Standing or sitting down? to all you grader operators.........do you operate standing or sitting in the seat? was a topic of discussion in the shop today so now Im taking a poll......................
I would like to add my 2 cents from all the guys i have seen run graders .I have never really seen them sit always stand for the better view.Maybe the newer ones do it with gps so theres not as much of a need to stand and see grade stakes.
Im with you Cat320 on most operators I see are standing. Only operators I see in the seat have laser on the machine. There is a real push to build machines that have short cabs and Make the operator set in the seat. Dont know if OSHA is behind it or not but know the days of stand up cabs are about over with. New Holland graders now have the short cab and Im told other grader builders have them coming to the market place.
I imagine it has a lot to do with what you are doing . I personally only stand just to stretch a bit . ALWAYS operate sitting down . It was taught to me that the majority of operating comes from your butt . By feel . You can be in way more control when you are sitting . When standing , if you get jerked around you'll end up holding ONTO the controls rather then using them . That can be a big mistake if you're doing any type of fine finishing . And even if you're just doing a haul road , you don't want to leave any speed bumps for the other guys just because you want to try and stand to operate . I really can't see any reason to stand while operating . Unless you want to stretch a bit . Just my two cents Rob Also , Motrack , having a smaller cab has its advantages too . Less window area to clean , and way easier to keep the cab either hot or cold . I remember running the Cat G series when air conditioning first came out ( at least here ) , and it was brutal . Even after the air conditioner was serviced , and running the air at the high setting , it was always very warm in the cab on a hot day . The " lo profile " cabs seem to be way more comfortable or managable temperature wise . Personally , I like the high profile cabs better . I do enjoy to stand and stretch every so often . And as I'm now training others , it makes it way less crowded with a high cab .
I sit down in the larger graders and stand up usually in the smaller ones like the Huber.It is awkward to reach the pedals sitting down in the smaller graders........some of the the big graders let you move the controls up close after you get seated which contributes to your comfort,I find that I change their position during the day to amuse myself.I like the larger cab,I don't like to be confined and need the room for my lunch cooler etc. We have a couple dozers with A/C but our graders don't have it. I keep the front windshield open when I can so I don't have to look through the glass.
From the little motor grader work Im acussed of I like to sit down. My brother little AC was super comfortable to run sitting down.When I stand up O cant feel anything. The county operators a few years ago used to stand up to run the graders when the roads were still gravel but they usually just put the blade down and put the good gravel back in the ditch instead of mixing it. My brother the grader operator in the family would freak if I stood up He had a friend get killed on a grader by standing up. He was grading a haulroad and stood up to stretch and the tip of the blade hung a rock. It jarred the grader and he fell out over the controls behind the moldboarand was run over bu the tandems. My brother was on a scraper at the time and found him in the road and saw the rock and the grader was off the other side of the road. I never was any good standing up on any machine, im not muck good on a grader to begin with.
Standing/sitting I,ve been running graders for over 50 yrs. I used to run standing but that ruined my legs and now I only run sitting down. I refuse to run junk equipment and I find that modern equipment is designed to be run from the seat. I can do just as good a job sitting as standing and I can do it a lot faster since I can back up faster without taking a chance on banging my head on a mirror or the cab roof if i hit a big rock. In otherwords, I can be more productive sitting than standing.
Grader Poll I've added the poll here for motrack, please vote to give us some percentages. Thanks!
Mt first experance on a grader was in a trailer park. I was playing when an older guy come running out of one of the trailers yelling like a madman. I thought I had run over something or someone the way he was yelling and throughing his arms around. So ofcorse I stoped to see what all the comation was about and all he said was if I wanted to learn to run that grader right then to set down because I would never become a good operator standing up. Well I took his advice and sat down the rest of the day. That was 20 years ago and the last time I ran a grader. I now own one and as soon as I finish restoring it I will try to learn how to run it right.
I've got no experience with graders and don't see them too often, but got a question for all y'all -- do you feel that the operator comfort of the grader is far below that of, say, a wheel loader or excavator? That is, would you feel more comfortable running an excavator or wheel loader? Why? How is visibility on the graders (in general)? What would make standing unnecessary (in terms of enhancements to the cab)?
personally i sit most of the time.. yes there are times when i stand.. usually to stretch as stated before. there are times when working when it is more visibile to stand. but in all honestly id rather sit more feel of the machine. less leg strain. more saftey. and as far as bobcats question. its all bout what your custom to running. i personally like to switch up. running a grader for a while then jump over to a dozer or loader or excavator. it just all depends on what needs to be done to get the job done. payton
On the old graders a lot of the operators stood up in order to see because of the small windows. If you stood up trying to grade a road in my area (ledge & rock) you would be making nose prints on the windsheild not to mention banging up your ribs etc. With the graders today there is no reason to stand up as you are surrounded by glass, plus you can place the controls right in your lap. From the very first day on a grader I sat down. I can't see how anyone could stand up and get the feel of the controls and be able to operate the grader smoothly, then again I have seen operators stand and do a good job. Each to his own I quess but to err on the side of safety I would recommend sitting down when operating a grader.
