i think i will start documenting my experiences as an operator working out of a union hall. it's kinda like being a hired gun. every few days or weeks i get to prove myself on a now job. feel free to comment. job #1 today i started with case foundation, one of the largest drilling and piling contractors around. i was dispatched to run a 973 loader at a new city of chicago police station. we have to drill 1 eight foot diameter hole 35 feet deep. today we got the drill situated and assembled. what a freaking nightmare. very tight site. i had one disagreement with the foreman because 4 people were giving me signals, all differing, at the same time a little yelling and screaming got that squared away
those pics show a tight squeeze, a new drill, and a p.o.s these next pics show an erection, a tool grabbing bucket, and a tight squeeze. and a large load. last but not least, my good friend "the bonj" showed up in a 40 ton oilcan to place plants for a green roof. hi, bonj, you're famous now, buddy.
Thats quite the drill yall got there, and a TIGHT site. I go nuts working around farm buildings some and you got that to deal with. thanks for sharing, and DO keep posting. Trbo :drinkup
a cave in today was f.u.b.a.r. our 35' x 8' hole started to cave in under the liner. at 37' we hit bedrock and had to drill 3' into the rock. the cave in was a pain, but the driller and foreman worked it out. this site is very tight. luckily, the alley we have for access was car free today. people must have got the hint when they saw my 973 hauling drill bits over their cars the first pic is a plug of bedrock from the core drill, 3 more and the swamper in the pic can pimp his ride flintstones style. the rest of the pics are just work
Goodness, looks like all kinds of loader work. Hard way to make an easy livin.
it's not that hard, they even let girls do it
You must be a real ladys man. BTW, how did the job turn out?:wierdt
wurmkilter, i does alaight wid da ladies.lol. the job is over, i loaded the 73 on a loboy and called the hall.
damn does that mean u get put on the bottom of the 100 page list at 150? Best of luck man, its slow out there.
Great pics, qball. Looks like I found another guy who has to keep a sense of humor about his job to keep from going Jerry Springer.
yipee, the hall called at 9a.m. a sewer water contractor had a loader operator not show for the fifth time so they canned him. i had a nice breakfast on the clock then headed to the site. i am running a beater it28. running watermain in a very nice older neighborhood. no traffic control, lane closures, trench boxes or any other pesky safety b.s. the crew seems pretty cool. italian foreman and topman, mexican laborers, and an irish dude with a mohawk on the hoe. all i can say is "hang out with your wang out"
Watermain re-hab, are they pullin out the existing after tie-in, if so, think you'll get yer hands on any hydrants? How many sanitary laterals been hit so far? :drinkup
i'll get you another hydrant for your collection. the next trip to the german joint is on you. these wacky eyetalyans are a trip to work for. i had to fork a 24' box the fat way down a half mile of glen**** road at rush hour. summunbeech!
a friendly visit from osha :these guys don't like usining a trench box . they do like hitting utilities. this combination led to a visit from the osha lady she did an awful lot of writing and photographing 10' down with a 5' by 24' box the hilight of my day is moving 20' pipe and 24' boxes thru traffic with no flagger:Banghead at least i am working. the crew is pretty good and it's only 32 miles from home
:naughty How many euphamisms can you fit in one sentance? That's hillarious. he said er... :naughty :lmao :falldownlaugh Also sounds like an almost accurate description of my in-laws!
The first pic shows a stacker or intermediate box, thats ignorant. I could get yous a good deal on some proper diggin boxes for rent. I worked for a company that thought a 8'x16' was good fer layin 18' watermain and stacking a 20' on a 24' would cover it. This was at a big company owned by a giant corparation. If every company could get a visit by OSHA, I don't think as many would take so many shortcuts. Sewer and water work is dangerous. Stay safe and CYA. Have Great Labor Day!:usa
with all the local sewer/water outfits goin under we could prolly find boxes cheep.
what a mess the area around the trench looks like crap
yep, thats what osha said.
okee dokee, this week has been hell. tie in's in traffic. the city won't give us enough lane closure. i have to run a loader through traffic like a madman. my pipe and stone are a block away due to space issues. i know, waahh! i should man up. it is really freakin stressful trying to fork a 24' box through traffic, people don't care or notice. but enough of my bitching. pic 1, a sloppy hole pic 2, a tight box pic 3, my hot old baby pic 4, a bunch of guys waiting to finish
hey qball was that ur crew on the news that rescued the dog outta the sewer? I think i seen ya at 10 on abc! said the out fit was lamp.
naw, wasn't us. i did save an 88 yr old lady from driving into our trench. she only had to drive pase 3 type 3 barriers and around my loader. i could see how she might have missed us.
Care to elaborate?
sure, i got the call from the hall at 9am. i told the hall i was 2 hours away stopped for breakfast on the clock cause they had to pay me from 6 30 am. i would feel guilty but they got caught with a labor on the loader. steak n eggs at 42 an hour:drinkup
yup, nothing wrong with that!! Good job there qball!!:Banghead
mr founder, i only screw a contractor as hard as the contractor screws my brother operators and myself.
lol i hate osha, ce u next tuesdays
skoal, i agree, usually. but this inspector was on the ball and fair.
which is why i run a non union shop...i pay as well as the local does, but don't have to put up with the mentality that contractor's are only out to screw it's employees....my dad said years ago, an employee is nothing more than a tool...the good tools, you take damn good care of, the crappy ones, you get rid of. some might feel slighted on being called a "tool"...but in reality, contractor's themselves are tools....repeat customers want us because we're a good "tool"....if we're no good, we don't get called back.
