Ill add a couple and let the list happen as it will. #1 always know where your ground men are at at all times. #2 Always make eye contact with your operator/ground guy before anything happens . #3 teeth ar not cheep , but its better than aa rebuild
Do a walk around before getting up top. Check your fluids of course. Lock out & Tag out before doing maintenance. Before milling in a minefield I will go paint lines where the manholes and water valves etc..are located. I try to avoid walking next to the live traffic lane so I generally set my autos on 1 side of the machine. Be Safe!
If your unsure what needs milled and the depth to mill, always ask the foreman in charge. Most important is to make sure when ya unload the machine in the morning to start work is that everything is working, do maintence at night not 20 minutes before the start time.
Its always nice to have some help around thats on the same page and not trying to fight you on everything..... And....show up on TIME!
Dont call your boss for every stupid, little question. Figure everything out for yourself that you can, dispatchers and supervisors have enough going on, and it will save you from getting your a** ripped later.
Thats a biggie Blue Collar....the minions complaining over decisions they don't understand.
The metal detector is your best friend. 1 hour of labor is much cheaper than an hour of downtime, a broken shaft, 5 holders, and 2 dozen teeth (not to mention a really pissed contractor).
I agree with that, it doesn't hurt to carry one incase. However, if I hit something that is burried and not marked (which we all have many times), the contractor has another thing coming if he things he is going to chew my ass out. It will be the other way around. It is his/her responsibility to talk to the planners/engineer to find out if there is anything burried that might get in our way. We don't get paid to nor are we in the business of locating.:Banghead
Aight a question... Doing cutbacks on side streets, what do the users prefer? start on the curb or the center off the high spot? I like to start on the high spot (crown) and work out to the curb so you have room to crab or move off the curb as required. Once again something like this has been a huge souce of aggravation with people I've worked with over the years and it isn't so much that my way is the right way but lets try it and then try YOUR way.... Another little thing...I cannot count how many times I've seen foremen/job supers mark manholes incorrectly. To spray a circle around it is not going to help if the machine is on top of it and it can't be seen. I like to mark them off to the side on the curbs so the operator has a heads up its there. They should be marked with a stop/start mark right next to the machine as it goes over it. And don't forget to remind the sweeper not to cover them up as they pass by and cover it with millings, and the marks. Use the curb. Again, I'm obviously just some idiot according to half a dozen milling people for making these suggestions, they have no problem running over iron and changing teeth then complaining about it. See pictures to share 2 for examples
I always cut my mainline or main part out first then the radius. On the radius pass you can cut along the curb first and then sometimes pop the wedge thats left out with a little bump of the track, or work your way to the curb from the middle and your sidegate will always stay matching on one side. When marking out utilitys its always with lines , a start and a stop.Long lines too, and if im on the ground and the operator is steering the opposite side I will give him some lines so he knows something is coming up . As far as the broom man , well its probable not going to sink in untill you cram the f69k out of something he covered up and you can let him know it better not happen again. nicely..
Moving right along..... Be prepared at all times to make a decision on your cut. If you require using slope, have a rough idea of what the current is and what YOU need to cut. Try not to stop the machine to make an adjustment because it can quite usually be seen easily the contractor...either a hole or a ridge...hit it on the fly and make sure your at least close or you will know it in less than a second On city streets in Ft Meyers Fl many years ago I got to show a few ****** how to save themselves the aggravation of running grade versus using the slope box. There was no curb and the road was seriously eroded in certain spots. In those low eroded areas the outside of the cutter wasn't touching the asphalt if you stayed with a 1.8 to 2 percent slope, cutting it on the grade they told you too would dig a huge hole on the outside....In the end everybody was happy with the way things turned out....only after a yelling and screaming match was this possible.
Preparation helps Always review the job with the customers foreman before milling. Review the job with your crew as well so everyone knows what's coming up. Explain to the dumb truck drivers how you are planning on milling the job and try to stage the trucks so they aren't all piled up in one spot. This will help keep them flowing in and out with out being in each others way.
Ha, most of the time i feel like im talking to a tree when i try to explain the routine to the truck drivers. If they **** ya off just sign them out or what i usually do is load the crap of the guy and nicely tell him to shut up and i will load him nice and legal. Now if its a good looking women driver, lets just say im more patient.