In the older graders the visibility wasn't as good as they are now. I sit most of the time and only stand up in tight areas. The old knucklebuster graders used to kill you now the new ones are very easy to operate.
Yes, they were some hard on the wrists when you tried to put to much down pressure on the moldboard..darn near kick you out of the seat! :spaz Also the levers on the old graders were straight up and down so you was always reaching for them (another reason why operators stood up)
A lot has to do with safety reasons why to sit down or stand..In my machine..being it's only a few years old and with a short cab..height wise..you have no choice but to sit..and our safety leaders like to see that we sit with seat belt on..incase something does happen..your butt is covered..I will stand for a better look..depending what I'm doing..but being alil over 6' it's a hell on your neck and shoulders.
I don't hardly ever see blade hands standing, and I never have but I'm no blade hand.
Settin' er standin' Hi, Folks. In-trestin' collection of views here. My 0.02? Well, a long time ago in a far off land called DownUnder, a VERY wise old Grader operator (blade hand to you Topsiders) started to try to teach a pretty green young dozer operator to run a grader (blade to you Topsiders). Wunna the very first things this VERY wise old grader operator dun tol' this green young kid wuz this li'l gem of wizzdum. "Ther seat wuz put thair ter be sat on. Sit on it." Now this green young kid may have bin pritty impressionable but he wuz also pritty layzee an' this settin down on the job dun made a lotta sents to him. An' I bin doin her thataway evva sints. I dunno much about anything late model except Cat., JD and Kummagutsa, but orla them that I ran had low roof cabs to make it rather uncomfortable to stand up lessun yer wuz about 4' 8" tall. Good thing, I thought, 'specially fer safety. Here's a cuppla li'l stories 'bout grader op'ratin' DownUnder: (Me being a dozer operator didn’t stop Les, the leading hand, from saying that I was a good grader operator on several occasions and my claims to the contrary seemed to fall on deaf ears, at least where Les was concerned. I was eventually able to sort of convince Les that I am not a good grader operator with the following story.) One vital piece of equipment for every good grader operator is a good grade checker --- the person who checks the levels and tells the operator how much he still has to cut or fill to reach the correct level. One very experienced operator on a job out near ‘Thebackabuggery’ was given a new grade checker and very early on the first morning, this new hand thought he saw the grader operator drop his tobacco sack and papers on the windrow of gravel that he was working. Being anxious to create a good impression, the new hand raced over to pick them up, but the operator waved him back saying, “It’s all right, Mate.†The operator then reversed his machine back to the start of the windrow and commenced another run, grading the windrow further across the road as he went. When he came to the ‘dropped’ tobacco sack and papers, he just continued grading, rolling them up in the gravel of the windrow as he went. About five yards (4.6 metres) further on, the tobacco sack and the papers fell, unharmed and completely clean, out of the windrow to be followed two feet (0.6 metre) later by a freshly rolled cigarette, whereupon the operator stopped his machine and picked up all three items, put the first two away in his pockets and lit the third.. When he heard that story, Les had to agree that I could not be a good grader operator because I don’t even smoke. (Except after - - - - Nah! Better not write that. This's supposed to be a fambly forum.) It seems that the same grader operator also had a habit of driving his machine off the road onto the grass just before smoko and lunch. There, he would cut a circular firebreak so that his grade checker could burn off the grass inside the circle to make a safe area where they could boil the billy. One particularly hot, windy day, the grade checker was a little impatient and lit the grass before the circle was complete. The fire got away and the wind was so hot and strong that the fire was twenty miles out to sea before they managed to stop it. (She’s a rugged country, this wide brown land of ours.) You all have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
Great story Deas!! I knew a Grader Operator that dropped his wallet (by mistake) on one of his windrows and by the time he rolled the windrow on across he seen his wallet and fifteen hundred dollars roll out in a ball of mud...more experience required??
