hey guys, i have started doing some contracting with my JD 450j. we got this dozer around 7 months ago, since then i have pushed up nearly 500 hours of work. I am purely self trained, and i have a couple of points i am not sure about. first is when using it i just set the revs at max (2350) and use the decelerator as necessary. but i have had a couple of people tell me that i should be setting the revs lower. 2nd is, the last job i did was cleaning up a few paddocks of fallen, rotted pines. i was nipping around working basically as fast as i could and cleaned up about 15 acres in 12 hours, however i managed to dent the grill in several places, bend the exhaust pipe and i think it has a small coolant leak. obviously i need to get sweeps and a guard for the blade to stop logs rolling over, but i'm also wondering if i should be slowing down and working slower. Feels kinda wrong puttering around slowly while charging the customer $130 an hour. but that much damage is a lot for one job that only took the weekend. i would ideally have close to none, to no damage from jobs at all.
I run a dump truck and someone told me recently take your time even when I am on the clock. When I try and be speedy it is more likely I will damage something or cause a breakdown. Watch someone doing the same thing see if they do it fast or do it steady. Now don't misunderstand me don't be lazy just do it well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you're damaging equipment, you're working too fast for your present expertise with that particular machine. The saying, "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" really does work. It takes time to get both smooth and fast though. Concentrate on smooth and the fast will come.
What he said. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you are strictly self taught it may be a huge benefit to work and be observed by someone that was been in the business for years. Then listen to his advice and practice it until it becomes second nature. A "good" operator will often get just as much or more work done with half the track wear and use less fuel than a inexperienced or non caring one. The guys that buy their own parts are often the most savvy in this regards. Good luck and don't forget to have fun also.
Agreed. I was a laborer for a good bit back in the seventies and had the good fortune to work for a small company with some very good operators. I knew that they were good because they made everything look effortless and still got a lot done. It helps to be a really good watcher around those guys.
Yair . . . thetabop . Good advise from all those posts I reckon . . . generally speaking once you have the hang of the machine WOT for full poke when you need it and judicious use of decal to keep every thing under control and tidy. A little thought (and experience) goes a long way and, particularly when you are dealing with logs and timber a slow push or sideswipe in the right place can achieve much more than high speed shenanigans that is hard on the machine and operator and sometimes achieves bugger all. I always tell new operators they have to think like a log . . . in other words you have to learn how a given log or tree will react if you push from certain angles . . . when stacking brush and logs you can use stumps and other trees to your advantage and if you don't they sure as hell will work against you. I realise it is a different class of machine but I get really cheesed off when I hire skid-steers or CTL's and they start the high speed manoeuvres (check out some of B/S Youtube videos). It might look impressive but even that style of machine will get more done if every push is considered and they slow down a little, think about what they are trying to achieve and make the jigger work. Cheers.
Do your own repairs and maintenance ........operators that do their own maintenance get better in a hurry
Good advice for sure...the old saying: "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get" really holds true on Dozers. Speed will come as you get smoother. Learning the controls, that's easy,hire a chimp...learning the material that you're working in, takes some time. If you can see the finished product in your mind, that will help too. A pro, makes it look easy, no matter what you are doing!! I've always pulled the throttle back and used the decelerator for power and speed. If your Cat has three gears forget about 3rd...imho.
You are getting $130 an hr wow I struggle to get $85 and they really dont like it when I tell them to pin the rake on is more. Just keep it slow and learn your machine. Remember anybody can drive a dozer but not everybody can operate a dozer. Just my 2 cents.
That is great advice Scrub and can be used in other areas of equipment operation. Think like the material you are moving!:thumbsup
Spot on jwest...lots of drivers, not that many GOOD operators!!!
Yair . . . CM1995 . That is so true. Just recently I had the pleasure of watching a young lady on some little Komatsu jigger pushing fill out from trucks. I was most impressed with the way she manipulated the PAT blade to sort out the larger rocks and push them over the front of the fill instead of rolling off the side. I have never had the pleasure of running such a blade and I guess at this stage I probably never will. (big grin) Cheers.
I had a kid one time we hired that had ZERO experience running a dozer but was a true natural. Hired him on as a laborer, put him on the roller then on the haul truck and he did ok. One day we were short a dozer operator (D6N) on a shot rock fill lift and my super put him on the dozer. Rolled into the job one day and watched this kid push off the shot rock on a fill lift. He understood the dynamics of the operation, pushing the larger shot rock off the face of the fill and keeping the fines to balance the grade. I watched him for a good 20 mins and thought to myself, he "get's it". As time goes on, we put him on a trim job - getting ready to curb, gutter and paving on a residential project. All that was there to go by was the storm sewer inlets and curb stakes. Dropped the D5G off and I told him to go by the stakes and grade to the inlets. Came back a day later and it was beautiful. As I looked over the job, I turned to him and asked him if he could see grade. He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders - priceless. Unfortunately, 2009 dropped the bottom out of the business and we parted our ways..
There are a few out there but, I find this to be the exception of the rule. Example: I've tried to hire many prior service "combat engineers", makes no difference what branch. The don't have a clue and it's really sad. I spent some time in Afghanistan training Army combat engineers how to run a Marine Crane (mack 50 Terex) and also Heavy Equipment. Come to find out, what they learned in AIT was...the weight of a u-blade for a D-7g, gallons of Hyd oil in same. Bla, bla, irrelevant information to effectively run that particular piece of equipment. Start in the ditch, like we did and work your way up into a seat. Ask about running something during lunch, after work, whatever. We need proficiency out of that machine...