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A Century of Development
The scraper, a key piece of earthmoving machinery, has been evolving for over a century. As early as the 18th century, horse-drawn scrapers were used for short-haul soil transport. By 1883, the first fully metal-wheeled scraper was manufactured in the West.
In 1910, the United States built dedicated scrapers towed by tractors, while the Soviet Union began mass-producing wheeled scrapers in the 1920s. By 1938, the world saw its first self-propelled scraper, followed by twin-engine and chain-loader variants in the mid-20th century—culminating in the 1960s with the world’s largest scraper, boasting a 200 m³ bowl capacity.
China entered the scraper field in the 1960s. In April 1961, several institutions—including the predecessors of Yutong Heavy Industries, Tianjin Research Institute, and XGMA—formed a joint design team. Drawing on imported prototypes, they developed China’s first self-propelled scraper. The design was completed that August, and on December 22, 1962, the first prototype (C-6106) rolled off the line in Zhengzhou.
Scrapers: Built for Efficiency
Scrapers are unique in that they combine cutting, loading, and hauling in a single machine. They shine in medium-haul applications—roughly 200 to 1,200 meters—where they outperform the typical excavator–loader–dump truck combination in both speed and cost-effectiveness.
Recognizing this, China invested heavily in scraper research during the 1960s and 1970s. The CL7 model, trialed in 1972, adopted advanced hydro-mechanical transmission and full hydraulic control. It marked a major technical leap, earning a National Science and Technology Award in 1978 and even showcasing China’s progress at the 1975 Cologne International Fair in Germany. In 1978, two CL7 scrapers were used in a groundbreaking test on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway—China’s first industrial field trial for high-altitude road construction equipment.
A Legacy Now Struggling
Fast forward several decades: despite their engineering advantages, scrapers are now nearly phased out in China. Their work has been almost entirely replaced by flexible excavator-loader-dump truck combinations. By contrast, scrapers still handle around 40% of total earthwork in the United States.
Why has China’s scraper industry lagged behind after more than 40 years?
The Subcontracting Dilemma
Take the massive South-to-North Water Diversion Project as an example: planners calculated that 700 scrapers would be needed to tackle over 830 million cubic meters of earthwork. Yet in reality, scrapers were almost absent from the project site, despite engineers insisting they were the most efficient option.
The root cause lies in China’s subcontracting system. Scrapers are more specialized than excavators or dump trucks, and cost more upfront. For a 400-meter haul, two self-propelled Caterpillar scrapers can match three excavators and nine dump trucks. But tight profit margins and higher equipment costs make small to mid-sized subcontractors reluctant to invest in scrapers—especially given their narrower range of applications.
Even long-time scraper proponents like China Railway Construction Corporation face an uphill battle promoting them in today’s fragmented subcontracting environment.
Missing Market Drivers
In the 1950s and 1960s, Western embargoes forced China to reverse-engineer foreign machines. By the late 1960s, both a ZL45 loader and a chain-type twin-engine scraper were secretly acquired and copied. Decades later, loaders are now ubiquitous, dominating the construction machinery market. Meanwhile, scrapers are nearly forgotten—except for isolated success stories like the Holingol coal mine in Inner Mongolia, where shallow seams made scrapers highly profitable.
The lesson? Markets don’t build themselves. While only Yutong Heavy Industries persisted in scraper production, one company alone cannot nurture demand. Scrapers are more technically challenging to build than loaders, and without a strong market, few manufacturers are willing to invest.
A Path Forward
The dilemma is clear: no market means no manufacturers, and no manufacturers means no market. In fact, the construction machinery industry must take the lead in educating customers about modern, efficient earthmoving methods. Just as loaders gained popularity through joint effort, scrapers too can find their rightful place—especially as specialized contractors grow and labor costs continue to rise.
Caterpillar, which holds 95% of the global self-propelled scraper market, remains confident: despite setbacks, they believe that scrapers will eventually see a revival in China.
Illustration Suggestions
To make this article visually engaging, I recommend these supporting images or diagrams:
The scraper, a key piece of earthmoving machinery, has been evolving for over a century. As early as the 18th century, horse-drawn scrapers were used for short-haul soil transport. By 1883, the first fully metal-wheeled scraper was manufactured in the West.