:Banghead I got a longggggggggggg way to go.
sitting? standing? I learned to operate dragging roads in municipality, and from time to time would get leg cramps from sitting. so I would stand. I spent the first week following another grader around and picked up many of his habits, some good, some bad. He liked to stand, and after watching him bounce over a large boulder, and bash his head on the window, I decided that was one habit I didnt need to pick up. ( all he got was a new front window, and an egg sized lump)
More experience required. Hi, Peterrp. Yep. More experience required. If he graded his wallet into the windrow and it came out as a ball of mud, he needs to better regulate the moisture content of his material. He's got a way to go yet. Cigarette papers are a LOT more susceptible to water damage than a wallet and a few notes. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
I've been out there, thats where the pigeons fly backwards to keep the dust outa their eyes.
Yes...he was just a spare operator. A seasoned operator could have rolled the bills out dry, one at a time:yup
I would think a seasoned operator could have kept a few of the bills and given change.
LOL...Dwan are you going to share your grading experiences once you get your Austin Western out of the shop? Are you a smokin man????:bouncegri
i'd love to be able to blue top....on an excavator, i feel that if the only way to perform a vasectomy was have the scalpel at the end of the stick....you'd want me doing it. i've tried running a blade several times, and i'm no good at it
I'' tell all. or my wife will. about the first tree I run over, or the first manhole ring I pull up. I don't concider myself as an expert at anything. although I have been trying to profect pooring coffee with an excavator. will that be 1 lump or 2?
Thebackabuggery Hi, Squizzy. Methinks you are thinking of South Australia where the crows fly backwards to keep the dust outa thair eyes. Thebackabuggery is known for its huge dust devils, which nothing short of angels fly in. It's about 400 miles West of the pub with no beer or about 300 miles beyond the black stump. That'll give yerz all sum idea uv just how far that fire went B4 they stop dit, 'cos the black stump's a good 3 day's drive frum ther sea - inna good 4WD. (Geez, it's gittin'a little thick in here now, isn't it?) You all have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
I don't care how good you are with an excavator....:spaz All that you would need with a Grader is more practice and an interest, and I am sure that you would be fine.:yup
Vasectomy with an excavator. Hi, Dayexco. I'm with Peterrp on this one. I too don't care good you are, you are NOT going to get to perform a vasectomy on me - even without the scalpel being on the end of the stick. I have many times with an excavtor dragged dirt over spray paint marks on a site and left the paint marks substantially intact. Doesn't work every time but more often than not. And it DOES depend very much on the dirt being worked. I also have a few tricks that I do with dozers and front end loaders - like cutting to level +/- 5/8" using laser level checking gear - NOT laser controlled. I have also cut to +/- 1/4" under a string line with a Cat 941B with a 4-in-1 bucket, including all the different falls for drainage to stormwater pits in car parks, etc.. Would you like a vasectomy? Yeah! Right. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
aw come on guys, i'll be careful!
You'll be careful?????????????????????? STILL NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
having read this thread when it first started I was curious as I had never seen any one standing in a Grader, so I had to give it a go! and as a bit of an on going expeiment I have been trying both standing and sitting, as I work on a large mine site I dont have to worry about pegs or levels too much, we have 4 graders all 16H 3 have the low profile cab which,as mentioned before in this thread, don't give you much choice but to sit(I'm 6ft 2), however the grader with the HI PRO cab I can stand and standing makes it seem like a diffrent machine as you can see what the blade is doing more than sitting, after a few weeks of trying diffrent things I have worked out that it's up to the operater and what they are comfortabls with I prefere sitting as it makes for a very long 12 hrs standing!
