I was just wondering if there are many backhoe operators on here. i have some genral questions about working in the patch. hopefully you guys can help me out. thanks
:beatsme Not real sure what the Question is... Edit:But ho yea, there are one or two operators here lmao Pj
I was kind of wondering what the patch was?
the oil patch
I am hoping to meet a few backhoe operators on here so i could ask them a bunch of questions. i figured i might pm them or talking to them in chat with the questions as i have a few but if i can't get any replies i will post some of the questions were what ever works for you guys.
the patch if i remember right from 41 years ago, the patch was the oil field where the drilling rigs were scattered around
Well, my friend, throw them out there. This is your thread. If you go ahead and post some specific questions, then members can mull them over and possibly give you some input. But it's tough for us to give you advice until you pop the questions.
I wonder what the statistics is on patch workers myself. ;-)
Well its been about 12 years since i worked up in fort saint john. I was just wondering where backhoes are used most. what type of work are they doing. as an operator do you usally haul your backhoe to site (need a class 1 ) or are they hauled out for you. What are wages and hours like. is winter busyer then summer. Any info would be great i am just trying to get a little back ground compared to water and sewer that i am doing now. I know hoes and dozers are used alot. are there many backhoes working in the oil field. if so who has the most and who should I be applying with or who should i stay away from. I have lots more questions but here is a start. The reason that I am asking is that I am optimistic that things will pick up this winter and I have to find other work to feed my family. layoffs down south BC are getting to long. I run various peices of equipment hoes, rock trucks, ..... but the backhoe I have thousands of hours on and it is where i really shine. hope you guys can help me out with some info thanks John
Well, I'm at the opposite end of the big piece of ground from you, not much I can help you with about work in BC. But I think it's a general consensus right now that if you have a job, be thankful. I don't know how the work is in BC in general, nor the opportunities in the oil patches more specifically, but it seems with your experience, if a job is available you should have no problem obtaining that job. Best of luck to ya.
thanks for the reply i sure there is work out there its just a matter of narrowing dow where to look and a little background info helps to. things have been pretty slow I am thankful to be getting 8 hours a day but I have only worked 5 months this year and have't even made 50% of what I made last year and layoffs are coming real soon. the oil patch is usually busy just not sure where i should start looking. as it has slowen down quite a bit this year to.
I hear ya bro. I think what your describing is pretty much what all of us fear. No, the world isn't likely to come to a screeching stop...but the slow down has all of us concerned about our own livelyhood. Just can't help you much about work in BC, that's the other end of the country from me. I know we do have a number of BC persons on the forum, perhaps they'll jump in here and help you out.
Most companys haul the track hoes to site. wages depend on exp if you never dug ditch for pipeline before you guna be on the low end for wages . what type of work are you doing now? Can you operate a dozer can you say your a good enough operator to dig a hotline have your first aid h2s ground disturbance psts csts up to date and ready if your coming Alberta way. With an abundance of operators here companys are not footing the bill for saftey training like they did. if you want feel free to shoot me a pm i know of a few places you can look
I would say oil field work is about the easiest digging... usually 2'-3' deep, point a to b, with nothing in the way... Operators are thing of the past here.... companies want laborers that can drive a hoe.. heck most of them can't hit the ground , let alone start them.... But it's there pile of iron. 8 bucks for hoe driver or 16 for an operator.
hey jst looking for a pipe line job this winter ne body know who's hireing?? i live in alberta ill contract or for hire either or jst let me kno
The part of the patch I worked on was pipleines and roads and we did not have one backhoe. That is just the large bulk stuff. I have not been there for a while but I am told it is starting to boom again out there.
Thank you all for the info so far I will get back to a few of you soon. I hav't been at home much my wife just had a beautiful baby girl on friday. I should be back on here by monday or tuesday take care.
just wondering if anyone knows who uses backhoes the most in the winter? where do they work the most lease sites...?
Reaper, congrats on the new arrival. love her all you can, she'll be grown in a day or two. I supervise for a major oilfield construction co. WWW.tkstanley.com and we have probably 250 operators making 20 to 30 hrs a week just piddleing. watch the rig counts, when they go up, work will start again. p.s. hows the healthcare up there?
Congrats
health care for the most part is pretty good its nice to now its there when you need it.
thanks all for the congrats on my little one. our first son turns two next month seems like it was only a few months ago when he was born man do they grow up fast. Atleast my daughter is sleeping alot for now was not looking forward to all the sleeplessnites like my son waking up every 2 hours. does anyone no a good site in bc or ab where they list rig starts. i no its in the local papers up there but not sure where to find it on the web?
Oilfield work is different digging but not always the easiest. You don't always have traffic, telephone, cable, you know, like digging in a harp that some urban operators deal with. However there are times around surface plants and so on where it's tricky digging with all kinds of stuff hidden. That's why almost all operators have ground disturbance certificates. Secondly the terrain can vary dramatically. One day it can be flat with nothing but clay, the next day muskeg lord knows how deep where you are carrying your mats with you as you go, corked up and making damn sure you stay on them. Depths can be a whole lot deeper than 2-3 feet. The lifestyle is not for everyone. Not home very much, long hours and you know how the devil makes work for idle hands at night . Money is excellent though and the government loves you! I'm not contradicting you heavy lift. I'm saying the work is different and whether it is sewer and water, streets and parking lots, basements or pipeline they all have challenges as well as rewards. Pipeline work is way better for those of us with ADD as we are always on the move! As one guy told me "I'd rather get driven back to my truck at the end of the day than walk to it".
Reaper, just Google "rig counts" there are many to choose from
thanks wildhair
Congrats on the new arrival!
thanks tripper