hello all... I'm a new member here and thought I'd get your opinions on the proper and safe way to operate an excavator... might be good for the new guys and reminder for us old guys... or atleast me...lol my biggest Don't is... don't run the machine's counter weight through the mud or rocks!!! like my first boss said " this machine is worth more than a Lamborghini... would you knowingly scratch your Lamborghini?" anyone else got any?
Don´t hit the trucks with the bucket.
Always keep your tracks straight up and down hill.....If you know your machine you can get away with a little more. Try to be as smooth as possible. It irritates people hearing the clanking of the bucket on every move. Don't dig over drive motors. When you exit the machine, put the attachment on the ground. (bucket, blade, etc.)
Why cant you dig over the final drives?
drive motors you will upset the drive motor gods have a look here for some pointers but generaly where practical you should dig over the idlers
NEVER sit to close to a steep edge or slope! Also, be careful not to hit the teeth on the tracks and the arm when you have the bucket fully crowded. If you have room try to stick the boom all the way out to try and get the cylinders retracted as far as you can when you are done for the day ( it will save on hydraulic cylinder life ). Be careful when you are working in a tight area not to sit crooked on dirt because if your weight shifts it could possibly cause you to hit something or somebody. Be careful of your counterweight over-swing don't back trucks up to far. When you are loading trucks don't pick your bucket up until the truck is almost ready to be loaded, because if you fall asleep your gonna have a butt of a truck sitting in ya cab!
I have a question? Is it a bad habit to clean up a grade, by using the edge of the bucket and swinging side to side. Will this cause excesive were on something? I try not to do this, but some times I will have to smooth out rutts in some mud on the way out of a job, so it can dry or freeze relitivy flat. If this is something I should definetly not do, please tell me. thanks
Always keep counter wieght& swing area out of mud, rock,trees,ect.Thats how alot of them get stuck,when they lose the ability to swing.Dont use the bucket like a hammer,watch the power lines,wear the seatbelt,and halve fun.
good posts. i'm a rookie in an excavator as well. better coming from experienced hands rather than learning the hard way...
Knockin over little windrows or spreadin out mud like I think you mean isn't too bad for it. That being said I wouldn't recommend trying to move piles or heavy objects like that, because it will wear out the pins, strain the boom, stick, and swing drives. Another suggestion, do your best to stay out of really soft muddy stuff unless you have to (or you're dirtman :notworthy) However, if you have to get on or in it, take your time, and plan each step carefully and should you start to get that... "sinking" feeling, it's always gonna be better to try to pull yourself along, pushing down with the bucket might get that end of the machine out, but it will tend to just push the "rear" in deeper.
learn the reach of your machine,get a feel for it it will save you moving back and forth,plan your dig don't paint yourself in a corner.keep full buckets when possible and keep your swing cycles short when you can, remember a hoe works in a 360 degree radius you have to be aware of whats going on around you ,you have a lot of blind spots that people that have not been in one do not understand.
it also prematurely wares the idlers and frame...
how about... sweep and clean out the machine after the end of the day... if you share a machine, there's nothing worse than opening the door first thing in the morning and looking at mud, cigarette buts and coffee cups... especially when there not yours...
From a mechanics point of view.. shovel out the tracks at the end of shift, grease the fittings you can reach once a year( if it's not too much trouble!) and muck out the cab of all yur cans, bottles and spit cups... (tounge in cheek) {sorta} thanks..
Or dip spit bottles.:throwup
That's going to be mudman instead for the next month! Each morning I like to just do a walk around the machine and just look over things, check your fluids and stuff. You can be surprise and some of the stuff you can spot by just simply walking around it. Keep your two main bucket pins greased daily, the grease wears out quick with all the dirt that gets in the main pin. Try not to curl your bucket all the way up and that should keep a lot of the dirt out. Don't slam the bucket all they way back when you dump it. I think the others pretty much have the rest covered. Most of all have fun!
using the sides or back of your bucket is kindof a grey area... I personally think that flatining a bit of mud or spoil is no bigie... but on allot of biger sites or rock jobs an experienced super will give ya a third degree thrashing for doing that. I try to use the bucket edge... it looks beter and it's good practice at fine grading
Excavator do's and dont's . Do , go and learn how to use a computor as theres no money in machines . Dont , even think about it .
