Treat it like it’s your home, you will be sitting in it for hours on end. Clean the windows at the start of the shift, keep fresh air fresheners, personalize it with pictures of family or loved ones, wipe your feet before you get in, take offence if someone gets in it and dirties it up, check the fluid levels every shift, make sure the fire extinguisher is ok, clean the cab air filter, keep the doors closed and don't let the dust in, fix the lights when they break, or get broke off, check the horn, check the backup alarm, don't be a start stop open close operator, be smooth and become part of the machine, purchase a auto lube system and keep it full, have fun because you are operating the cleanest, best maintained machine of the fleet and when the company buys a new one you will most likely get it. To me this is how everyone to treat our very expensive equipment. If you are a owner operator you know if you are not taking care of it it will take your wallet! My .02
good luck finding the guy you described, there is no one that cares like the owner operator and then not all of them care much either. I care about my machines because I have to fix em if they break. I don't believe in auto lube but an electric grease gun is a must on an excavator.
i will beg to differ, and im sure burnout will agree doing the tings that you listed will not only keep your machine comfortable but will pull you up the company ladder and likly off the lay-off list as well.
One very experienced operator I met on the job site told me that he ran equipment like he hated it. In other words, he thought that one should run it as hard as possible - that the equipment was built to take it. A few months later, everything that he ran was broken down and he lost his job. The company he worked for then sold the abused equipment for next to nothing rather than fix it. For my part, I always try to blend in with the piece of machinery and work as smoothly as possible. Silly as it sounds, I even talk to it and give it an affectionate pat or two when it behaves especially well or goes above and beyond the call of duty. Occasionally, when the machine is too small or the job is too big, abuse does occur. Usually, breakage follows.
There are good operators out there like you described, but they are few and far between. Likely less than 5% if you ask me. I am fortunate to have a few of them, but there are enough of the ones who don't care and they leave a sour taste. Those good operators are rapidly becoming the only ones left working now.
Thats a big pet peeve of mine. Here you got a nice machine with heat and air an some air head wants to open the door and drive through mud etc, that really chaps my hide. I know there are times when you need the door open, but come on.:cussing Oh yeah, the guy that spits chew all over the side of the window, that grosses me out brother. I don't keep my stuff squeaky clean all the time, but you can bet my windows are washed and the floor swept all the time. Makes you and the machine feel better...lol Carry On:usa
Nothing grinds my gears worse than an abbusive operator! Im not operator of the year by any means, but I try to lead by example Years ago, I was running a 769 Cat wagon; stockpiling on a crusher. The day shift operator would spit sunflower seeds EVREYWHERE! When I would crawl in that POS for my 12 hour shift, I would clean it out, and make it a little more like home. One day, I left it just like I found it-he threw a fit cause I didnt clean it to his expectations.:Banghead A few days later he got run off, and I couldnt help but laugh! I just wish he would've said something to me personally! I never have went so far as putting air fresheners in a cab, but I least sweep out the floor, and wash the windows at least once a day. When Im single shifting a machine, I tend to get a bit lasked on my house-keeping. But I will gaurentee this, you will never climb into a machine that I've been running and find empty water bottels, or the such; snuff spit (I like Copenhagen!) or really dirty windows or floors. When you get really busy, its kinda hard to keep a machine 100% clean. Jason
You blokes are lucky if you have windows, cabins, air-conditioners, on your machines. There are still plenty that don't, out working in the dust and heat.
Spits chew on the window? If that was my machine, the spitoon would be dumped on his head. Not kidding.
Look and see how they treat their own stuff and you will have a starting point of the operators habits. Operators here get 8 hr. + 1/2 hr. grease time at double time. So they are paid 9 hr. to work 8 and some still don't want to check or grease the machine. I tell them what I expect and if they don't get my drift bye-bye! Equipment is to expensive to not give it your best care. Good care makes it last and puts money in your pocket. Back in the early 90's a friend had a machine and nobody took care of it. It was a Lull and he got a huge price to re-bush the entire machine. I told him grease is way cheaper.
