dad ran everything,he said the grader was the toughfest! my hats off to those of you figured that beast out! dad was a very smart guy! union operator of many pieces of equipment! yet he thought the grader guys were a cut above most!!!!!!!
Thank you and your dad for the compliment, I guess I think most anyone can operate a motorgrader if they stick with it long enough, some just better than others. It can be a challenge but then thats what I like about it. To me you might master the operations of the machines but the technechs are a life long learning experience.
Your dad was right.On a jobsite,roadway construction,blademen are the top of their trade as operators.
Only thing i could add to that , is that you need to love the job if you dont, leave it for somebody who does.
your right!!! Ive only been at the grader game for about a year now, and i know i still have alot to learn... but every time i get in the seat i smile!! It IS the best job ever!
I have been running a grader for many years ,but still learning.Best job I ever had.
I`ve been on a blade for fifteen years now.I still learn something new all the time on a blade.Small stuff but a blade is a technical marvel at the countless positions it can be in working.It is my thoughts that it takes five years on a blade to truly learn it and I still learn something new all the time.
10-4 on that love the job and take pride in what you do
My understanding is that everybody can run a grader, but good grader men have to have kind of an artist instinct also, cause with grader you do create. Every single job should be concidered like a new artifact with grader. Am i excessive? Dont know but thats how i feel. (The links are fine!)
After 39+ years,it also helps being a bit crazy too. I climbed on a knuckle bustin' AC with a clutch (that took two men and a boy to push in),almost a football field to turn around on, an open cab. That was in the spring of 1970 and I haven't looked back since. It's a machine you either loved or hated it to death.
Yes, hats off to all blademen, the guys that can spend hours upon hours working dirt and rock to perfect grade. They are a special breed of operator that alot of guys will never reach. I see somtimes they are also the guys that just keep doing what they know how to do instead of listening to the school edcucated guy with the white shirt. Trbo
I agree that it takes five years, maybe even longer. Every day is a learning process with a grader. I have 25 years under my belt and still learning. Lol...sure does!
I agree, Sanity is the first thing that usually goes, but you also have to like the challange. I was told it is a little little like sculpting. some days you create a real work of art, otherdays, its just a lump that people drive over. either way, its the best job on the site .
grader guys from what i see you grader guys are the detailers of the site! ive just seen some finish grade, ready -to seed with grass seed work done by a finish dozer operator! this property didnt even need for the dirt to need the landscaper to rake it! this commercial property got grass growin after the dozer guy walked away! you trim dozer guys are awesome!!!!!!
Hey plowking740, good to see that you're alive and well Is Calgary still booming? I also agree with your statement.
it has boomed and now there are a few of us picking up the peices. not a lot of work right now, there is Iron sitting all over, and has been there for a long time. as it stands, I have enough to keep me going till sept, then... I dont know hope things change. I really dont want to break in a new boss. Hows things out east?
I guess we're holding our own down this way. Seems to be lots of work going on, but definately not booming by any means. Hope you don't have to break in a new boss...hopefully things will pick up out your way. Keeping this thread on track..in case anyone didn't know this...one of the most difficult jobs of a good blade hand is breaking in a new boss..
gradermen thanks for all the replys!even the good grader guys have to admit a constant learning curve! imo no matter what trade, if you arnt constantly learning, its time to get out and do something else! i learn something new every day! and love it! best to you all!
I've got to give you this counter...you have great enthusiasm..good to see that.
I`ve never thought myself "good"or such,but I`ve run a blade a long time.Folks around these parts say I`m good but it never gave me a big head. There are still plenty of days at different chores on a blade I run into things that test me.Working on Fort Hood with Corps of Engineer inspectors, straight edge inspections and .02 inch tolerances made me good enough I figured.But if you run a blade every day and still don`t find a challenge,you`re either lying or you are perfect...and the only man I know who is perfect sits on a throne in heaven.
