I have experience on excavators but it's minimal. I don't have the option to start small either, all of our machines are 50k or more in weight, ec250's and 330's. What I'd like advice on is climbing and descending up piles. I work in the recycling industry, construction and demo recycling, I'm on loaders most of the time but I've been getting on the tracks more and more. The thing that concerns me about climbing is how to know if I'm too steep or what to do if I go over a slab of hidden concrete or start sliding. We use grapples not buckets. I'd be climbing a pile of debris made of dirt wood yard waste steel cardboard plastic concrete etc
Hi when it comes to how steep you can go it all comes from seat time and how comfortable you are in the machine. If your not comfortable doing it you probably shouldn't do it. If you don't have the hours under your belt. As for the sliding the grapple makes a great anchor and try to keep enough material under you to keep yourself stable
your right. I feel comfortable on the ground but going up a 15-20 foot mound of various debris is a little different. I feel confident enough to attempt it but I like to hear as much advice from different people as I can. Always been that way