Hi you've found him.... Nice to meet you! I am one of the few that takes care of his machine. In fact lately I have been getting bounced around a couple of machines because the boss knew I have this tendancy to be molly maid when im sitting there. When I jump on a machine I start with the windows, then comes the floor. Then when I have some time I bust out the Fantastik or Spray Nine and start cleaning the interior, and then the air freshener and girly picture go up. Last week I managed to get in our new D6R series 3. The operator that was running complained because I spent 20 minutes cleaning ALL the windows on the dozer. Then had to sweep the floor, and fix the seat. I don't understand how people can run a machine with the seat right down on the floor. I have also gone as far as to clean the outside of my machine on several occasions. One day I only had 4 trucks to load and they were on a 1hr round. I was bored so I busted out some rags and fantastic and cleaned the 450 with rags. First thing the boss noticed the next day was no more grease stains down the side of the stick.
Ouch...I completely beg to differ on that one! I am one of the just said operators that was mentioned. I do not own my piece of equipment, but I treat it as if I did. I operate a tower crane that is owned by the developer with a sticker price of $500 000...its 4 years old and when I took it over was in rough shape, and within two weeks 2 motors were replaced, as well as magnetic brakes, hoist brakes, load line, and 5 out of the 8 grease nipples were completely siezed...) in all my free time (when I'm not tapping away on the keyboard...) I'm washing my windows, greasing, walking the jib, vaccuming wiping off excess grease that drops onto the mast. This crane is like an extension of me and deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. I check out every weird sound she makes, and I've caught several problems (right after I took over, that enabled the parts to be repaired instead of trashed and completely written off...) Since the intial problems, the crane has had no problems other than normal issues on these models, the techs know how well I take care of the machinery and when a small, minor problem happens, they send the parts to me and I replace them, thus saving the company money, and enabling the techs to deal with other major problems. I've saved the company I work for 10s of thousands of dollars because of the care and attention I give to my machine, and will continue giving to any machine I ever operate. I was once told, to push my machine to the max, make it work, but treat it with respect, keep it clean, and she'll treat you the same back.
The biggest mistake companies make is letting operators bounce around from equipment to equipment. People think oh i'll only be on this for a day or so and they just trash it so that the other operator can clean it up just so he can trash it for the next operator, and the :cussing door! Geez :Banghead the dust! They should make something that if the door stayed open for more than 2 minutes a obnoxious alarm would squeal until you closed the door. If you keep one person on the same machine for even just a month at the time they will learn to keep it clean. I always keep a box of wipes and a broom in my bag and every time i get on a new piece of equipment the entire cab is wiped off and sweeped out. Another thing that works is threaten to buy something with an open cab :spaz and keep each operator on it for about 1 week during the heat and then again in the cold. You will see that they will learn to respect their equipment a whole bunch more! They just have to be reminded every once in a while :duh.
I thought I gave my .02 but I guess not. Where I USED to work, I took good care of the equipment, buying my own cleaner and all. The quarry got 2 new 500's and well they would grease them maybe once a week yet all I got was progressively worse equipment. Yeah, I'm not going back there this season for one of the big reasons of them not taking care of equipment. When I drove truck I would repair the thing on my own if it was feasible while on the road. I carry my own tools, just give me the parts and let me get it going again. Funny story, one day one of our dump trucks had just left the shop and blew a freeze plug out, lost all his coolant. The driver calls in for help and the boss says he should drive it back to the shop....with no coolant! Sorry, if you advocate seizing pumps simply because you can't get your head out of the owners rear I'll make sure you know when I put that first bucket in ya.
working so how many of you get out of the machine and do manual work i am part of a two man gang working on the water infrastucture we cover everthing from mainlaying to bursts and in this line of work it is not possible to keep the machine spick and span we have recently had snow and heavy rain ,i have been on a small site that turned into a mud bath in and out of the machine all day quickly makes a mess :Banghead i keep the machine greased and lubed it will get washed when possible :drinkup graham
I'm all for keeping windows clean etc etc. What gripes at me is when an operator is doing the said tasks when there is trucks waiting to be loaded, I don't deny anybody the time to keep the machine right, but have the common sense to do it in the parts of the day when your slack not holding up 4 other machines or more. Our driver does this and it really bites at me and he wongersw why i go off my rocker. He gets nearly an hour a day at some point for routine maintenance and he does it when we want the machine to work. Just another rant, but he crawls underneath to grease the underside nipples in the muddiest place ever jumps in the cab and then wants to ride home in the van covered and wonders why the other lads make him strip off. Some people don't help themselves.
