8 BULLETIN 300, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
. 
The average excavation per shift of 8 hours was 661 cubic yards. 
The total number of 8-hour operating shifts for all the machines for 
73 months of operation was 5,291. Of this time 53 per cent was spent 
in actual digging. 33 per cent in repairing, and 14 per cent in delays. 
The average excavation per 8-hour shift was 456 cubic yards. 
TABLE 3,—Operating data for drag-line excavators used by the United States 
Reclamation Service on the Rio Grande project. 
FOUR OLD MACHINES EQUIPPED WITH 6CYLINDER 98HORSEPOWER ENGINES. 
| 
Fuel consumption. 
| 
| 
| 
Gasoline. Lubricating oil. 
Time Length} Exca- 
S : S Cubic 
oper [=e vation. | Fuelused. | | | 
ating. 5 > | Per yards : Per | Per 
= | Total | shift. per Total. shift. Total. shift. 
e | gallon. 
| 
ase r 
Months.| Miles. | Cubic yards. | Gallons. |Gallons.| |Gallons.|Gallons.|Gallons.|Gallons. 
49.5 36.2 | 1.467.422 Kerosene @...| 25,859 41.0 | 7.3 | 4,039 6.4 | 1,866 3.0 
Ba -2 | 1,40/, Distillate. .... 70, 964 37.9} 12.3) 8,607 4.6 | 8, 949 | 4.8 
FOUR OLD MACHINES EQUIPPED WITH 4CYLINDER 125HORSEPOWER ENGINES. 
| 
11.7} 5,386 | 5.3 | 2,902 | 2.8 
FOUR NEW MACHINES EQUIPPED WITH 4CYLINDER 125>HORSEPOWER ENGINES. 
| 
10.4} 9.8 449, 110 | Distillate... - 33, 168 | 48.8] 13.5] 3,739 | 5.5 | 1,691 | 2.5 
TOTAL AND AVERAGES FOR ALL MACHINES. 
73.2 56.0] 2,411,950 | Distillate.....| 146,424] 41.0 | 12.4 | 17, 732 | 5.0 | 13,542/ 3.8 
@ Fuel and oi] consumption are given for i918 only, though time and excavation figures 
include work in 1917. 
A study of Table 3 reveals some interesting facts. More kero- 
sene than distillate was required per shift, whereas more lubri- 
cating oi] was required per shift when using distillate than when 
using kerosene. When kerosene was used more gasoline was required 
per shift than when distillate was used. The average cost of kerosene 
per gallon was 13 cents, and that of distillate was 14.3 cents. 
»Gasoline cost 25 cents and lubricating oil 61 cents per gallon. At 
these prices the fuel and oil cost per shift when using kerosene was 
$8.76 and when using distillate $9.49. It was stated that distillate 
was substituted for kerosene owing to the lubricating difficulties 
caused by kerosene, and that distillate proved to be a more efficient 
fuel for the great variation in loads. 
During the time of operating, 73.2 months of three 8-hour shifts, 
$5,347.18 was spent for wire rope, an average of $0.0023 per cubic 
yard. 