One day my boss was driving by in his ute (pickup) and says jokingly on the two-way "you know I think you've got the best job in the mine site" and I said "you know, I think you're right". There is always, always something to learn. When I left the oilfield and started doing civil residential stuff I'll say the learning curve was very, very steep. Took about eight years to start to be comfortable with it. Now I've given that away, but I refuse to accept "that's good enough for a mine standards". Right now we're building a dam (yeah I know it's the rainy season) and I'm looking forward to doing those batters (slopes).
Ime a mechanic some times when nothing going on i would try blading the yard way harder than it looks i would get it on a concrete pad raise the blade just enough so it wouldnt touch. then just drive all over not touching the controls.it actully worked ok. Worked for a paving co in the 70s there best grader hand was the one that did the dirt surface for tennis courts.
Very true
Hello. I totally agree. I have a few years of education behind me, so I get asked "Why are you here?". Well, first off, I really do like the work, sitting on iron and moving it within an inch here and there, under speed, that is something that makes me happy. The other reason is that I am so screwed up in the head to where I can no longer work in an office, I need to be alone with my machine. But, to be with a good crew that is doing everything right, working as a team, that is what life is all about for me.
Arabhacks you hit the nail on the head when you talk about being with the right crew. Im still very new to the grader game but i spent the past year and a half going around to job sites by myself doing small grade jobs. The only help i had was with the crew that was already working on the job. It was very hard at times cause most of the time everyone was not on the same page... and some guys had no clue how to do grade work. And me being new i wasent the best person to give direction, i could only explain what i learned through my experance. At the end of this year, an older grader man retired and i got to fill his spot on a grade crew. These guys worked together for years and knew exactly what needed to be done and when. I remember making a pass thinking that i would have to go back and do a clean up pass cause i left a few little windrows behind, when i finished my pass and looked behind me to back up, all the windrows were raked off and any mess was all cleaned up. At that point i realized how much easier life is when you have a good crew. Not having to chase people around to get things done! I hope that next year when we start back up i get with the same crew. Great guys and sooooo much less headaches...
I have to say that a good blade man is a scraperhand's best friend for sure. I've learned alot from the grader operators over my few years on a scraper. The scraper guys teach tricks for running a scraper, whereas a graderman teaches how to work with the material, and also how to work with the dozers, graders, and other support equipment so that everyone's jobs are just a little bit easier. If I hadn't had the old grader guys willing to share their experience, I probably wouldn't be where I'm at after only 3 yrs. So a big "Thank You" to all you old blade operators who share your wisdom with the young guys who are willing to learn fom it. Just the humble opinion of a young scraperhand who isn't that smart to begin with!:notworthy
Everything's better with a blade..
Nice to hear that not all old grader & dozer operators get too cantankerous with age
I don't consider myself an old operator or a good operator, but I fondly remember my first day on a grader. It was an early 70s model CAT 12. I had to be shown how to crank it (Pony motor). I drove it about six miles to my house. Greased the machine just to bond with it. Drove it down the paved road to my first gravel road, set the blade where I thought it should be, put it in first gear and let out the clutch. That was 1989. It's the darnedest thing. I'm still trying to learn how to operate a blade..... :notworthy
I ran my first blade in 1954. I was 8 years old and the neighbor farmer had me ride the old horse drawn grader pulled by a "B" John Deere. All he had me do was turn the wheels back & forth to raise & lower the blade to grade the lane to his house. Now 56 years later I'm operating a '08 Cat 140H. My Dad was an old Cat skinner from back in the 40's & 50's & always told me the top guy on the job was the "patrol" man. Anybody else heard the term Patrol operator for blade man? Well anyway after reading several of the threads in the road grader section & really enjoying the M over the bridge discussion I am glad to have found this forum.