You don't want to get a reputation for abusing equipment.
As the boss once said to me as a young operator.."these machines are not rolling garbage cans". He was right, point was taken, take your water bottles exc and throw them in the dumpster when your shift is done. Keep it somewhat clean in your downtime, and for gosh sakes Grease the darn thing. If you neglect a machine, it will haunt you at some point.
All of our equipment in our family biz was open cab except for the excavator. During the summer months it was hard to keep from being dusty as it was always open(no ac) but never any garbage in it either. We always fueled up and greesed at the end of the day, scraped the tracks off ALL year. My uncle didn't ever have any ownership in grandpas company but he sure treated it as if he did. Always cleaning, touch up painting, making little hangers and shelves to store stuff, etc. Dad wasn't aslway as fussy as Harv, but I sure remember getting my rear chewed for having gotten mud on the floor boards of the dozer. One thing we did to EVERY machine before it came in for winter service was to strip every pan and gaurd off it, and scrape the dirt out, blow it out, then pressure wash it. Made is so much nicer to work on. Where I work at now some guys are good others aint worth a hoot. Bout the most they do is take their trash out, never clean anything up etc. I try to keep "my" machines as clean as can be but can't do it all on my own. In the haul trucks I'll put glass cleaner, paper towels, tubes of greese and rags in there and they do get used some of the time. My dozer and excavator are mine to take care off, I just do it myself and keep record of what hours they were greesed on, etc. During the early spring and late fall(wetter) I do let things go a bit more cause each and every time your in and out you track in mud so it happens. Just my thoughts and ideas of what I do for my machines. Trbo
I'll admit I like running equipment with the door open sometimes, especially excavators. I used to run my trackloader with the doors open at least a couple hours a week. I find it gets too stuffy and the air gets stale if you don't leave them open every once in awhile. Granted I usually waited for a rain day when there wasn't much dust coming off my undercarriage. And it was nice because if I didnt have much to do the next day I could always dig a hole in the spill pile and go hide in it and clean the cab up. As for my excavators.... when its warm out the doors and front window and sunroof are always open. I grew up being told to dig with the front window open, gives you better visibility and you can hear things better. Plus I always find that seam between the bottom window and the main front window to be in the perfect spot to annoy me all day long. There is just something about being one with the land sometimes. BUT when it gets cold out, or really hot out..... forget being one with the land. I am one with the climate control system.
That is the way it should be done, but never is.
when I run a backhoe or an excavator, I don't like digging through a window. I don't like the reflections. Also with the window open, it's easier to talk to the people I'm working with.
From the fleet mechanic's point of view, if I have a person or an entire crew that takes care of their equipment I do all I can to get to them first when they have a breakdown and fix everything I can while I am there, the other crews can wait, nobody wants to work in a piece of junk and I don't want to work on a piece of junk. My opinion is you should treat like it is your own, regardless of who is paying for it. The operators we have that take care of their equipment get the new machines and usually get to put in their input on what they would like to run and with what options. We usually cycle out the old equipment and the "bad crews" always end up with the "hand-me-downs".