In 1910, the United States built dedicated scrapers towed by tractors, while the Soviet Union began mass-producing wheeled scrapers in the 1920s. By 1938, the world saw its first self-propelled scraper, followed by twin-engine and chain-loader variants in the mid-20th century—culminating in the 1960s with the world’s largest scraper, boasting a 200 m³ bowl capacity.
China entered the scraper field in the 1960s. In April 1961, several institutions—including the predecessors of Yutong Heavy Industries, Tianjin Research Institute, and XGMA—formed a joint design team. Drawing on imported prototypes, they developed China’s first self-propelled scraper. The design was completed that August, and on December 22, 1962, the first prototype (C-6106) rolled off the line in Zhengzhou.
Scrapers: Built for Efficiency
Scrapers are unique in that they combine cutting, loading, and hauling in a single machine. They shine in medium-haul applications—roughly 200 to 1,200 meters—where they outperform the typical excavator–loader–dump truck combination in both speed and cost-effectiveness.
Recognizing this, China invested heavily in scraper research during the 1960s and 1970s. The CL7 model, trialed in 1972, adopted advanced hydro-mechanical transmission and full hydraulic control. It marked a major technical leap, earning a National Science and Technology Award in 1978 and even showcasing China’s progress at the 1975 Cologne International Fair in Germany. In 1978, two CL7 scrapers were used in a groundbreaking test on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway—China’s first industrial field trial for high-altitude road construction equipment.
A Legacy Now Struggling
Fast forward several decades: despite their engineering advantages, scrapers are now nearly phased out in China. Their work has been almost entirely replaced by flexible excavator-loader-dump truck combinations. By contrast, scrapers still handle around 40% of total earthwork in the United States.
Why has China’s scraper industry lagged behind after more than 40 years?
The Subcontracting Dilemma
Take the massive South-to-North Water Diversion Project as an example: planners calculated that 700 scrapers would be needed to tackle over 830 million cubic meters of earthwork. Yet in reality, scrapers were almost absent from the project site, despite engineers insisting they were the most efficient option.
The root cause lies in China’s subcontracting system. Scrapers are more specialized than excavators or dump trucks, and cost more upfront. For a 400-meter haul, two self-propelled Caterpillar scrapers can match three excavators and nine dump trucks. But tight profit margins and higher equipment costs make small to mid-sized subcontractors reluctant to invest in scrapers—especially given their narrower range of applications.
Even long-time scraper proponents like China Railway Construction Corporation face an uphill battle promoting them in today’s fragmented subcontracting environment.
Missing Market Drivers
In the 1950s and 1960s, Western embargoes forced China to reverse-engineer foreign machines. By the late 1960s, both a ZL45 loader and a chain-type twin-engine scraper were secretly acquired and copied. Decades later, loaders are now ubiquitous, dominating the construction machinery market. Meanwhile, scrapers are nearly forgotten—except for isolated success stories like the Holingol coal mine in Inner Mongolia, where shallow seams made scrapers highly profitable.
The lesson? Markets don’t build themselves. While only Yutong Heavy Industries persisted in scraper production, one company alone cannot nurture demand. Scrapers are more technically challenging to build than loaders, and without a strong market, few manufacturers are willing to invest.
A Path Forward
The dilemma is clear: no market means no manufacturers, and no manufacturers means no market. In fact, the construction machinery industry must take the lead in educating customers about modern, efficient earthmoving methods. Just as loaders gained popularity through joint effort, scrapers too can find their rightful place—especially as specialized contractors grow and labor costs continue to rise.
Caterpillar, which holds 95% of the global self-propelled scraper market, remains confident: despite setbacks, they believe that scrapers will eventually see a revival in China.
Illustration Suggestions
To make this article visually engaging, I recommend these supporting images or diagrams:
- Timeline infographic — showing key scraper milestones: horse-drawn → metal-wheeled → self-propelled → twin-engine → modern large-capacity models.
- Side-by-side comparison diagram — scraper vs. excavator-loader-dump truck combo for the same haul distance.
- Historic photo — early C-6106 prototype at Zhengzhou Plant.
- Modern worksite photo — a scraper in action, ideally a Caterpillar model in the U.S. or at a large open-pit mine.
- Pie chart or bar graph — showing scraper usage percentage in China vs. the U.S.
- Quote highlight box — with Caterpillar’s statement about scrapers’ future in China.