If we had started a truck thread here, we would all be kicked off this server if we told the truth Hahahahaha
I always like when they come up to you first thing in the morning when your filling up with water and warming the machine up and ask what were doing today. Gee its pretty hard to figure out with the mill sitting there running! Another one we always get is how many days does it take to pull out and put in a new set of teeth they seem to think it takes over a day for sum reason. Cant fix stuipd I guess!
What about after hitting something and being in the housing changing teeth or worse, and they come up to you asking "how far are you guys going today?" I've almost thrown Y bars and hammers at them...
Milling drum, kindly explain to the incoherent, blind, stick shifter, gear jammer to see how much smoke he can make, not much further as long as you are answering (STUPID)questions..LOL...
This time last year while I was with Texop. One foreman, the estimator and myself did our own traffic control, swept behind the mill, watered the mill...cut over 24,000 yards in a day. Good people to work with...the best ever.
Why leave them then...?
The same as it always is with all southern outfits = $$$$ I'm working with another really swift mill person right now too. Union fella from Illinois.
Leica mill :BangheadLeica mill is a GPS based system loaded with schematics of finish grade for this road. The mill is being controled by this Leica mill GPS. All the nitwits running it have to do is steer. The grade is handled by the Leica. As you can see its working great. The additional picture is us correcting a shoulder paving screwup...I was forced to stop backing up because I was taking down the wire they use to set grade for the pavers....so...why did they screw it up in the first place? You are ALL welcome to come and join us here if you think you can help or do better. BTW, I have NO input with the Leica system. After it left a ridge for 20ft and couldn't maintain a simple flush cut I didn't want another second of the BS.
I used paveset back in 04 on a pr-1000 at an airport. When it worked it worked great. But when it went screwy it was a nightmare.
the best one i think, if you dont like doing maintance you chose the wrong line of work. I get a kick out of newer guys when something major or minor breaks of the mill and they ask what do we do? All i do is smile and say ha now the fun begins-WE FIX IT- i dont know how you guys companies are but when our mill breaks its. it doesnt matter if we dont get any sleep that night if it can get going before the next start time that morning, make it happen.
I would imagine it is like the grader set up that we had and it would not do a good job when the sattilites get low on the horizon. There is a web site that you can go on to tell you when this will happen. Top con has a add on now to add to the gps and it is a rotary laser level and it is surpose to give you millimeter accuracy but it is a 16000 add on to the topcon gps system
Yes, the same rules regarding satellite visibility applies to mills as they do to graders and dozers. However, all machine control systems have a setting referred to as the 'elevation mask' that will exclude low-lying satellites from the GPS position. If, for instance, it is set to 10 degrees, then all satellites lower that 10 degrees from the horizon will not be used by the system. This setting should be evaluated and set according to the geographic location of the job site and the immediate surroundings. The elevation mask can also be used to limit the effect of multipath from nearby objects. (Multipath is when the satellite signals bounce of nearby objects before they are received by the GPS antenna). As buddy605 said, there are websites available that can tell you the expected satellite availability on any date and most manufacturers of machine control systems offer free programs that will do the same. Some systems also have this functionality on-board the machine. Additionally, the GPS system can usually detect when the quality of the calculated position becomes questionable and alert the operator. The system should also stop driving the hydraulics if the GPS position becomes altogether unusable. milling_drum: Did the dealer/manufacturer give you an explanation for this?
Well they think they have sorted out the Lieca system...THINK they have... Now The white machine cuts the remainder of lane and takes out white line and FIXES what they can't seem to handle, which are numerous ridges (as pictured) and the holes...can't be fixed...its just a reminder of how great a GPS can be attached to a milling machine.
Wish I had pictures from today for my friend Kellogg. Within 50 feet of each other in the same pass it goes from 10-12 inches deep back to leaving a 5 inch ridge... However Kellogg makes the point about GPS controling the machine, I have seen the operators react to the GPS unit and the machine itself seems to be cutting off it manually. Grade is suspect by the product. The cuts look awful and if they pass for a concrete slab over top, I'll be in shock. Saw a video at Youtube of some Japanese milling with a Saki rubber tire machine. On city work they'd lay an @ss whoopin on pretty much most of the people I've seen milling over here. (including me, of course.)