Every piece of equipment i have run ..wasnt the cleanest ..but when you put your finger on the button it worked ..grease was in every joint ..it ran everyday ,never missed a beat .... she made money and was kept going .. never made to go . grease and oil makes 'em go ...wax and glass cleaner just means your the prettiest machine broke down and ive seen this time and time again .. Engines with no oil ,U-joints falling out , grease fittings seized,cant get grease in because its to old'n hard .,bearings shot ..belts not tensioned .. service's well beyond the period because nobody in the office forgets...right?, leaking hose's, broken glass , and the list goes on .. and as far as keeping one man on a machine ...if it runs everyday and he's been on it and has to go for a day ,a week , ..leave it parked ..dont put another guy on it ..for sure something well get broke and claim he found it that way ..so come on ...but man he really looks after the equipment ..you need shade's to look at it .... we'll order ya a new engine.. it leaked out we understand .. ..dont worry we'll get her back together.. GEEZZZ!!! how many times have i seen that ..where's the puddle'o oil then ...lame..
I take very good care of all the equipment I run, it pays my bills. If I don't work because something is broken I don't get paid. I keep everything greased and fluids checked. once you run the same machines for so long you know when everything needs to be checked and done. I grease the bucket pins everyday and the rest when it needs to be done. I do run the machine with the door open on nice day, most of the time its closed with the window open. 99% of the time the front windshield is closed, I call it my splatter shield as thats what it does the most. Although the outside of the machine may be a mess after working in a swamp, the inside is clean! anyone use the redneck carwash method? works great. http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee145/Letsdig18/?action=view¤t=wash.flv
you forgot the soap, you mix a box of Tide in the first bucket, let it sit, then rinse:drinkup
I run a dozer like I would my own. Nice but not so nice. I can't explain it. I don't want to dent it or crap it out like alot of machines are, if it is new and clean inside the cab if it has one it will always stay that way if I run it. I have never babied them though. I was trained by a guy that came close to doing large dozer work with a Case 350 out clearing that is yeah he hammered it. I can remember an old dozer I ran for years never had many problems till all the other people got to run it then it turned to junk. Same way with a company pick up I drove too.
The windows are down ...hot or cold!... If you are working with a crew of people that are out in the heat and you are digging with the windows rolled up with the air on...you are an arrogant operator in my view! Yes leave the air on but open the window and take a better view of whats going on. There is too much to take for granted in this industry. Even in the winter, I will operate with the window open, so you can here and see whats really going on. Dont put youself in a position in the cab that makes your co-workers think you are not with them in the elements!
fun little topic here. My opinion, keep it clean and in good shape. Check fluid every morning during your walk around, look for any fatigued or damaged parts, leaks, etc. Fire it up and let the engine warm up, summer or winter. In the summer you might wanna grease in the morning when it's cooler out. Exercise the hydraulics a little bit to warm all the oil up. One thing that drives me nuts are dirty windows, they glare so much more in the sun and make it harder to see. So I try to clean them as soon as I can, last week or so we've been going through a lot of mud on the haul roads, and it got on the windows a lot, unavoidable, but very annoying:Banghead During the day, run it like you need to make money, cause that's what it is there for, but don't run it like you're trying to break it, equipment isn't cheap and with the economy the way it is now, not everyone is buying new equipment so that piece of equipment might have to last you. Abusing equipment is just plain wrong. Running with windows open, I think it depends on a lot of things, if its a nice spring or fall day out, I might be inclined to crack them open and get some fresh air, I can understand that if you run hoe on a pipe crew you'd want to as well. Open or closed I would always keep an ear out for "unusual noises" that indicate that something might be amidst. End of the day, fuel it up or park it somewhere level in a place a fuel truck can get to easily. We park all our equipment in the same place every night for that reason. Clean tracks or help the guys with tracks clean theirs when you can, it's appreciated. Winter time end of shift greasing is easier cause it's warmer out and the pins are gonna be warmer to take the grease too. Let the engine run for 5 minutes or more to let it cool down, lock it up if possible and walk around it one last time to make sure everything is OK still. If you have time or make your own time after shift, clean the splatter you can. Sweep out the cab and remove trash, I personally don't always sweep the cab floor every day, if it was raining that day and it's gonna be a mess again the next day I might wait a day or two, but generally I make sure to clean it every couple days. When possible cleaning the grease splatter or mud splatter off is nice too.:cool2 That's my 2 cents:usa:drinkup
Nice of you to roll down the window of the cab as I sit and freeze in my Lull bare bones! My guys know I am out there I am actually colder than them as I am sitting and they are working with bricks and blocks. I remember one day I was moving material and it was like 10 degrees and windy. After about near 4 hours I jumped out and fell to the ground. My legs were numb and wouldn't hold me. I know one thing when I use someone else equipment I treat it better than mine which is not to shabby.
