Hi there, I'm starting an 8 week heavy equipment operators course in 1 week. Does anyone have any advice, warnings, words of wisdom or things to be prepared for etc... before I start ? Just trying to psych myself up for it Getting excited !
Glad to see that you are exicted on entering the heavy equipment world. Just make sure that you learn as much as possible.
• Don't be afraid to ask your instructors questions no matter how silly you or another student might think it is. When it comes to heavy equipment there is no room for ambiguity. • Take notes when and where you can. Go back and look at them again in a year and see what you have remembered, changed, disagree with, etc. • Share what you learn with someone else.
Dont be afraid to ask questions. Knowledge is power. Slow and steady is 2x as quick as fast and reckless. When making a cut, always take less rather than too much. A second cycle is just moments away. Try and have some fun!!!!:drinkup
Learn everything you can. I've hired a couple guys fresh out of these schools and have been surprised about how little they know about things. There's alot of classroom stuff that will be boring to you when your looking out the window at the equipment your dying to get on, however it all goes together. I was setting grade stakes with one of them one time and he didn't have a clue what we were doing or why. I was shocked they never taught anything about grade checking. He told me they actually did but he blew it off. There was homework and math and a bunch of junk he didn't care about. He said, You can't tell me in this day and age there isn't some computer program out there that will take care of it. He never lasted long. The other one was a good kid, He was a pretty good operator. I got a chuckle one day. I brought a dozer up to him, we had a loader across the gate he had to move so he jumps in it, fastens his seat belt, starts the machine, turns on all the lights, moves it about 15', shuts out all the lights, shuts off the engine, undoes his seat belt and jumps out. Thats what he was taught. I didn't say anything, can't say anything bad about safe work practices. I had this same operater pushing backfill behind a sheet wall with a D5C with foot steering. He had run this machine quite a bit. He was leaving to much material in front of him at the edge to get rid of on the next pass so he was slowly building a ramp to climb. I told him to doze the whole pile over the edge. It was good material and it wouldn't slide on him. A little while later I looked over and he was over the edge, going in the ocean. Just as the blade hit the water the tranny caught and stopped it. It spun alittle, then hooked up and backed up the fill and back on top. I went running over and he jumped off and told me see, thats why I didn't want to do that. I asked him why he didn't step on the brake, What brake? The two peddles were for steering. they weren't brakes. I suppose I have to take the blame for that one. I didn't specifically tell him if he stepped on both peddles they would act like brakes.:duh Anyway we got away with one with a little scare. This guy turned into a good operator after a while. The school is a good start but it is only a start. Don't come out with an attitde thinking you know it all, it won't take long for someone to put you in your place. No one is going to expect you to know everything. I wish you the best of luck, the industry needs more guys that want to go the extra mile to learn the trade.
:iagree There is no such thing as a stupid question. Listen carefully to your Instructor. Take things nice and slow to start. Watch, listen and learn. keep us updated if possible on your progress. If you find that it is getting a bit easier every day, and your skill's are improving then you will know this is what you are met to do. On the other hand if you are not developing/learning and find every day is a continuous battle with the equipment, then you will have a decision to make. Hate to be a stick in the mud, and I am not trying to dampen your enthusiasm, just trying to keep it real. You will know in a couple of weeks of operating equipment if you are cut out to do this. All the best of luck and enjoy yourself
Also listen to others in your course many times they have been out there on job sites and have stories to tell and you all can learn off each other. Good luck on the course and hope you find something close by.
That's all great advice, thanks and keep it coming. I'll try to keep you all updated as I go. Is there anything on the internet I could read/study to help prepare me for it:beatsme . I sometimes look at the different equipment web sites to try to get familiar with all the different machines but other then that I don't know what to read up on, if anything.
Watch everybody run the equipment whether they're good or not you can pick up on a lot of stuff that way.
Where abouts in Canada are you from ? I would like to be back in the excavation industry but I have to think of what is going to be a steady job for the next 30 years ao I'am sticking with working for the gov't. Not as interesting as running equipment but after I retire I will have a pension. As for what you are going to learn in school think of that as very very basic training. After getting out of school don't expect to get a full time operator job your going to be labouring and doing the gofer work. Good Luck
You know one thing I have always been told since I was a kid was to pay attention when you see equipment working and that will really help when the time comes when you get a chance on a machine because you are seeing first hand how an experianced operator is doing it, and then when your time comes you will have a better understanding on how the work is to be done. This was a big help to me when I got my chance last year, and my emloyers were very happy with me and with what I had picked up on my own.