Long shifts and seeing what you're doing. Hi, 16H. You make a couple of valid points about long shifts and seeing what you're blade is doing. However, to my mind, the bottom line has to be about doing it safely and there is no way that anybody will convince me that it can be done as safely standing up as sitting down. I have seen various grader operators hit unseen immovable objects with the blade, scarifiers or rippers objects while working and it has almost always been the operators who worked sitting down who did less damage to themselves and to the machine - - - because they were better placed to do something about it quicker. As for blade visibility, yes, you are right. You can see more of what you are doing while standing up. BUT, I don't seem to have any problem seeing what the blade is doing while I am sitting down either. And I have done it with an O&K G350 grader that weighed 42 tons and had a 20 foot blade. The cab floor was so high off the ground that I could just reach up to put my lunch box on the floor from the ground. (Now I grant you that I am a runt as I'm only 5' 9" but that's still a fair height for a grader.) I also have a habit when cutting batters of being lazy and only putting the blade half out to the side, putting the wheels on one side up on the batter and the other side on flat ground and dumping the cut material in a windrow under the machine. I never seem to have any problem keeping the heel of the blade right where the toe of the batter should be, even though I can't physically see it. On the long shifts point, YEP, I'm with you. You see, I'm basically a lazy individual (They had to give me horsepower and hydraulics to get any work at all out of me and now I think I'm a kid in a sandbox. I've been that way for over 40 years.) so I'll do it sitting down every time. The days of doing it standing up went out with end of the old hand-powered controls on the drawn graders, back when they didn't know any better. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
I just have to ask...what is a "batter"
Just want to add to this a bit. When you are standing and perhaps hit something your reaction time to get your foot on the clutch would be slower as you would have to lift your leg from a standing position. Also you would be off balance. I have fetched up many, many times over the years but have always managed to get my foot on the clutch before any damage was done. Now had I been standing??:spaz It is good that you tryed the standing thing but it is better that you prefered sitting. :thumbsup
Question time. Hi, Grader4me. What is a 'batter'? A 'batter' is a coating that is put over something before you cook it to enhance the flavour. Oh! You mean in earthmoving???????? A 'batter' is a slope, either cut or filled but not natural. A filled batter can be cut or trimmed to give a neat finish and/or a specific slope. A cut batter is usually one continous slope but may be in a series of steps, usually of about 12" each step, so that topsoil may be spread over the batter when finished and it will have something to help hold it there. I have cut these stepped batters up to 40 feet high with a Cat D8H dozer, working my way down from the top as the scrapers I was push-loading cut the material away. Hope this helps. You all have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
Thanks Deas, The first thing I thought of when I seen this term was shake & bake chicken Honestly, I have never heard the term "batter" before pretaining to earth moving.
Shake-n-Bake???????? Hi, Grader4me. Yer moast welkum, Sir. Knowledge is meant to be shared, not hoarded. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
Yeah, Shake N Bake: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/ff/feature/products/ShakeNBake Instead of having to mix a batter for your chicken, you just dump this stuff in a plastic bag, put your chicken in it, and shake the bag until the chicken is coated. Then you bake it. Now, in 50 words or less, explain Vegemite...
We ain't THAT far behind. Hi, Digger242j. We DO have 'Shake-n-Bake' DownUnder now. We ain't THAT far behind - although I'm not altogether convinced that that one was actually progressing FORWARD. And in 50 words or less: BLUDDY GOOOODD STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Owzat????????? You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
We're happy little Vegemites As bright as bright can be. We all enjoy our Vegemite For breakfast, lunch, and tea. Our mother says we're growing stronger every single week. Because we love our Vegemite. We all adore our Vegemite. It puts a rose in every cheek! Thats 46 words
http://www.vegemite.com.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=VegemiteDiscovery.welcome Howszat for a Hi-Jack?:bouncegri
Nobody else can do it like you, Squizzy... :notworthy
So now that we know what it is.......where do we get it????
Vegemite info: http://www.vegemite.com.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.welcome http://grudnuk.com/vegemite/ Buying on-line http://www.greataussiefood.com.au/
Whered'yagettitt????????? Hi, Steve. Yer kin fine dit in enny Aussie soopamarket or corner staw. Dunno abowt yore (under-privileged) part uv ther whirled. LOL. Now how'd we git frum torkin' abowt standin' up er settin' down on graders ter discussin' thee availability uv Vegemite????????????????? LOL. Y'all hava wunnerful dae. Bes' wishes. Deas Plant.
Engineered to Sit Down Being a manufacturer I'll just say that all of us are designing our graders for you the operator to be comfortable and productive without standing up. The graders of old did have poor visibility and that’s why you had to stand. Although we all do our best...CAT has definitely put the operator in the seat with the new M Series. It would be virtually impossible to run it standing up.
Interesting stuff, that history. Hi, Motor Grader. Now maybe I'm not as fossilised as some folks around here but I have yet to operate a grader that I could not do everything I wanted to do with it while sitting down. I'm just a beginner really, with only 42+ plus years of seat time and I can only go back to a Cat Auto Patrol Number 11, Cat 12 9K's, a Cat 212 (can't remember the series) Cat 12 8T's, 94C's 21F's, 17K's (the Australain equivalent of the U.S. 70D series), various Cat G series machines, Allis Chalmers 45's and DD's, Galion 503's and 118's, Adams 100's, an Australian Goodwin or two, a Clark 6x6x6, Aveling Barford 6x6x6, 20 ton Austin Western 6x6x6 and even a 42 ton O&K G350 grader (only 34 ever made). This includes final trim work, boundary riding for scraper spreads, road maintenance and construction, drainage work, battering and even plowing. I've never had to clear snow. The deepest snow I've seen was 6 inches on the roof of a VW Kombi camper heading up the highway. And, as I said earlier, I operated the lot sitting down. Maybe I'm some kind of a freak? Having said that, I have never operated one of the earlier style of powered graders where the engine was in front of the operator and he sat more or less over the drive wheels - the older machines that were based on farm tractors. Might be fun to try though. Cat set the bar on operating sitting down fairly in the run of the G series when they introduced the low profile cabs in which anybody over about 5' 6" couldn't stand up anyway. And why would you want to?