Treat it like you bought it! And have to pay to fix it.
try to sit somewhat level while working saves alot of stress on the swing drives
good point... when I see an operator siting at an angle loading trucks or working, and he has the ability to sit level but doesn't... I know he's green...
Keep your tracks point towards the hole, so you can back away from the hole, when working in clay it pays to keep the bucket corner edges clean inside, also check track tension each day, along with oil and water. Happy diggin
Sounds like you're gonna be having fun, lol:Banghead:drinkup OK, kind of a long the same lines, if you're in a cut or loading out a pile and the end of the cut slopes down, would you rather see the operator stop loading trucks to make a flat spot or just back down the slope a bit till you finish the cut and move to the next pass?
Make sure you do your daily maintenance even if your machine just got back from the shop. Mechanics or yourself may have forgot to put the fill cap on ...everyone is human, and diesel/hydraulic ain't cheap. Watch out for people, especially those who may not be aware that you are about to manuever the machine. People see those nice big flat tracks that are just perfect for setting things on ie: rear ends, plans, lunchbuckets, cell phones...do a walk around before you get back on the machine, especially if you have been idle or away awhile. Worked a job where a crane knocked a service truck into the breaker pit, the mechanic who was working on the crane told the operator to swing...right into the truck he(the mechanic) parked beside the crane. Crunch. Crane -1 service truck-0. Thankfully no one was in the truck. Be safe, ALWAYS.
my brother was digging out the enterance on one of our jobs with the 245b when the outhouse pump truck came in drove up next to him and blew the horn. so naturally my brother swung to see who was behind him and swung right into the cab of the truck. the driver got out went to my dad and uncle looking to exchange papers and my uncle told him that he better just forget it now we have to get cat out to check the swing drive because all the force from hitting the truck could have caused alot of damage. the kid called his boss almost in tears telling him he thinks he cost him alot of money we might have to fix this guys excavator. so you should always check around you you never know what moron will pull something like this
I always check the machine over and grease it before starting whether theres an oiler or not. Also tell the mechanic every day whats wrong with the machine. I worked on a Uninon job once as a hire in program and got written up for checking the oil in my hoe and reagreasing a buket pivot the oiler didnt get the fitting to take. When I checked the oild it was 1 1/2 gallons low. I wouldnt start up till I got oil in it I got a grievance filed on me I quit the next day. I alway check the tracks for folks setting stuff on them, I pinched a labor pretty hard once when running a 222 manitowoc crane he sat on my track whilst I was holding a pump assembly in place for a fitter. When I got back to working I heard a holler and froze up I had his leggs good. I hate sharing a machine thats dirty, I shared with an operator that was a slob. He spit int the floor left cigs all over and such. The kicker was he left a 44ounce fountain drink cup on the armrest oneday full of tobacco spit I opened the door to get into my 300 and got a nasty bath. I was miffed in a bad way. Every machine he was on was like that They fired him after a cigarette butt caught the inside of the 300 on fire when his trash pile accumulated when I was on another part of the job. Another peave is to see a machine rocking when digging even if its on rock. Dad and brother always told me to take a bucket of loose dirt and strow it on my perd and walk up on it to self seat. I also dont like to see a machine hacking at a rock or prying hard on a stubborn rock. I was a mechanic and operator for Huffman and I was off working on an ADT and the stupid foreman on that site put a laborer on the hoe. I had a deeper bucket o nthat machine and I had been excavating dry backfill material and there was an occasionall rock this laborer was told to not mess wit hthem and work around them I hear a huge pop and look at a lost looking laborer. I look ed at my bucket and it had the whole back out of it. I spent the rest of the weekend rewlding it. I hate to see someone digging off a bank in a corner and scroungingthe undercarriage with dirt then having to dig it out I like to push material back before it accumulates. Ive seen folks knucled the boom down and in for servie but let the bucket cylinder lay on the rocks wit hthe boom weight on them.
don't dig in hard ground, rock, or concrete with your clean up pail... not only are you not geting anything done your wearing the bucket out... that's what tooth buckets are for do spend some time when your first on site to familiarize your self with any over head and under ground services or structures... always look when your working under wires... they only get taken down when you don't look. And never trust anyone who says that a service in the ground runs in a straight line... they never do! lol
hey john1066 im curious if wve worked on the same site?