Be a little paranoid in regard to where people are around you. Be watchful for utilities. Make sure you keep a watch not only around you, but ABOVE you as well! Don't jump off equipment, your back and ankles will thank you for it. Try not to use chains for pulling stuck equipment. And don't stand alongside the chain/cable when the tension is on. Foreman and grade checkers don't make suitable fill material! State Roads inspectors....use your judgement.... Keep Ether away from heat and electricity. Before starting engine, engage brain. If you don't know lever A from lever C, then Leave Er' Be! Don't be afaid of the machinery, but respect what it can do, both good and bad. Keep your cab clean. Bone up on your math and geometry, I wish I had in school. You will use it more often than you would think! Good luck, and I wish you well! Alan Hynes alan627b
I think Alan's post is a Humdinger:notworthy - Start level, keep it tidy and finish level - Always keep haul roads and access tracks in good condition - Assume that some knucklehead is going to walk up or park behind you when you least expect it. - discourage passerbyers (woodducks) from watching you or hanging around the site, strenuously discourage them! - If there is kids around where you are working stop work until they are removed or supervised. - grade stakes are not a big game of join the dots - when loading trucks occaisionally find a good big rock and dump it in first bucket so it really bangs....this keeps the truck drivers on their toes and gives them something to talk about on the radio - Think about how you are going to do the job, always try and acheive the task with the minimum number of machine movements and control inputs - and for chrissakes...No 1 rule, always keep the bucket as low as possible. - read more on HEF, there are lots of good info hereabouts.
Good point. It is similar to what I taught truck drivers for years. The moment you feel you are in control of the vehicle, in this case heavy equipment, it is time to quit. Know your limitations. Know that the gravity and the laws of physics will win everytime. Know that you cannot control everyone or everything around you. :cussing My first boss made sure we had a shovel in hand and picked up rocks biggger than a fist (today you could not run around an operator like that). You never sat in the truck! As I got lazier I would sit in the truck and wait. It took one rock just as you mention. I went back to being outside the truck during loading. Still do when I get the chance to be in a truck. Now, if only I could get employees to be as eager to get off the their seats :Banghead
After 15 years of operating equipment, sometimes I still feel like a rooky. Watch people operate, you can pick up some good techniques. Also you can see what not to do sometimes. Never laugh at others misfortunes. Someday it could be you.
I've had the opportunity to hire and fire a good handful of operators the past few years and one thing has stayed pretty constant for all of them: The guys who have a solid understanding of grade and can read/set grade stakes, regardless of their operating ability , are more valuable than an operator who's good as gold on a/every machine but can't read and understand grade stakes. I have a hard time understanding how some guys can get as good as they are on equipment and not understand a grade stake. And all too often they're very difficult to teach. I'll gladly take an inexperienced hand who understands grade under my wing and work with them on equipment so they become a good/better operator. The result is an asset to the company.
I'll pay extra close attention when learning about grade stakes. Give me some info on what exactly they are:beatsme , I have rough idea.
stakes usually set by the engineer or surveyor, so you know your cut/fill. Usually we will have one short stake, the hub stake. Then there is another one right next to it that will tell you what the stake is for, such as CL (centerline) road, CL sanitary sewer, CL manhole or catchbasin, etc. Then it will say your cut/fill information, which is referenced off that hub. so if it says CL SS cut 7.9' to invert means that the invert of your sewer needs to be 7.9' below that grade hub.
Tomorrow is the big day when the course begins. Getting excited and nervous ! I'm sure it will be an interesting 8 weeks. Thanks for all the good advice from everyone, I'll try to keep it all in the back of my mind and most of all try to be safe. Thanks again.
(Targets for DUMP drivers:naughty ) Good luck, and keep an open mind even the worst of students will usualy have some good if not great questions. The only real advise I can offer is enjoy the class time because it'll make the the operating much more enjoyable. There's an old saying (Those who can DO those who can't TEACH) I don't think this applies in heavy equipment training. Again GOOD LUCK and ENJOY
hey madman good luck with the course, I too went through a trainign course like this a couple of years ago, everbody has given ya good advice,, dont be afraid to ask questions. just remember, every day in construction is different , wether you've been doing the same thing for the last week or not, no two days are the same, learn as much as you can , be on time, but most of all enjoy it, and be SAFE at what you do ! Jordan
The first time you dive off that hill you wouldn't walk down, it will make your rear pucker a little but that's natural. If you're racing the others to the bottom by the fourth round, you have a bright future. And try to learn a little about staking so you know what you're building. It's worth the time spent. Knowing that you're supposed to stop at the blue ribbons can save you getting you butt chewed a lot.
Get every second you can in the seat. If a machine is free and you have access to it, get in it. Most schools are pretty shy on seat time so get all you can.
x2 on everything said.....and my .02. On long jobs, dont be afraid every now and again to stop, climb down, and survey what you did and what you are about to do. Sometimes, the view changes a little....good luck... Regards, YID