This works well in the Dakotas, but in the wonderful area in and around Crook county, everybodys trying to scew everyone else. What else is a poor operator to do but union up. Brother Q was within rights, the contractor had already put a laborer on the machine. If I lived in your neck of the woods, it looks like I'd be lucky to work for Dayexco. Everybodys gotta do what works best wherever they may be.:soapbox
i have ZERO proablems with a group of people organizing to negotiate better wages/benefits...i do have a problem w/them having the capability of shutting my job down if we can't come to an agreement. south dakota is a right to work state, so i haven't had to deal w/strikes, etc....again, i'm not beating up on any union people here. i just think they shouldn't be able to take away my right to choose, just as though they have the right to choose whether or not they want to work for me.
ahh crapola another thread on the unions iam a firm believer in breakfast ummm pancakes btw what do you pay a top employee in dakota and feel free you to offset it with the price of a house such as 50 hr = middle class shanty 300000 to 500000
my nthread, my pro union crappola, i guess. i am not cramming union down anyones throat. i have benifited greatly from MY union experience. this is chicago, not nyc, not north dakota, not arizona. i was brought up in a union family and was well fed we are just b.s.ing and if it offends or annoys don't read.
Um.... Bad answer opcorn
pete, i respect you as a wordsmith and an operator. what should i say? i am a stubborn and hard headed person, i can't fight every argument. what should i say?:beatsme
I'd suggest you not say anything at all. Regardless of who starts threads around here, they must still meet the posting guidelines. Your crapola is getting a little old around here and unless it comes to a screeching halt, you'll find yourself very quickly on the outside looking in.
Yikes!! this thread turned upside down
steve, i enjoy and respect your forum. i just don't understand what i have done here. i know i am a smart ***, i always have been one, but aside from the thing that got me banned before i have steered clear of insulting anyone. my views on jobs and unions are not forced upon anyone, they work for me but i have always stated they aren't for everyone. aside from a little innuendo with the captions for my pics i really can't see what i have done to annoy you? we would probably hate each other on the job but make great drinkin buddies.
hellz bellz. we put in 15.5 hours doing a 16" tee. 15.5 hours on a it 28 with a flat left rear tire and a totally shot seat. i earned my keep today. i am very glad to be working, givin the economy. i always hated o.t. now, greedy to the core.
Dayexco, I think thats great that you can pay that well, and you are obviously an excellent business man! As an aspiring business owner myself I am wondering how much you have to charge your employees out at to pay this well? or do you bid the job for a price and keep it high enough to cover this cost? Feel free to PM if youd rather. I would like to be able to pay this well one day!
back to work. it has been 7.5 months. i got the call to run a 980f for a mid-sized paver charging the asphalt crusher. it ain't glamorous, but it beats sitting. and, it has ice-cold air.:drinkup
atta boy q! So very glad to see you are back to work.
That pic from the seat reminds me of a 950 that I was running on a day so hot that I had to take my Ray Bans off so that I could see.I laid them on the dash and the vibration scratched the photo grey lenses and ruined them.I can't seem to find them anymore either at a price I can afford.Ray Ban was bought out and Corning does not make those lenses for them anymore. (.Ron G
a different ride. i gave the 980 i was running to a new guy because he is new and can't run anything for production, and with the asphalt crushing being such a slow process it worked out ok. i jumped on the old 973 so i could be like burnout:tong. actually i would rather run a trackloader even though the 980 has a/c ointhead i threw my camera to the plant oiler because the garbage truck was doing a wheelie trying to empty a dumpster full of petro-mat. and, the 980 i gave up.
I like that 980...the 73 is pretty cool too.
always liked the way the F series loaders looked.....glad your working:drinkup
Good to see you back in the saddle bro. Hopefully things are picking up all over.:drinkup What outfit is it? Is it a pemanent gig? I like the the F's look from their profiles, but I'll take an H anyday loading a hopper or trucks.
another toy. had to push up grindings and the 973 is a pooch, so i grabbed the d7-g. i had more fun on that than on a new one.
They just dont look right unless they are painted olive green.
why even have a ripper if its only 1 shank?
for deep rippin in rock. multishanks will plug and bind.
another day I learn something new, thanks q!
Looks like Central Blacktop's yard in Hodgkins that you are working at Qball
You can rip rock in Il. with a D7? If I tried that on the granite or basalt we have here, I would bounce that D7 like the dice popper in the old "trouble" game.
good call and correct. fun.fun.fun.
deep fried paver. this paver left the yard the other day an 6 a.m. and was back at 8 a.m. i guess all the burners were not ignited and the fuel flashed over.
that sucks
always makes for a good day when the paver catches fire 2 hours into the day, bet that hurt production, just a little. still havin FUN, right q?:Banghead
got away from the truck drivers for a bit to push down the broken asphalt mountain to the crusher with a d-7g. what a nice way to spend the day. even got to freak out the apprentice when i asked him to take pic's of me short-siding the pile. :drinkup
always fun when the equipment catches fire
Is it true that q ball is now an aerobics instructor and rides a vespa instead of a Harley? Sent from my MB612 using Tapatalk
it is called hot yoga, duh! and i would never ride a vespa! i buy american. it's a cushman.
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