Just curious what if you are cleaning out dicth banks what way should you keep your tracks. Sorry green on shovels.:beatsme
DON'T attempt to demolish ANY masonry building if you have no idea how masonry structures load!
*************** DON'T DO THIS!****************** These are picts of an excavator that hit a high pressure crude oil pipe line... it hapened not too far from where I live and it took them a week to open up the road... and 2 months before people could move back to there homes... From what I understand the owners of the pipe line and/or the contractor (stiil to be determined in court) told the operator that he was clear to dig where he was... well you can see what hapened. I feel so sory for the guy who was operating at the time... wow what a mess! It's one of those things that if it hapened to me... I think I'd hop into my truck and just head off to the bar for a stiff drink...lol
well at least the oil stops the rust from forming
and he won't have to worry about greasing it...lol
that would really suck i could not imagine having clean that up
They removed all of the affected roadway and re paved... removed all contaminated soil... trees... fencing... and the roofing, siding, Drain tile, and all outside fixtures and coverings on the houses that were contaminated by oil. They were even talking about demolishing one of them... its hard to see in these picts but I think there were 6 houses that were affected... some more than others... I've been looking for some picts of it when it was leaking... I saw it on the news and the oil was 30+ feet in the air!
i like the stealth look though:drinkup
I guess I would definitly consider this a don't. do you know the guy who was running the shovel. What kind of shovel is that. Cat i think
dont know the opp but I've meet the owner of the contracting co... and I think it's a cat too... hard too tell though...hehe
was the shovel ok any damage besides the major oil clean up or do you know
man that sucks... good thing the guy had the front window closed I guess. Like the other guys say, my big ones are to try to dig over the idlers whenever possible, know where your counterweight is (and try to keep the paint, not dirt, on it), know your blindspots and if possible make sure the people working with and around you know where they are too. When lifting, designate ONE person to give you the signals and if you have a quick coupler it's always easier to remove the bucket when lifting, gives you more weight and control. I don't know if my earlier question was very clear or not, so I'm attaching a quick drawing I did to... better explain it. Red arrow line is the path of the excavator, the wedge is the ground. When you get to the end of a pass that slopes down, what would you guys suggest doing? (top)Go with the flow and just load out the slope and keep the trucks moving or (bottom)take the extra time to make yourself benches so you're completely flat and stable to load the trucks? I guess in my opinion it would depend on the grade of the slope and how much time you have between trucks. If the slope was gradual enough I would just ride it down for the 3 or 4 loads and then move on, but if I have the time or if it is too steep to safely or effeciently load take the time to give myself a couple flat spots to sit on. Man I hope that makes sense, I'm awful at trying to put thoughts into words:beatsme:Banghead:bash
A bit of Gold pinstriping and that would look awsome , i might do mine like that .
And there you have it Its a very good question Jim, and I really think you have the answer. Loading road going trucks with anything bigger than a 20t exc, care is needed and this demands the machine be as level as sensibly possible to aid control and precision. Throwing muck at ADT's on production work with a 345 (for example) would probably not permit you the niceties of levelling yourself up all the time, although the odd bucket thrown behind you or removed from behind you will usually keep you in a workable / productive position, at the end of a bench it really will come down (sorry ) to the length and steepness. The one that really winds me up is seeing an excavator climb to the top of a heap then struggle to reach wagons or ADT's that cant get close enough to make the operation productive or safe. Why not just dig yourself a bench at a sensible height and load the trucks as you go :beatsme :drinkup
What a mess, I hope he did have the windows shut, I would hate to think about the state of the operator never mind trying to get the cab clean Really makes you aware of making sure the permit to dig is in a safe place and that you HAVE READ IT
Sorry fellas... Calling BS on the oil line break. The gloss black paint on tha Cat is TOO perfect, and the fence and foliage on BOTH sides of the street have ZERO black on them. Keep in mind these pics were taken in the early evening (long shadows) and we know what that does to pictures. Also... These pics were obviously taken in the civilised part of the world. Can you imagine how many green DEP type trucks and cleanup type truck would STILL be present if that was oil on the road??? Especially before THE SAME MACHINE/COMPANY was permitted to continue work???? That there is a water main break. Some 12 year old "internets" hero is making stuff up, in my opinion - I wouldn't believe that until I saw a news clip - and THAT would make news even in NYC.