I'm like most of you guys, i keep anything im running as perfect as possible. At my last job i was in charge of maintenance on all of our equipment. I was working for a developer who recently got into excavation. I kept maintenance logs on all the machines and made notes about any problems. I would tell the owner what work needed to be done and he would put it off as long as possible! Even something as simple as greasing the buckets pins whould get put off for a week! And i would get bitched at if i tried to take 5 minutes to do it! Our backhoe boom would be dripping with disgusting walmart grease. The strobe light on the cab had a blown bulb for a month. I dont see how you can buy a $60,000 machine and not take care of it. Another thing that i really cant stand is poor welding. If you cant lay decent bead on a flat plate you have no buisness welding a hook onto a bucket thats going to hold thousands of pounds!
I keep my stuff as clean as possible. I grease every morning, and I fuel up every morning (little tip I picked up, then IF thieves get at your fuel supply, they wont get it all!). I tend to climb in and out of my hoe quite abit, so its pretty hard to keep the floors clean all the time, but I do my best. Windows get cleaned when needed. I dont have air conditioning in my machine, and in the summer it gets pretty warm, so the windows get opened. Someone mentioned they run in the winter with the windows open, and I do for the most part too. I own my own equipment and when its clean, I feel like its running so much better(in my head I know ), and I enjoy being in the cab that much more.
Nothing wrong with that picture D4! You can't take your boots off everytime you get in and out.
Working for my dad I made dam sure everything got grease and did what I could to keep it clean. Now working for a utility company Im running a 580Mturbo Case. Just hit 3,000hours last week and I been in it for about 4-5 weeks. It was an abolute mess when I got in it. The last guy left jackets, magazines, trash, sunflower seeds everywere, tools, etc. My second day, got there early, cleaned my windows and tossed all the **** out. Its an embarrasment to me to have a messy looking squeeling machine. Im 20 years old and very greatful to have a good job to go to everyday when I could be laid off like many others. I'll gladly go the extra mile to keep the machine clean wether mine or not, good times or bad.......
sunflower seeds ....that should be a health and bio-hazard violation to which the guy that left it behind would either be required to comeback and clean-disinfect the unit ,fired or fined... I mean Come On ..from some guys mouth to the floor for another guy to clean up ....I'd pull down my pants and leave a big'ol Dairy Queen in the guys lunch box ...and ask him how he likes me now.. sunflower seeds should be banned ...period ...and put up there with alcohol and drug's.. Hate those things
kind of an unusual thread? your equipment is your tool? whether you own it or not? the tool to bring home the bacon and put a roof over your head? whether it's seeds on the floor, failure to grease, check it over....you're kind of determining your own fate by abusing it, right?
I like to hang some nice floral curtains and put some flowers in the cab, just to give it that homely feel Seriously though, keeping a tidy work station is also a safety thing, dirty windows don't make for good visibility. Guess that is one of the differences between a driver and an operator.
I try very hard to keep whatever I'm runnin as clean as my pick-up [get at least one compliment a week on my GMC] Spend a lot of time in both.:drinkup
I cured a co-driver on a truck we shared by adding cayenne pepper to his sunflower seeds. they have to be one of the hardest things to clean out. I keep after my machines regularly but my truck tends to accumulate a lot of items on the passenger side. when I was running for someone else I kept a cat litter bucket in the cab for a trash can. I can't stand dirty windows so windex and paper towels were always in there also. I try to treat machinery like it is my own. If something needs fixin I just do it. Even rental equipment goes back clean.
I use those small plastic shopping bags- they will hang almost any where do not leak or tip over and you just tie off and toss
Mix seeds and dried coffee in the bottom of the cup holder.......... It drove me nuts the first day, had crap finding its way under the swing pedals. Go to swing and have to stop, look like an idiot picking trash out. another thing that annoys me is when people get in the machine temporarily for short time and change radios, seat adjustments, and most important the pattern changer. Get in expect my pattern and the last a-hole switched it without switching it back.
