Estimating Dozer Operating

Costs
2005 Dr. B. C. Paul

Application Notes
Severity of Duty
Medium duty
Push loading scrapers
Land clearing
Pushing up soils and clays (such as trapping soil)

Heavy duty
Rock ripping
Working on rock surfaces
Dozing Rock
Push loading scrapers through rock

Cost Component Fuel

D11 in heavy conditions uses 30-37
gallons (see Cat Handbook 35th ed page
20-13)

Idle time
Time in reverse
Down hill all reduce fuel consumption
Our conditions probably lower end 30 gallons
per hour

Cost for diesel (red dog)

$1.85/gal
30gph*$1.85 = $55.5/hour

Cost Component Tires

Sucker!
This is a track dozer

Undercarriage
On dozers tracks and underside are so
condition dependent that they need to be
calculated separately
Step #1
Look up a basic cost per hour in Cat Tables
35 ed page 20-28
For my D11 basic factor is $18/hour

Step #2 pick adjustment factors for

impact, abrasiveness, and Z

Impact Factor
High corresponds to

Impenetrable surface with 6 inch or greater

bumps (such as working on shot rock)

Moderate corresponds to

Partially penetrable surface with 3 inch bumps

Possibly trapping rocking transition

Low corresponds to

Completely penetrable surface few bumps

Possibly trapping top soil

My Dozer is working on rock pile High

High is 0.3 (mod is 0.2 and low is 0.1) see Cat

Handbook ed 35 pg. 20-28

Abrasiveness Factor
High

Saturated conditions with sand or sharp rock particles

(like working on shot rock)

Moderate

Intermittently damp with few angular rock particles (soil

work might be like this)

Low

Involves dry conditions with few rock particles

The dampness issue causes things to stick and

work into the joints of the treads
Number is H=0.4, M=0.2, L=0.1 (Cat Handbook
ed 35 pg 20-28)
My dozer is working on shot rock 0.4

The Z factor
About 50% of Z factor is maintenance
Range about 0 for absolute top maint
0.5 for maintain if it breaks
Ill go 0.25 for moderate

About 30% of Z factor is conditions

Abrasiveness and impact with a little gut feel for how

rough
I think this is rough 0.3

About 20% on operator temperament

Race track backing, tight turns, running to side angle are

bad
Ill go middle of the road 0.1

Total up for my Z factor

0.65

Step 3 in Undercarriage Cost

Add up your 3 factors
Impact 0.3
Abrasive 0.4
Z 0.65
Total 1.35

Step #4 for Undercarriage Cost

Multiply the Basic Cost by the total of the 3 factors
$18/hr * 1.35 = $24.3
Breakdown on dollars (may be important for indexing)
70% parts, 30% labor

Labor was $60/shop hour

High compared to about a $25/hr wage with 60% burden

If I consider it includes my parts warehousing, secretarial and
supervision its probably reasonable
I better make sure I dont count the personnel twice

Parts Steel has gone up severely

Im going to allow about 20% here

24.3 * 0.7 = $17.01
$17.01 *1.2 = 20.41
Add back the labor unaltered $20.41+ $7.29

$27.70/hr for Undercarriage Cost

Repair Reserve for Machine

Cat Handbook ed 29 pg. 21-36
D11 is $19/hour for first 10,000 hours
But D11 has 30,000 hour life under my
severe duty
Multiplier for extended life is 1.3
$24.70/hr

Lubricants Cost
D11 uses about 0.25 gallons/hr
At $9.00/gallon lube $2.25/hr

13.5 lubricant changes/2000 hrs

2 labor hour per change at $60/hr

27*60/2000 = $0.81/hr

816 grease fittings/2000 hrs

About 75 cents/fitting with labor

816*.75/2000 = $0.31/hr

Hourly Filter Cost $0.62/hr

53 Filters/2000 hrs
5 minutes per filter
4.42 hours/2000 hours
At $60/hr $0.13/hr

Total it up $4.12/hr

Operator Cost
$25/hr with 60% burden $40/hr
Assuming that machine only runs
when operator is not on break (no
hot seat change out for 10 minute
breaks)

Total Operating Cost/hr

Fuel $55.50
Undercarriage $27.7/hr
Repair Reserve $24.7/hr
Lubricant $4.12
Wear parts $1.25 (guessed from
other examples)
Labor $40/hr
Total $153.27/hr