I was told by an old time that when you load from a pile set up so your tracks are about the hight of the tailgate on the back of the truck and you will be at the perfect height for loading and i agreet with atlas just throw some material behind you on the way down.
I thight you might be right, the way it sprayed the machine is just too perfect.:drinkup
If thats a set up and photocropped by a few internet nerds :notworthy they done a pretty good job of the fence, trees, road and car. :spongebob but I have been shown to have a big mouth that my foot will fit in very easily on more than one previous occasion. BUT NOT THIS TIME :notworthy http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25219763.htm VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 25 (Reuters) - Experts were assessing the environmental damage on Wednesday after a ruptured pipeline showered a residential area in suburban Vancouver with crude oil, some of which seeped into a nearby Pacific Ocean inlet. Crews attempted to mop up pools of thick black oil left by Tuesday's accident in Burnaby, British Columbia, when a road repair crew struck the 24-inch line that transports crude from a storage facility to a terminal in Vancouver's port. Representatives of pipeline owner Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP did not return phone calls on Wednesday, but local media quoted a company official as saying an estimated 1,400 barrels of oil leaked out in the accident. Witnesses said a geyser of black oil spewed up to 12 metres (40 feet) in the air for more than 20 minutes before the line was shut down. Man I'm on a roll http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6914883.stm
another possibility would be to dig untill you feel it is to steep, then just swing around and start digging from the toe of the slope back toward where you left off, you can quickly get material under the front of your tracks to sit a little more level,plus now you are digging up hill instead of down,you have more control over the machine,especially with a large hoe that has a hard time holding it's swing.continue back and when you are close enough you can knock the top of the pile down and make a bench to sit on when you have dug everything you can, simply walk off and sit on ground level to finish loading it out,now you have a big pile in front of you to still get full buckets,instead of chasing a couple of feet down a slope,yes you will have to sit on the same level as the trucks for a round or two but you won't lose production this way as opposed to trying to dig benches to get level all the time you won't miss a beat when you are swamped with trucks.
hey you got a picture of the hoe in the paint booth:drinkup
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/07/24/bc-oilspill.html
Thanks for setteling this one with the truth steve I thought it was real
Well, I guess I have to believe it now. But I still don't want to.
Dude... I have no idea how you can mistake those pictures as a water line break, water don't look black when it comes out of a main... and what would be the point of making that up?... well here is the story from the "New York Times"... The Provence News paper and an internet site that actually has the vid of the leak in action... I feel kinda bad that I have to give proof but oh well... http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=82d34e8f-a46c-4334-9f3b-5361a33c6114 http://www.sqwalk.com/bc2007/001071.html http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E0DC153EF935A15754C0A9619C8B63
Hey, look above you last post I already ate my hat, you want me to eat my sweatshirt too?
if ya wana.... sorry it took me a 1/2 hr to find all the links I posted and when I started there were no responses... it's all good man check out the vid though... I think I said originally that it was 30+ feet in the air.. more like 80+
That caused an enviornmental flurry and a serious hike in some insurance premiums Stock
The maximum height of your bench should be the height of your stick. This oil spill in Vancouver is still in the courts. The pipeline company is suing the city, excavation company and operator. Residents are suing everybody. Not a good situation. Damages could be $20 million plus. Shouldn't be too hard to get a good locate on a oil pipeline of that size. Hand expose within 1 meter of a service.
Can you imagine if that had caught fire ?