The good thing about those who do NOT take care of equipment is that it catches up with them....
And what about the operator who is a clean freak and does not grease or service- just polishes
Time for a job change to domestic or commercial cleaning I reckon. An operator operates a machine in a safe and efficient manner, which includes servicing and checking fluids. A driver sits on his/her behind and pulls levers until the levers don't do what they are supposed to. If you are working in earthmoving there is always going to be a bit of dirt and dust, part of the job, and if you spend all day chasing every last bit of dirt you won't get anything done. Cleaning a machine is part of servicing a machine, when it is service time. I used to operate harvesters and that is a hell of a dusty job but I managed to keep the machine clean (inside and out) and be ready to roll when the conditions where right, no good polishing when the crop has to be taken down.
Ive seen those guys to ...unit looks great ...but theres not a flick of grease on it ...Why?... cause he might get dirty ...
A machine don't have to be covered with grease & oil to be properly lubricated, grease only works if it is where it is supposed to be. Don't do a bit of good when it is inside the cab all over everything, or on the glass, that glass iis NOT goin rust or start squallin if it ain't greased. Grease everywhere is also a saftey issue. Oiler fell off 375 landed on a rock softball size cracked a vertabrae lower back, last I heard still not workin. Yes I keep my machine as clean, I live in there 10,12,15, hrs. aday, 5-6 days sometimes 7 a week,8-10 moths a year. I do NOT slow down production, I am production,them trucks ain't haulin a lot of iron not movin! I do my cleanin before start time or when there is aproblem on the fill & the trucks have to stop,or the screen goes down for whatever reason. I fuel, grease And clean tracks at end of day.Also reclean glass at lunch time if conditions warrant. Nuff rantin. Must be comin down with early stages of beershymerzers, I thought I said I keep a clean machine, not that I did NOT do my job.:beatsme:drinkup
beeer ...hmmmmmmmmm
It all depends and what the company wants. If I have the time and tools it will be clean and maintained. There is no way I'm going to invest more then the occasional few bucks of my $$$ in there iron. Air freshener lol whatever there is one hand that uses it because he smokes in the cab. When I get in it it smells so strong and bad I would rather smell the smoke. Windows get cleaned every so often, but there not spotless mud goobers don't bother me. Cabs are swept when the mud dries and loosens up. As far as how it gets ran thats up to the boss the only limit is that I won't beat myself up doing it.
Like u paid for it !
I like to keep a machine in good repair. I got on a 580 one time the company I worked for let the laborers use it mostly to tote forms and such I got on it and under the mud in the floor was a sandwich bag. Like shot I slipped and fell and my foot hit the pedel for a right swing the boom was out holding a valve it chunked it. Then on if it wasnt cleaned that crew had to use a wheel barrow. We didnt have water on that job but I had a spare trailer and a 500 gallon tank and a spare pump. Every friday I would go to the river fill the tank and was all the open cab machinery and out and use my compressor to blow out the cranes and excavator cabs. We always got to knock off 30 minutes early to fuel if we wer near the barrel or I could get there early and use my personal truck and tank and such to do it. I got double time for that. This was at Huffman. We had a run of foremen on the lower part of the job. A crane operator and carpenter got the forman job on the river site he was bad rough on the machinery. We had an old 76 Ford 600 flat dump as a yard truck and he too to it. The power steering was out and he ran it like mad We were next to a TVA site and used their ash pond levees to run on dow to the the river. he made a point to hit all the pot holes even ended up in the ash pond once. The head company mechanic had been by to help put an undercarriage on my loader and was dropping something off with the lowboy. He had alot of power over firing as he had been there the longest. The foreman came by in that F600 with only a small hand wiped rectangled spot in the windshield where he had been splashing puddles. He almost his the loader and the mechanic and ran over my small toolbox. The stopped the whole job all 100 folks and made them come watch. He gave the foreman an ultimatum hit the road or was that truck. He said we aint got no water. and the Mech told heim theres 2 5 gallon buckets get walking. He had to walk a little over a mile with 10 gallons of water to the river and come back and was the windows then drive the truck to the river and sponge her off. From then on he dogded any type of water. Where I work out now I supply a steam cleaner and tank and we wash monthyl in the winter and weekly in the summer. I like to wash all the dust off the scraper before greasing the neck. and the trucks get well taken care of to. The worst thing ever was I worked with a fella that was lazy he would run the hoe if something broke down big and I had to help fix it. I never noticed this man get out for a break. Then one day my 300 smelled like a urinal. The nasty b*****d had been pi##ing in a jar and had dropped it. I steam cleaned the whole inside of the cab and poured out 2 gallons of cherry carwash soap in the cab and left the doors open 3 days while I ran an old Case hoe. They fired the man after that.
