I might have a chance to work up in the oil sands (interview and pre-employment test this week) and wonder if any body has any advice for a new guy working a shovel? I got 15 yrs on a conventional excavator but zero on the shovels... any pointers... tricks.. opinions?
Hydraulic shovels operate the same as an excavator. We have a 5230 Cat in our mine along with 2 electric shovels. The only thing that took some getting used to with the hydraulic shovel is digging away from you as opposed to towards you. As for electric shovels, that's a whole differant kind of animal. I ran excav ators for alot of years before running shovels. I am hard wired to swing with my left hand. Electric shovels swing with the right hand. bucket trip and horn are also left hand. I was used to bucket control with right hand. I thought I;d never learn how to run a shovel, then one day it just all "clicked" and now it's as natural as running a hoe. It's alot of fun too. I hope all the best for you in your new endeavor. The only advice I have is go SLOW! Learn smooth first, speed will follow.
hey thats some good info... sounds like that electric shovel almost has j/d controlls... and your right on the "go slow" comment... having run a cat 385 I learned that although it seems like your going slow... your moving more material and there's more weight there then the smaller machinies... and if ya hit somthing... well it'lll be broke forsure..lol
If you are gonna run a Production machine then dont bother with a Newspaper or Lunch! What i've noticed with Big Hydraulic machines is they are alot slower than a 12 ton digger. The older O&K's are like Timemachine's, You have to work a few second's in advance.