!!!EXACTLY LOCATE BY HAND FIRST!!! I cant coment on who's fault the oil spill was... but I know from experience that services are never ware they are suposed to be and never run in a straight line like every super and contractor try's to tell me. I'm doing an excavation right now that has a forced sanny service close by... problem is nobody knows where it is exactly... the contractor was really cool and recomended we dont dig there till the city comes and locates it.... I added that we need to locate it by hand as well... and he agreed That coment about benches is interesting... why is that a good practice? thanx, Corey
Locate first. Here we have a hand dig 24 inches of utility state and federal law. Interesting Kinder Morgan. They had a jet fuel that was mis-marked in Walnut Creek, CA it blow up and killed several welders and labors. The mis-mark was caused by Tree when the pipe line was installed went around the tree, (ENVIRONENTALIST TREE HUGGER) the tree died, time passed and years later a large pipe line was run parrell to the jet fuel, got to the jog and pow. Largest settlement of that kind in USA history. Think it was 05 or 06. It's been manditory for a representive of the pipeline company over see work close to any petroleum pipelines. Dig safe make sure to call USA Dig Alert 72 hrs. 2 working days pior to excavation. Not only will you get a big fine, you will not get insurance anymore, thats if you are still alive.
please explain? i know why the bench should sit about level with the top of the truck ,but not sure what your saying about the stick:beatsme
That is what we were taught at the Heavy Equipment School. Not a rule but a guideline. !0 foot stick, bench 10 feet high. It lets you see the truck box when you are loading and still easily reach down to keep area clean for the trucks to back in.
Loading from stockpile, cuts or benches When you talk about loading dirt, medium size excavator and benches like from a stockpile. Your tracks should be higher than the truck to keep the lift distance as short as possible. When loading a stockpile from bench take a 5-6 ft cut. Again this will keep the lift distance to the truck as short as possible. When the cut is higher than the truck cycle time is shorter because you don't lift as high to get into the truck. Like this, http://www.darrylmueller.com/220lodconco.jpeg
yes i too prefer being a little higher than the trucks,i was referring to john1066 about being about the same level as the truck,i just have not heard of the bench being the same height as the stick ?as long as you keep things in reach and load at a comfortable height should be fine,we all have different ways of doing stuff i personally would load the whole pile out instead of taking two passes at five or six feet deep, bottom line is just have to keep cycle times short which has already been stated in earlier post.
Not too hard at all judging by the pictures, he definetly found it As for hand digging within 1metre to expose services I agree and our method statements demand it every time. I wish I had taken photos the other day of a 6" foul sewer I had to cross. Everybody knew where it was including the operator who dug the trench for it 6 months ago Its in made up ground so very little chance of spotting a trench line. I removed the top 18" with my ditching bucket ( no teeth) 6 ft wide and they hand dug down the depth of the spade (12") full width of my bucket. This pipe is not very deep, they all know this. I then remove another 8" and they hand dig down the spade depth again. I remove another 8" and repeat. At 6 feet deep and no pipe they decide to move sideways a bucket width and repeat. After lunch, now 12 ft wide and 6 ft deep the hand dig is aborted as we are running out of time I had to backfill the hole in order to be able to continue ( steep bank and a large pond restrict options) I exposed the sewer 24" outside the trial hole at a depth of about 24" :beatsme I'm working with the guys who put it in 6 months ago :Banghead I agree and the picture is a very good example. :yup The thing for the learners to grasp is that the next cut will be done from the bench you have just exposed so dont take too much else you will be below the truck and struggling to see. The thing about bench height and stick length is an easy rule of thumb guide to teach to new operators. a) Its easy to remember, b) it allows you to be high enough to see into the truck and c) it allows you enough reach to clean up as you go, if its the last bench. As you get more experience you see and learn other tricks/ways such as Darryl shows. In loading ADT's from a suitable area/stockpile it is not unknown to bring the ADT's in on the cut you have done while you take the next bite off the high ground but this is very often not possible with loading road wagons as its usually too soft.
Because i don't do dirt work with my machine i need to know something . After you load out most of a pile and have to get off it to load the rest out . What is the proceedure ?