Lol now that takes the cake. I have seen stuff growing on food and in soda cans, bugs, mice, but that nasty.
jesus christ whats wrong with the bushes!?! or a porta potty
Haha that's gross >.< Pee'in in a jar . . I think that's kinda dumb, why not just get out and pee behind a tree or use a porta john.
peein in a jar ,,,now thats dedication ....but more in line with long-haul trucking not dirt moving ..
I was just on you tube and found these videos,try typing in (takeuchi mini excavator accident ) or (accident dumper volvo crash) , May be somebody else can attach links for videos , thanks
2 brothers from a LARGE construction company were at a jobsite where their scrapers were moving dirt. Noting that one of the operators seemed to be going fast, one brother commented on it to the other. He thought the operators should be "easy" on the equipment. The other brother told him that he likes to see them run like they are racing! The equipment is tough and they are in business to move dirt! So to each his own I guess.
There is a difference between a fast and smooth operator and a rough so and so who beats the equipment to death. The difference being one knows when to put the foot down and when to back off a bit.
My dad been operating for around 25 years, sounds like a bit of advice he gave me once.
Here's a good look at what my typical machine looks like (it's my video AND my machine haha): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukjjkW8fQ_k&feature=channel_page They don't like to wash them very often so the outside is usually grungy, not much to be done on that. Windows are done when I have time, if the trucks are on me all day then usually just the front window at break and then every couple days do the side windows/mirrors. Inside is always spotless down to boot level. I realize that I work in the dirt/mud so the floor is swept at the end of every shift when the mud dries and can be swept out. Unfortunately every now and then someone else runs my machine or I get moved to another machine, the amount of machine abuse at my company is sad. First two weeks we had unit 682 (the one in the video) someone bent up both catwalks and scratched the counterweight, I got it 3,000 hours later.
Video narration: :thumbsup To your videos Vantage_TeS! Just think of how educational it would be, if Warren had a narrated video like yours to view... about the dozer he's looking to possibly buy. I've watched most of the vids. you have posted, and the narration basically makes the difference between night and day. They're very informative... :cool2 Regards, OCR
Yup yup I agree love your vids =D
Thanks, I got into HE because it was something I loved growing up. I used to go pick rocks for farmers so I could drive the tractors =) I never had anyone showing me what to do while I was getting started I had to learn everything myself so anytime a kid (big kids too!) asks me about how a machine works I always take the time to talk to them a bit. Heck I'm still learning, a day on a machine isn't a good day unless you pick up something new.
im currently in the military and i know if we left our equipment looking like some in the pictures ohhhweeee it would be a longgg day/night for all of us haha and you get so much more pride out of having a piece of equipment that is comfortable to sit in all day and won't have any problems while your doing what you love!!
I looked at my Lull Friday night and then thought of this thread. Even though dead tired at 3:30 I was there till 7:00 pm servicing it basically a grease job. Although tired I felt good on the way home. Monday after work I dump the oil on it.
