dust.

Less environmental impact and safer operations

Ripping instead of blasting benefits near-by neighborhoods and communities.
Rock can often be extracted in areas where blasting would otherwise be impractical or
unacceptable. Noise and vibration are reduced, allowing more flexible working conditions.
Fewer fines and dust put into the crusher mean cleaner crushing operations. The safety
inherent in ripping and the fact that it is often the only alternative to quarry closure makes it
attractive to local work-forces.

France, Limestone rock
Case Studies
Limestone rock
A 385B L equipped with Caterpillar quick coupler, a standard ripper tine and 4.8 m3 bucket
was used as an alternative to blasting in a French limestone quarry. Average production of
300 tonnes per hour was regularly maintained.

France, Sandstone overburden
Sandstone overburden
A 365B L ll was used to rip and load hard sandstone overburden in a quarry 500 metres from
an urban area. As a result blasting was reduced to a fraction of what it had been before,
allowing more flexible working hours. Target production of 2000 m3/day was maintained,
but at a lower overall cost per m3. The need for frequent switching between the ripper and two
buckets had minimum impact due to the use of a hydraulically controlled Cat quick coupler.

Dolomite rock
A 385B L equipped with a Caterpillar quick coupler for ripping and loading helped improve
margins in a dolomite quarry. Hourly production was kept at a continuous 355 tonnes per hour
by interchanging a 5.2 m3 bucket with standard and short ripper tines.

UK, Dolomite rock

Helping to Secure your Business Success

Your Cat dealer can provide so much more than equipment. They can advise you on choosing
the right machine and the work tools matched to your needs and Caterpillar is uniquely experienced
in manufacturing both machines and the work tools required for the whole rip and loading cycle.
What’s more, your local dealer will take care of your equipment and keep it in the best condition,
extending its life cycle and ensuring you continue to produce at the lowest possible cost.
Today, productivity and profitability as well as compliance with safety and other directives have
never been more important in the aggregates business. Contact your Caterpillar dealer to tailor
an offer suited to your needs.

HEDH 3094 (3/2004) hr

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