Whether it's a stockpile or cut, eventually you will have to sit on the same level as the trucks and load them, it's just the nature of the beast. If it's a stockpile, you have to get as much as possible up, but in a cut, if you have a dozer pushing up/grading to you, you can leave a little pile behind and just have the blade push it off and feather it in with the surrounding area. IF you don't have a dozer and the material type allows it, you can under cut a little then push the little hump of material you have left back into teh hole. That's easier to do than to chase a couple buckets of material all over the place. ointhead
Easy your last cut is finish grade, the pile that you are sitting on I usually through a couple of bucket behind me so I am maybe 2 ft off the ground to finish most of the remaining, then sit on finish elevation for the last load. Don't worry about looking in the trucks we are way beyond that we are counting buckets, or load until you see a foot of dirt then strike it off. Production, speed, number of haul trucks, when you have like 14 trucks running to load there is no time for messing around, 14 X $95.00 per hr. that is $1330.00 per hr just in trucks, no way can you have trucks waiting for the excavator, we are in this for fun and to make money right! Now this means nothing if you are loading 100 yds and several trucks doing a short haul, there is a lot of time to play around.
Thanks for the tips guys. It makes for great reading for a rookie like me.
Glad to help with a little info. If our Nation don't wake up we are all going to be led by rookie's real quick!
Too Quick to judge You are too quick to judge - The story is real, it happened in Burnaby, British Columbia on the Barnet Highway. Next time get your facts correct, your credibility is shoot.
Why don't you read the whole thread, new guy - we've already discussed this.
Point Taken.
Manners, even though we play in the dirt does not mean we are not able to be polite to each other and it should be shot instead of shoot. The oil covering that ex does look like a good paint job but after it has rained oil for a while it would get a nice even coat.
By no means an expert but it depends on the amount of weight on the end of the boom. If it is a light clean out with no real digging you should get away with keeping the tracks offset to make the job quicker but if it is tough going there is the possibility of tipping or dragging the machine into the ditch, especially if it wet and the embankment can suddenly give way. Safety before efficiency. Not sure if this has specifically been mentioned but it is a good idea to walk the work site to check for loose areas, pieces of metal. Basically do a risk assessment of the site before driving the machine in there, communicate with others as to any dangers that may be present and exactly what they want you to do.
Excav. 315 BL My excavator 315 BL, in cool time both track run fine But, in hot working operation one motor track have no power, no turn and no move. Thank you, if you know the problem LM
make sure you clean the mud off the soles of your boots before atemping to move into the cab , my old uh081 is slippery when wet
I'm in the same boat special tool. If it wasn't for the news clips I'd be screaming photoshop all day too. For the oil coming from the front under ground the back of the counter weight is just to perfectly covered Oh well it is what it is :deadhorse
My cousin worked for the pipeline company and he had cash and Visa to pay for residents' expenses. Last I heard damages were in the neighborhood of $2 million. Big oops!!
Thats easy explained, after the initial ...WOooophh........... and the big spray of black stuff came hurtling out of the ground he did what any experienced excavator operator would do..........................he slewed around to see if anybody else had noticed and to suss out the chances of saying ........NOPE weren't ME BOSS! Thus the whole machine is just as Henry Ford would have delivered it had he made excavators in his day. Any colour as long as its BLACK
Thanks for all the tips. I'm a newb myself to the excavator world.
I like to have a clear view of where I'm working and have found that keeping a good coat of rain-x on the windows helps immensely with visibility. The mud washes off easier too!
I have an caterpillar 315 BL excavator. In cool time both tracks run fine, but in hot working operation one motor track has no power, wont turn and wont move when in motion. any suggestions? maybe hydraulic pressure increase?
I have a caterpillar 315 BL excavator. In cool time both tracks run fine, but in hot working operation one motor track has no power, wont turn and wont move when in motion. any suggestions? maybe hydraulic pressure increase?
lminter240, dunno for sure as i am a newb, but i would guess the motor is leaking internally. i looked at a 312 with that same problem, and the dealer said it was internal leakage, he said it would be ok to run like that for a while, but you should really fix it asap. the one i was looking at was rebuilt and cost $4000. good luck.
use the boom/dipper like a paintbrush when you load stuff a nice easy sweep action be smooth keep the arse end out of the dirt keepit greased and clean and tidy remember it's YOUR office every day you have to work in ****e you don't have to sit in it no tools or stuff in the cab it's not a toolbox. look after it and it WILL earn you money