Hey all, first time posting on here, but I've lurked around for awhile soaking up what I can. I'm a younger (20) operator with a couple years experience running skidsteers, wheel-loaders, and occasionally mini-hoe. I got really lucky and worked for a guy who understood I wanted to learn things the right way and actually learn... not just get in a machine and play like a lot of guys my age. Anyways, my girlfriend and I moved away so she could go to school and my old boss hooked me up with a job running skidsteer (mostly) doing base installation and sub-grade, with some labour at an asphalt paving company. This is great, good pay, good hours (with the exception of it being seasonal) but the entire fleet (20+) of skidsteers are old-school H-pattern, which I'm not the best on.. I can do it, but it takes longer, and I dont enjoy it quite as much as iso controls which I learned on (I know lots of you probably learned on H-pattern, im not hating ) I also sometimes feel like im not worth what they are paying me with these controls. Now with my girlfriend done school we are planning on moving to British Columbia closer to her family later this year, maybe august-sept. I eventually plan on opening a small excavation, or maybe a crushing/aggregate + equipment company. My question is this: Should I stay here for the money in order to be more secure for our move, and potentially fudge up my iso control skill using these h-pattern controls, or try to work for another company with iso controls for the experience as that is what most companies run these days anyways and what I would run for my company? Thanks guys.
If you think the H pattern is harder you should try the Bobcat style, with foot pedals. Stick with it for a while, you will get better. You won't forget how to use the ISO controls. A good operator should be able run multiple machines with different kinds of controls. You don't want to be a one trick pony, you want be diverse.
Thanks, that's one way I have looked at it too.
I find switching between ISO and Cat controls in excavators is something most guys can't do and be very good at, it can be done, I've done it a few times, but it screws with you for a while.
Yes switching patterns on excavators is very tough, but in a skidsteer the styles are so different it is not that bad. Its like going going from a 4 stick case backhoe to joysticks in a backhoe, it just becomes second nature.
Yeah, I have only run a non pilot control skid once, that was a worn out T-190 with hand foot controls, it wasn't as bad as I thought to change. To the op, I think you will be fine, just keep working at it.
I think that knowing how to run both well would be a good thing. It may take you several hours to reacquaint yourself with the ISO controls after running h-pattern controls, but I think that the muscle memory would still be there.