I tell my guys to take care of the equipment like they are making the payments, and their pay check depends on the equipment being able to make money. It helps with some people putting the care into context that they can relate to, but others don't take care of their own stuff. We have developed a good PM Maintenance program, everyone has gotten on board, sweeping out the floor boards, greasing daily, and cleaning the equipment. I'm kinda of picky, I don't allow any smoking or chewing while in the trucks or equipment. My allergies won't take the smoke and I have only had I guy that choose to find employment some where else, all in all my people do a pretty good job of not abusing the machines and keeping their work place (office) clean and maintained.
treat it like it's your own
how would you like to show look out and see your loader operator do this with your machine! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgq312OA6s
I'm not I operator but I think its important to keep machines in good shape. It may also be the companies fault too. I know a union contractor around here,there equipment at sites change almost everday.None of there machines stay at a site for a long periord of time.Wich means operators can abuse them,and leave the next operator at the next site's there promplem.Also they use there equipment for demo,and the next site there on they use this machine and It has concrete dust on it looks just horrible on a urban site.Also there counterwieghts are really scratched too. Some machines they have are in very excellent condition. They keep there trucks nice and clean though Others look like they have 20,000 hours on it. But the company is one of the largest in the area,and they are one the safest too,and they are always buying new equipment. It might also be the naborhood too. Machines around here in philly get grafeddied and vandalized. The contractor has plywood and sheetmetal sheets and they put them over the cab to protect the windows,so they do care about there equipment. If I ever become an operator I will keep my machine imaculate.
Everyone is different I suppose but my view is that reliability is everything, no good if you have a machine that looks brand new but breaks down during the job.
I tell on my people to treat the equipment like their lively hood depends on it. Because it does. Especially these days theirs so much good talent around that you shouldn't have any problems filling an operators seat.
I personally can't stand dirty equipment. There is a reason to keep your windows clean: less dirt=less glare. Clean cab=not always tripping over things and blowing dust away to look at the dials and guages. Pride people, pride. Some people have no pride so they enjoy living in a dump.
All part of normal maintenance, the machine gets a bit grubby when you are busy working but when it is time to give it a service, cleaning is part of the job. I was doing some contract harvesting one day and as part of the service I would blow the machine down with air, the fella I was working for watched me one day and asked why I was being so picky about getting all the crap off the machine and I told him "If there is a fire on board having a dirty machine will burn it to the ground, having it clean means I might be able to save it". There are operators and there are drivers, aim to be an operator.
Tim Hortons (for you south of the boarder dunkin dounouts) makes an x-large size for a reason I recently got picked up by a local company when i got out of school, the point to this is i followed some of the things that are comman cence and some of the othere sugesstions, i put together a small bag that sits behind the machine's seat containing : windex, clean rags, simply green all pourpose cleaner, paper towels, and a small hand brush and have already been looked upon grealty by the bossman in the long run i hope its worth it.:notworthy
flick boogers on the windshield, cough lungers up on the floor, butt your smokes out on the seat, keep your cooler full of trucker bombs, use a philips screwdriver to change radio stations...if you're in an emergency and need some wipe, take your leatherman and cut the cloth off the back side of the seat to use.
Observe how a person keeps his/her equipment: sloppy, filthy workstation usually shows that persons' work quality as well. Clean and tidy usually shows pride in everything that person does. Next time a new person shows up on a job, look at their personal vehicle and you will see what kind of a person you have hired!!!!!
I cant stand people that don't look after there machinery properly, Too often i see near new machines filthy dirty with lots of paint scuffed off and bucket pins screaming out for grease. I am very fussy keeping my machines spotless inside and out, greased and keeping the paint scratch free that my mates think I'm a little over the top but when its time to upgrade to the latest model i always get a good trade in price.
I was told many years ago that if your equipment is clean and has the appearance of well kept you will usually get work ahead of someone who's equipment is actually newer but looks shabby.
Like its yours, nothing more disgusting than getting into a dirty machine that sqeaks,low on oil, can't even move the seat back cause of all the **** thrown behind the seat by some of our so called shorter operators. Makes the cab smell like the bottom of a garbage can. But they are the ones that are so far up the bosses ass all you can see is two little booties sticking out, and your the one who is struck cleaning up his mess