Well today was my first day in a grader for work i have spent about 5 to 6 hours playing with one before. So i got a champ 780 rigid body to do snow removel with the city. After about two hours the lead grader booted me to the back of the line to do cleanup. So after my first day i was asked to come back for one more out of the 50 graders there today I was one of the six picked to come back ny the city forman :drinkup
Then I would say that you must have impressed them! Good stuff! Have fun out there and good luck! On edit..great time to learn to operate a grader is in the winter. You don't have to do anything fancy, and it gives to a great chance to learn the controls and get a feel for the machine.
oh it was a great day to learn traffic was nuts mini van smoked a school bus right in front of us but i did learn what levers did what and the two guys i worked with really took the time to give me all the pionters they could. to bad we got cancelled for today.
lotta levers, huh?
I had a truckie come over to me one day and tell me about his first and last day in a grader. When he was about 17 the foreman sent him down the road to bring an old 12 back to the yard. At the yard gate there was a cattle grid and you can imagine the rest. He knocked himself out on the windshield but the old Cat was still jumping up and down trying to get free of the grid. When the dust had settled, all the foreman said was "sonny, you'd better stay clear of them graders".
Did you get any man holes
One thing good in Edmonton, is most of the man holes are in the intersections.
Ahhhh....the beloved manhole covers.....:Banghead
I havent caught one yet im sure my day will come soon. I did see a brand new komatsu that was second in line catch a gutter. Spun him a bit sideways and he hurt his neck I guess.... My boss took over for me one day cause i was too tired to go one and he hit a median i guess and got slammed into the controls so hard he had to park the blade.
Yeah, I've struck a few in my day. I would imagine where you're plowing it would be a nightmare...lots of obstacles to watch for. I've never done any city plowing, just small town stuff. I knew where all the manhole covers/curbs etc was on my route. One day you could slide over them good and the next day you would hook them. I have caused some damage to my front plow hitting the damn things. None to the moldboard though.
First day was a nightmare. Started at 8am in a school zone with a couple city bus stops in it minivans and kidlets all over. I had spent about 20 min in this grader driving from the shop to this road. We did residental bus route then some front drive witch is reall fun. Then on to an area with a strip mall with tons of traffic but i lived altho i had the worst dry mouth in history. I thought i might run a kid over in that school zone
I was blading behind another fellow once on 120th ave and he hit a man hole and stopped dead. So he backed up a bit and didn't even lift the blade and hit it again. He did this three times then he finaly lifted the blade and went on. One of those Park Paving guy's.:Banghead
OMG! you know when I train anyone on a grader for winter operations, I take them out on the old back roads where there is very little traffic. After they get used to the controls and feel of the machine they get into plowing the villages and main roads. Takes time though. I couldn't even imagine what you was going through in a situation like that with no seat time. I can certainly understand why your mouth would be dry..I would have crapped in my pants..lol Having said that...you did get through the day and my hat is off to ya!..but what a place to have to learn..wow
Lol! I suppose your jaw was hanging down to your knees watching him..Takes all kinds doesn't it? Unbelievable what some cowboys will do....
Remeber a few years ago when the residents pulled out a few operators and punched them But have fun
Yes the same happened to me my first time for the city. Although I was familiar with the machine, I sure wasn't with all the traffic, driveways, bus stops,parked cars, and then they tell you not to block the drives and to clean out the bus stops. Plus I'd hardly even driven in the downtown part of the city. I like when you are the newbie and your blading along real nice and then all of a sudden you look around and every one else has disappeared.:beatsme P.S. I had an old mechanical Wabco at the time, sure was tiring.
No but I did have one give me a 2 bottles of home brew for cleaning out his parking spot.
Or when the city gives you a skid steer to help clean up but he sits there staring at you guys all day. the next day we didnt have one and it looked just as good and went just as fast the city forman said he wasnt guna send one out with us anymore.
I got two champs in an auction in Achason on the jan 20 Devon they would be up your ally ones an old 740 stiff frame and an D600 with a wing and no brakes
Hey your guna lose my number when those need to go out right LOL
Hey, you can stand up in those.