I was Always taught and still believe if you see an operator standing he aint no operator. I've been running a grader for 25+ years as an owner/operator and have never understood how anyone could operate a grader standing up
Well said Hi, Kingtut. Welcome to this little corner of the (cyber) world. And well said.
I've been running graders for over 25 years off and on and I learnt the hard way that sitting down is the way to go. One lesson was pulling slopes in a old champion grader with a standard transmission and hooked a big rock stopped the grader instantly put my face into the windsheild and try to put your foot on the clutch while standing up and the back wheels spinning holes into the ground.Sat down after that, enough said.
Kingtut & bushcat, welcome to the forum!:drinkup Hope you guy's will share some of your grader experience with us! Great bunch here...enjoy!
How do you wear your seat belt standing up? Or are grader operators exempt from that rule? :cool2
Welcome to HEF kingtut! :drinkup Where bouts in Hotlanta ya from?
Welcome to HEF bushcat! :drinkup
I was gonna make a comment about the "wearing of dresses" but I don't think thats gonna benefit the question at hand........
Good point. Grader operators are not exempt from that rule. Maybe a good topic for discussion in a new thread....wearing seat belts in equipment.. Oh no...not again...Think of Squizzy's therapy!...A relapse may occur!
When i started driving graders it was in a Swedish Nordverk 130 hvt. It had a standing up cabin. More than 6" under the roof. Standing up gave us a better view of the blade, and was preffered when you did fine grading. In that one you preffered to stand at those jobs. The grader had double pedals, both high and low. They where linked together.... When riding fast along the road ore doing rough grading u used the seat. Didn't have a seatbelt in that one... Time has gone by and those graders are not in regular service anymore. Design, security and comfort has lead to the fact that u dont need to stand up grading any more. And that is a good thing.....:notworthy Here is a picture of a nordverk 130. And the controlls.
Thanks for the welcome countryboy. I live in Kennesaw which is 25mi NW of Atlanta. I've done quite a bit of work in henry and clayton counties over the last 5 yrs. Who do you work with? We might know some of the same people.
That's a different set up (double petals) Looking at the picture, it looks like there are no lower windows in the front? Probably one good reason why you would have to stand up.
I've only driven one grader a 1957 Huber Warco and all its controls are on the front wall so it would be near impossible to operate it sitting down.
I hear ya. The old graders never had a tower that would drop in your lap. Most had a bench seat that was anchored in one position. You either had to have extremely long arms or sit on the edge of your seat.
I've only ever run grader sitting down, to be honest, I really don't know if I would be able to run one standing up. I think I'd be madly grabbing at levers to keep my balance...might be kinda counterproductive. Brian
Quote: That's a different set up (double petals) Looking at the picture, it looks like there are no lower windows in the front? Probably one good reason why you would have to stand up. Yeah grader4me, you are correct on that. The hydraulic sentral is located in front of your knees when you stand. And there is no lower window... It has pedals just on the hight of the sentrals, with a simple rod down to the floor and the pedals there. It barely shows in the picture, but u can see the stearing wheel is rather high inside the cabin.(the seat also) I'm glad its gone and not in use any more. Tha army replaced it with the 140G in 91. It was transferred to the airforce for airfield vinter maintenance.
24h can't sand in a 24H or i can't maybe a dwarf could
Hope you weren't wearing a moo-moo...:cool2 There CB...I said it for ya, good neighbor... What ever happened to the real men that ran the old Buffalo-Springfields and such where the wheel was at 90 degrees and no suicide knob??? They stood up all day long, got scalded by the steam, cooked half to death and still managed to get the hay in before it rained on it...
Those guys are all dead now!
