Machine and bowl
Damage to the tractor unit and the scraper bowl, cutting edge and elevator, generally scheduled by value.
Scraper Insurance
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Scraper Insurance
Cover for motor scrapers and towed scrapers on bulk earthworks.
Scrapers are bulk earthmoving machines that run long hours at speed over rough ground, and the wear shows. Tyres are the standing argument, because they are expensive, they fail often, and most plant policies only pay for them as part of a wider loss. Engine bay fires and rollovers on haul ramps make up most of the serious claims.
What is it?
Motor scrapers are self-propelled machines with a cutting bowl that loads on the move, in single engine, push-pull or elevating configurations, with Caterpillar the dominant name in Australia. Towed scrapers pulled behind large tractors are common in agricultural and dam work. Both are used for bulk cut and fill on civil projects, mine site works, dams, airstrips and land forming.
What does scraper insurance cover?
Machine fire
Engine bay and material build-up fires, which are a leading total loss cause on high-hour earthmoving plant.
Remote recovery
The cost of recovering a machine from a remote site, which usually sits under its own sub-limit.
What affects the cost?
- Machine value, age and hours
- Bulk earthworks or agricultural use
- Site remoteness and access
- Operator experience
- Fleet size and push-dozer support
Worth raising on the call
- Tyres are commonly excluded unless they are damaged as part of a larger insured loss.
- Fire suppression and daily engine bay cleaning affect both the premium and the claim outcome.
- Remote recovery sub-limits are worth checking if you work well away from a workshop.
Claims we are commonly asked about
Engine bay fire from dry grass
Dry grass and seed head packed around the exhaust and turbo ignites during a long summer shift and the fire spreads through the engine bay. On high-hour earthmoving plant this is a leading total loss cause, and daily cleaning practice usually forms part of the assessment.
Damage during push loading
A push dozer connects badly with the scraper's push block and damages the rear of the bowl and the cushion hitch. Where the dozer belongs to another contractor, working out whose policy responds can take longer than the repair itself.
Rollover on a wet haul ramp
A loaded scraper leaves the edge of a greasy haul ramp and rolls onto its side, damaging the cab, bowl and elevator. Recovering the machine from below the ramp on a remote job is generally a separate cost with its own sub-limit.
Worth confirming in the wording
- Worth confirming whether tyres are covered only when damaged as part of a wider insured loss, and how the policy treats a tyre failure that then causes the rest of the damage.
- Worth confirming whether damage caused during push loading by another contractor's dozer falls to your policy or theirs.
- Worth confirming whether recovering a bogged or overturned machine from a remote site is covered and what the sub-limit actually is.
Common questions
Are scraper tyres covered?
Generally only when they are damaged as part of a larger insured loss such as a fire or a rollover. Tyres punctured, cut or worn out in the ordinary course of work are commonly treated as a running cost rather than insured damage. Given what large earthmoving tyres cost, it is worth confirming exactly how the wording handles them.
Is a towed scraper covered under my farm policy or does it need plant cover?
It depends on how it is used and what the farm policy schedules. A towed scraper used for dam and land forming on your own country may sit inside a farm machinery section, while contract earthworks for others usually needs a plant or contractors policy. If you are earning income from earthworks, that should be declared either way.
Does plant insurance cover a transmission or engine failure?
Usually not by default. Internal component failure is commonly treated as a maintenance matter rather than sudden accidental damage from an external cause. Some insurers offer a breakdown extension with its own conditions and excesses, so it is worth asking whether it is available and what it actually responds to.
What does scraper insurance cost?
It depends on the machine and the job. The main drivers are machine value, age and hours, whether the work is bulk civil earthworks or agricultural, site remoteness and recovery access, operator experience, fleet size and push-dozer support, and claims history. Fire suppression and cleaning practice can also influence the price.
General information only. Cover, limits and exclusions depend on the PDS, TMD, eligibility, underwriting and the policy terms. See mobile plant machinery insurance for the wider picture.
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