Motor Grader, Maintainer, Patrol, whatever its called,the man that has truely master the machine is a man that is in peace with himself. Principles of grader operation can be taught from a book, but never applied without seattime(no ,,offense Grader4me). Far and above the hardest of all dirt machines man has assembled to master. The production possibilties of the grader are only limited by the intellectual limitations of the operator. Some people look at a grader and see a road grader, some people look at a grader and see ditching machine, leveling, contouring, scraping, stripping machine, and others look at it as a level, tape measure, towing,beadbreaking, branch trimming, tree leaning,rock picker and on and on and on........ a grader operator sleeps good a night
Good blade men Very true. An old foreman told me when I first started out in 1979, "good grader operators are hard to find. They're (graders) the easiest machine to start on but the most difficult to master ALL operations" Never a truer word spoken
The best education anyone can get in this business is the one learned from a good blade man. I have been fortunate to have learned from a few of the best around. We are futunate here on HEF to have some good blade operators that are willing to share their knowledge with the rest of us that are willing to learn. I think the easiest way to run most jobs is from a blade. You are mobile, with a view of everything on the site, and can go where help is needed to make things run smoother.
in 1974 I was running a J621 scraper for a overlot grading contractor & they turned me out as a foremen (grade setter/checker). I had 4 J621's, a D8 & sheepfoot, water truck, and a cat 14 blade to keep organized. All of the operators were at least 10 years older than me, so you know how steep my learning curve was. The first day at lunch I ask the blade operator Charlie Martin (probably in his 60's) what he thought we should do to work together the best & hes said we all just needed to move the dirt the same direction. Every day when we ate lunch setting in the dirt we all had what I suppose was the first "Heavy Equipment Forum". Old Charlie guided & led us to be the best finish crew out of 5 crews with the company. I'll never forget all the tricks & secrects he shared with all of us younger dirt stiffs. We were really a little family. Even when the oil shortage happened later inthe 70's we car pooled, which wasn't heard of then. Of course on payday (friday) we normally had a check pool & the winner bought the beer. Great memories & what a good teacher the "old blade man" was.
Okayyyy...what gave you the idea that I only go by the book?? When I train someone on a grader its usually one on one in the seat. In our grader courses the class usually consists of 12 students. One day classroom and four days of practical in the field. This consists of grading, shaping, leveling gravel and ditching. We use six graders. Grandpa if you keep this up I ain't taking you ice fishing..lol On edit..no offense taken...lol
I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. I just thought I'd try post some photos to this thread to show some of my earlier attempts at grading. Hoping to get back into it in a serious way in the not too distant future.
Pretty tity looking old cat too
Been in that seat and have the knuckle buster T shirt! Is a good looking blade. The one I ran had that same number of no windows. Blade is a great skill to own!
Thanks Jonas, yeah she was looked after this one. It belonged to a Irrigation Property called "Parker" near Emerald in Queensland Australia. I would go out to give my mate who was managing the place a hand every now and again, to brush up the drains and road ways.
How many times did you have levers fly out over your shoulder Mother Deuce? I learnt the hard way and busted a brand new wrist watch from all the jarring from those levers, once the dogs got a hold of the lever and it wouldn't stop osillating back and forth, I had to put my boot up on it. Another time the pin come out and the lever flew out at me.
I never did have a lever attack me beyond beating my hands an wrists to death. A old timer told me to "be decisive" when you put it in the dogs make your adjustment and decisively pull it out and it will beat you a little less. Also I dont know if it is right or wrong but I try not to close my hand around the lever. I palm it in and about half close coming out. I haven't seen that machine in about 3 years now I guess. I learned on hydraulic machines and backed up to the "buster." It will do a really nice job though just takes a little more from the operator! Looking forward to more pics of your next project!
These photos are of another Cat 12E, An Allis Charmers and D9H I drove on Lorraine Station. A Cattle Property in the Gulf of Carpentaria QLD Australia. We were building up 10km of the main road into the property as well as Wing Walls to direct flood waters to a Turkey's nest Dam to feed an irrigation project for the new feedlot being built. November 2000