And ain't that the truth
have only seen guys standing on the old 12e's . when i was just a boy asked the old man why do the grader drivers stand up? he said to see blade better and so they can feel the weight on one leg or the other for left or right slopes
First, welcome to the forum! Hummm...that's a new one...sure he wasn't just pulling your leg? (pun intended )
Probably be fishnet stockings on the grader drivers leg
Lol...You seen the opening, then went for it...you nut
LOL I have tried standing up for the weight reason but I havent tried the fishnet stockings
Yeah, the fishnet stockings is a long story :Banghead Anyway, back to the topic. Did you have a look in the "old iron" thread as I posted a picture of an old grader, and the operator was standing while operating it. Common practice back then as the windows were small and it was hard to see the moldboard. I'm not quite convinced about the weight on the leg thing
Please remain seated for the best view of the performance .. Any operator worth his salt, operates a grader sitting down. I've seen a bloke break his nose on a 12E windshield, when he did maintenance grading, standing up .. and he hooked a rock buried in the road. Also seen other blokes break windshields with their heads, too .. when they hooked a rock or stump .. which ain't a lot of fun. I must admit .. in the days before seatbelts became "de rigeur" .. I collected the steering wheel rim of my old 12E right across the breastbone (and I'm sure I fractured it) .. whilst sitting down (my breastbone hurt like hell for 3 weeks afterwards). I was doing a firebreak on a farm, and had just changed up to 4th gear (at 2/3rds throttle) .. when I hooked a Whitegum stump. Now, Whitegum is a hardwood with a capital H .. and this one was buried in heavy clay .. and had a "lipped" top to it, that the cutting edge hooked under beautifully. If I'd been standing, when this episode happened .. I'd almost certainly have gone "a***-up" big-time .. and could have ended up anywhere .. including maybe even over the power control gearbox, and on the ground .. There's been numerous grader operators who've been operating, standing .. and who've gone right out the (open) door, of older graders, when they hooked a stump or rock .. and they've been run over by their own drive wheels .. often with fatal results .. Often, when a grader hooks an obstruction (and particularly if you have a sizeable degree of moldboard angle set) .. the machine will lurch sideways with enough force to send you out an open door .. if you're standing. Hence, the best advice, and the safest advice, is to operate sitting down (and wear your seatbelt, if fitted). Once in a while, you may need to stand .. to see the blade corners .. particularly when going dead slow in confined quarters. I see nothing wrong with this technique .. provided it's only used when travelling dead slow, and doing finicky finish work, or close quarter work, up against buildings, or other obstructions.
I agree with what you are sayin ozdozer. I was on a 120g up in kununurra back in 1990 on some farm work. old mate said can you flatten out that hump . stuck the picks in and thought i'll slip it up agear . that's when i wore the steering wheel into my chest .the hump was covering a box culvert. I have done it once more ripping to fast.Should wear a seat belt more often.Have been called a slow learner before.
As I stated in earlier posts, I always sit down while operating. I'm a little lax on the seat belt part, but other than a few sore ribs from the steering wheel I've survived for the last 25 years or so without any injury. I have also had the pleasure of connecting with these two factors a few times in my career. I find a stump will fetch you up quicker than a rock. It seems that it just grabs you, and is not the least bit forgiving. With a rock sometimes the moldboard will slide off it a bit, so the fetch up isn't as abrupt. My experience anyway.
I see a severe set of consequences resulting from the standing position on this grader in your avatar, Grader4me. Something along the lines of irreversible testicular discomfort, to say the least...
Yes, my voice could take on a higher note..permanently! Lol.
To injure or not to injure?????????? Hi, Folks. I've spent a little time in various grader seats - and almost no time standing in grader cabs. The first thing that the first person who actually started teaching me anything about running graders, in 1966, said to me was, "That seat was made to sit in. Use it." Being a 'natcherly' lazy type, I too his advice. I have only ever stood up to OPERATE on ONE job, the first time I did water-binding of bush gravel with an old 8T Cat 12 E, and I only did it then to see the last little bit of material on my blade. I also only did it for the first couple of times that I was running out a final windrow. I quickly got used to running out that last little bit while seated. Laziness again. I have stood at other times to see where the heel of my blade was when I was setting it to cut with the heel under the machine. I only stood at these times to see where the heel was while I was setting it. I remained firmly seated - very firmly with my posterior - while actually making the cuts. With the visibility of the 'G' series and later Cat graders, I find it difficult to understand why anybody would WANT to stand, unless maybe they'd been 'bronc-busting' the day before and got dumped on their delicate little derierre. Ditto with most modern graders. Just my 0.02.
Standing while operating Gosh guys, sometimes I just dont believe what I read here. Equipment is designed to be operated by an individual sitting in the seat with seat belt fastened. The manufacture builds in a complete set of protective devices to save the operators life. They are all useless if you are flopping around in the cab in a roll over. I admitt that NO amount of skill training can beat "in the seat experience". but common safety sense is lacking here. Lets all buckle up and stay in the seat ALIVE. Yea, I teach safety and operations. Spent 35+ years in the seat first!
