Well I'm wanting to hear how everyone got starting in the excavating business and where you are today. Tell me your stories guys! I'm thinking about becoming an operator, I've been around farm equipment all my life and my grandpa ran dozer alot when the farm wasn't making enough $$$$$. Anyway I'm a junior in highschool looking to get started in the earth moving industry, I've called a couple local excavating companies but they wouldn't hire until next summer. There's some operating schools out the like Linn State https://www.linnstate.edu/academic/heo/index.php or through the Union http://www.iuoe.org/Training/Local513HeavyEquipmentOperatorTrainingSchool/tabid/161/Default.aspx My ultimate dream is to be an owner operator of a dozer and hoe and do like farm related work. So tell me your alls thoughts guys!
Anybody?? I was always the kid that would rather play in the dirt, than do anything else. There are some bigger name companies (Clarkson, ESS,KAT, ect..)I wouldn't mind working for in MO, but really don't want to live in the big city like KC, STL.
started plowing snow back in the 70's. Still plowing snow (some of the same customers) in the winter. I just keep adding what equipment I need to do the next job. Always got the job first then buy what is needed to do it. started with a plow then a Bobcat, next a dump truck, then a sander, then backhoe attachment for the bobcat, then a trailer, then a backup plow, and so on and so forth. always buy the equipment after I had the job. Raised in Montana I was taught to do all the repair work I could myself. There is no get rich easy or fast way out there. Just good old fashion hard work, long hours, and do what you promise. Do your jobs well enough to look back and say "I did that job." Be proud of your work. Never do just enough to get by. Only thing I would do different would be to finish high school. I need help on my communication skills. ( spelling) Good luck on your future.
worked with my old man since i was about 6 till about 15, then from 15 i moved into demoltion and currently 17, operating excavators in civil construction
At 19 and bored with college I tried to get hired on runnign track loaders in the boom of the housing market here in KC. I'd run a machine a lot on the farm growing up but couldn't find anyone willing to give a 19 year old kid a set of keys so I ended up in Law Enforcement two years later. Three years after that I bought my skid steer to help out my firewood business and paid it off with lots of long hard days cutting wood. Over the three years of paying it off I did a few odd jobs here and there with it and found out that working dirt was easier than swinging a chainsaw. Once it was paid off I picked up my mini ex and have almost paid it off. This summer I bought a dump truck, built a shop, and swapped trailers. I've only been playing in the dirt for bout two years now. When I set out my goal was to keep my overhead as low as possible, and not have more debt than I could support with my "real Job" if things didn't go so well for a month or so. So far its worked and things are growing slowly but surely. I do some ag work and a lot of little residential stuff nobody else wants to mess with. The tough part of Ag work is seems to be boom or bust in a huge way. If its dry like this summer everybody wants their ponds cleaned out all at once and you will have more work than you can keep up with, if its wet they all want rock, and if farming isn't going so well or things are progressing steadily you will sit at home because they don't need something done. Growning up on a farm I realized farmers are frugal people and won't spend money they don't have too unless they have a lot of it and a lot of them will buy a used machine to do what you would do for half the cost then plan on selling the machine later. Good Luck and get dirty John
Thanks for the input guys. Around here its hard to find older guys willing to help teach a young kid that they don't know.Doing ag work is boom or nothing, thats why I kinda want a dozer and hoe later down the road cause I think they're pretty versatile machines. I would even consider looking into doing tiling cause a lot of guys have done pretty good with that, but we'll see this year since it was so dry. I do a lot of odd jobs now. I do all of my own mechanacing and I've also restored a couple JD 2 cylinders.
I know what you are saying here. Part of a small family business in a town of 1200 people surrounded by agriculture for miles. The farmers havn't been so frugal the last couple years, as they are making loads of money with outrageous corn prices. It's been so good for so long now that they are just buying their own machinery and doing it themselves. Stinks really, but what can ya do. When things go the other way, there's going to be a hell of a nice used market out there. First thing to go on the sale is the yellow machine when fuel is high and crops are low, and you know how those farmers are...the yellow machine always had a spot in the shed.