The purpose of PEP (Production Estimating Program) is to estimate the production of a wheel loader with a given bucket size on a prospective site.  The data gathered will be for one specific site.  As an optional method, you can use the program to calculate the bucket size needed to if a production requirement is to be met.  Again, it will pertain to a specific site.  First input cubic yard bucket size of the machine. 

Instructions:

1. Insert hourly production requirement in short tons (2,000 pound tons).

2. Insert initial desired or expected SAE heaped bucket size (cubic yards).

3. Insert one way average distance between midpoint of stockpiles and hopper (in feet).

4. Average Travel Speeds.  Find out from the operator what his average travel speed is on the site, including carry and return.  Place an "X" in the appropriate cell and leave other blank.

5. Hopper.  Place an "X" in the appropriate cell and leave other blank

6. For "Elevated hopper - fed from ramp", insert the ramp length in feet.  If the hopper is ground level fed, the cell remains blank.

7. For "Elevated Hoppers only", insert an "X" in the appropriate cell; other cells remain blank.

8. "Percent of time loader spends stockpiling and other activities": Plants may have aggregated materials transported in and the wheel loader may stockpile these materials.  Many plants also recycle materials that must be crushed before being fed into the hopper.  Some plants sell materials that require truck loading.  Enter the percent of these non-production, and perhaps essential activities.  Express as a whole number without decimal points or percentage sign.

9. "Average material weight in pounds per cubic yard": For example:  If aggregates are typically moist-to-wet in an asphalt plant application, their weight would average 2,900 - 3,000 lbs/cubic yard.  If the materials are typically dry, they would average 2,700 lbs/cubic yard.

If you would like to know what size bucket would be appropriate for this operation, fill in the tons per hour production required.