35+ years in the seat???????????? Hi, Equipment Jedi. Firstly, welcome to our little corner of cyberspace, so generously provided by Steve Frazier. Thanks again, Steve. Quote: "Gosh guys, sometimes I just dont believe what I read here. Equipment is designed to be operated by an individual sitting in the seat with seat belt fastened." Unquote. So you were operating for 35+ years before becoming a trainer or whatever you happen to be. Did you, in all that time, NEVER see a grader operator standing up in his cab? Just in case you have forgotten - or never did know - the first graders did not even have a seat, let alone a seat belt, and no cab, let alone a ROPS. I know. I've had a play with them a couple of times - at vintage machinery shows - I'm not THAT old. Quote: "Yea, I teach safety and operations." Unquote. Unless my math has gone all haywire, faintly suspect that I may have a few years of seat time on you, about 12 more years full-time and another 5 part-time. I've been teaching SAFE operating for far and away the greater part of that time. But, more than that, I've been PRACTISING what I've been teaching for ALL of my operating career. I've had a grand total of two work related lost time injuries in all that time, one a truck accident when I was 16 years old and I wasn't driving and the other a sliver steel from an angle grinder that managed to get into my eye behind a full face arc welding shield. Neither injury was related to operating. End of credentials - this time. Just to help you understand what this thread is really about, the question only really applies to older model graders as most modern graders are designed and built with cabs that only a rather short dwarf could stand up in. Most early powered graders were designed so that the operator COULD stand up. It was a hangover from the days of the 'standing-room-only' graders that I mentioned above and it lasted pretty much until John Deere brought out the first articulated standard-pattern grader in around 1969-70. It took Cat a little longer and even their first articulated graders had a taller cab that you could stand up in. The 'G' series had been around for a while when Cat finally got around to making lower-roofed cabs that you had to sit down in - - - - or fit a sunroof. I'm not trying to dampen your enthusiasm for safety and training but may I ask you to explain to me how all the bureaucratic bulldust, training and paper trails is going to make a SAFER operator out of someone like me who couldn't do it any other way but safe if they tried 'cos they've been doing it that way for so long? And please, try to keep it to words of one syllable or less as I'm just a 'pore dumm op'rater'. Again, welcome to the forum.
I guess I deserved that I stand corrected and intended no insult! Forgiveness Please? I remember the old blades that had a steel plate or if you were lucky a board and an umbrella. I understand the ways of old. Its just when I hear that the shorted cabs are a consperiacy by OSHA to FORCE an operator to sit I have to wonder. My hats off to those of you that do your job as safely and effectively as you can day in and day out. I'm sure you all know some one who has questionable habits and has just been lucky all this time. And as for the "dumb operator" quote, never was talking down to anyone. Not intentionaly. If offense was taken, again my apologies. Broke out on an old Adams blade, then Gallion, then Huber Warco. The new stuff now days is as comfortable as your favorite recliner. I dont know about how it is in your country, but in our area not many young guys coming up that want to be an operator. :notworthy
Apology not needed. Hi, Equipment Jedi. No apolgy needed but, if you insist, I will accept. If my understanding is correct, the shortened cabs were in response to the great bulk of operators no longer standing up and thus not needing the taller cabs. Smaller cabs are easier to air-condition due to needing less air cooled to maintain temperature in the smaller volume. The term 'dumb operator' does apply here. If I were smarter I'd probably be working less, getting paid more for it and travelling whenever and wherever I wanted, possibly even with whomever I wanted. That ain't happening so I must be dumb. LOL. There are younger operators coming along DownUnder but the attitude is a little 'suss' with a lot of them. Doing the job and doing it well was always the prime goal with most of my generation of operators and for those who came along in the following 20 or so years. Sadly, it seems these days that the pay packet is more important than the quality of the work left behind or looking after the machine.
In 1985, I learned on a Cat 12E grading hot mix asphalt sitting down. The supervisor showed me the rules for moving material sitting down. Since the gear box and the steel panels were where the foot windows should be, blocked the view of the blade, I had to watch the toe and the heel to see what the blade was doing. It would be hard to push and pull levers on a gear driven grader standing up because your arms would have less leverage, especially the circle reverse when there is a load in front of the blade. You can't even respond quickly or accurately standing up, because I tried operating standing up to see what it was like. But then I don't think the pull types in the 30's had a seat. I can imagine how much dust they ate because it has only been the last nine years that I have had an air conditioner. Before, I had to wear a dust mask. All graders I have operated since then were hydraulic and power shift, with the exception of a Champion that had a manual transmission with electric over hydraulic two-speed and direction change. I don't even look through the foot windows anymore, unless the project is critical. I will stand occasionally to see if a drunk driver landed in a deep ditch. I ran the old 12E once more in 1994 just to see what it was like. It was parked by a new bridge that was being built, so I fired it up for the sake of old times. Before I was done maintaining the road with it, I was ready to jump out and get back in the John Deere 670 I had at the time. I had to pull ahead and back up three times to get the 12E turned around. I got a big kick out of listening to the driveshaft leaning the wheels say "clack" "clack" "clack". The 12E made the 670 feel like a brand new machine again. The 772 I have now makes the 670 feel like the 12E. As I recall, the engine in the 670 was the same as the one used in the 2940 tractor and the 670 had a 4640 transmission. Snow drifts that took three hours to open up with the 670, only take 30 minutes with the 772. 772CH
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums 772CH! :drinkup
Grader Operator's position Been running blades all my adult life it seems, 38 years, along with all the other heavy equipment, I operate sitting down . The tall cabs are nice for a guy to stand up and stretch his legs, but they sure let the sunlight in. Usually when not wanted. Also truckers have to watch height limits when loading. I like the low cabs, with window tint in the upper 6" or so. Reduces the glare from sunlight or lightplants. Quieter also they seem. I still have to get out once in awhile and walk around to get the circulation going again. Just from sitting too long. Seat adjustment is getting critical for us older guys. If the bottom leading edge is too high, you'll feel numbness in your feet and legs after awhile, indicating loss of blood circulation. Same with the back support, I find the best position, that supports me upright not leaning back. Sitting down is the right position for graders. Other machines require a guy to stand. Asphalt milling , asphalt screed operator, crusher operator, that come to mind.
welcome Northart. is it true what they say about Talkeetna? " A quiet little drainking town with a tourist problem." Been there and lover every day I was there.
Talk of the Town ? Hello Dwan Hall, I've worked pretty much all over the state except SE. Nice to see a fellow Local 302 Operator. I've been 38 years Local 302 now. Semi-retired. Just work the summers. Worked the Dalton last year,16H. This season Anvik airport, 14H. Yes, we are over run with the tourists in the summer. Winter time it calms down. :drinkup They all go back wherever they come from. Got my own antiques for happiness. Cat 212 1941 model. Along with others.
When you get time do you mind posting a few pictures of your toys? All of us really like pictures. In your running around if you ever happen to cross a Austin Western. I am always looking for parts. There is also a guy on the Kenai looking for parts for one.
AW Grader parts Hello Dwan, Try General Gear and Machine, Boise , Idaho. Ph 1-208-342-8911 ask for John Parks Web site is www.tractorparts.com He's got some AW graders listed.
AW Grader Parts sources Hi Dwan, More sources, 1. Weller Tractor Salvage in Kansas Ph 1-800-255-9325 2. Minnpar in Minnisota, www.minnpar.com 3. Machinerytrader.com
Thanks. I use Minnpar a lot but needed some other sources. Thanks again
Well, look who wandered in. Hello, Northart. I see you found your way here from the Great White North. Welcome, Mate. It's a pretty cosy little corner of cyberspace with a lot of great people here and a lot of good information, to which I'm sure you will be able to add. Welcome again.
Hiatus ? Hello Deas Plant, Thanks for the welcome, I just stumbled across this site looking for info on the new Cat 24M grader. NC Machinery had a new Cat 160M series grader in the yard here recently. I tried out the training simulator, Huh!! :beatsme Maybe ??? the lean wheel, and blade pitch or tilt functions are now on reversed sides. Lean wheel is 2 buttons and blade pitch is a roller ball like the mouse . Might be like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. "Resistance" ???? :Banghead LOL
we have a galion t600b, and an adams, both still in use on our cattle station, the adams is a spare but the nh4 cummins just will not quit,( its been in the family for thirty years), as for operating, you just cant see if you sit down, so stand up and hang on!!
...Just getyting the hang of this ..bear with me... We have a cummins c180 in a t600b galion, it is using 15L of oil in 6 hrs, mainly out the breather, very little smoke, getting expensive to run, and the c series cummins are just ridiculous for parts in australia, does anyone know about engine swap options? being a powershift it runs a flexplate and it is a clark tranny, we want to put a less obsolete engine in, maybe a detroit, or nh6 cummins, cat 3306, anything you can get bits for basically....operating in a vacuum here, any help would be appreciated,regards
I run this baby standing up or sitting down, depends on how my knee feels at the time. :usa
Standing or sitting Actually it depends upon the Grader and how got the visibility is out of the front windows.
When I was young and just starting out in a grader the old timers would say you need to sit down at least half the time or you'll be worn out at the end of the day. Now that I am older I know what they were saying. Makes no difference what the visibility. Half the time your working by feel. :usa