I am sorry to hear you are still having problems. I'm not sure how to interpret your second paragraph, though. Are you saying the operators could possibly be overriding the automatics? Leica has been using robotic total stations for machine control applications for many years now and I had almost expected them to use this instead of GPS on a mill. I'm not convinced your problems are due to GPS positioning, but it would be interesting to know if the supplier has suggested running the machine with total stations.
Its entirely possible my phrasing is incorrect and the system you explain is what they are using. As you can see in the pictures above there are numerous tripods with what I am told are send units. Today they had problems because either they weren't set up right and/or the mill discharge conveyor interfered with the signal from send unti/tripod to the machine. From what I understand the overall program running the Leica is GPS based IE existing topography. Its the same system that will be used by the concrete paver. Finished plan according to programmed specifications. The people running the milling machine even without the Leica system are clueless because they have limited experience at all milling. That being what it is, a grade change with operators that don't know what to look for produces a ... Hilariously bad result as pictured above.
Ah, -that makes more sense. They are using robotic total stations, not GPS. They are using a minimum of two, probably three. They are then leap-frogging them ahead as the mill travels. This principle is borrowed from their paver application. One wonders if they are reconsidering using this system for paving given they are having so many problems with the mill. If the crew is inexperienced, I can believe there would be problems. However, the technology works as I have seen it used with Leica, Trimble and Topcon. Leica and Trimble tend to use robotic total stations for this and Topcon prefers a combination of GPS and laser augmentation. -All systems will get the job done IF it is set up and used correctly. You mentioned the set-up of the total stations. This is by far the biggest potential error source when leap-frogging instruments like they are doing. Each set-up could result in a potential incorrect grade if done incorrectly. There are procedures to check your 'resectioned' position, but they need to be followed, though... Another potential issue with robotic total stations is that they require line of sight. If an object (such as the conveyor belt, a truck, people, trees, etc.) comes between the total station and the target mounted on the mill/paver, the system can't operate. I hope they get it running and that the company doesn't get 'burned for life' regarding 3D machine control. It's a great tool, but as with any tool, it is only useful when used correctly.
Total stations, I've counted as many as four set up on the inside median grassy area usually within a clear sightline of the mill. The groundman has a station as well for apparantly checking grade. There are also a number of pods that do not have a Total station attached too it but rather an unit simular to the antenna on the machine. The greater difficulty is the crew and operators not knowing what to look for, drastic grade changes mean a correction will be necessary when in fact they could initiate a plan or learn to correct as they go....which they currently do not. Thank you for your input, I believe the company will stand by the Leica system and continue to use it.
The Leica Mill has been trying to cut the same ramp for 3 days now. That, after milling 5 miles mainline @ 2% with 2ft crown shift/offset.
The first buried manhole hit of the year is always refreshing. While on shoulder widening we whacked a buried manhole. That little treat did something to the W2000 that I've never seen before....the ski is literally broke in half, right at the bell housing. Unfortunatly my PDA is now different and I cannot share a picture. The manhole ring is broken, the outer part of the drum had a buncha broken teeth and not much more. Thankfully it was in the dirt and not asphalt.
-Ouch! I hope that was not only the first, but also the last hit of the year.
i love the guys who are looking at u right in the mirror as you are waving your arms and yelling stop and the keep going. crcks me up everytime.
We put a new ski on today....no machine to lift it and very few tools...
sounds like the USMC
Hey Guys, this is my first post on this forum so I hope I'm in the right place. I've been milling for a couple years now and started of with an older w500. As the company I've been working for expanded they purchased a Wirtgen 1200ft. We started getting into smaller road patches and have been getting teared up about the quality of the passes. The right rear track of the 1200 sits right infront of the drum which is the side I can see. Whenever I go over an uneven surfaces so does the machine and I find myself manually adjusting. I've tried pulling out the track which is a great option on the machine and driving it along the gutter of the curb which is usually level and it works. The only problem with this is that it leaves about a foot of unmilled pavement which the boss gives me sh*t for. Is this the right machine for the job or am I just doing it wrong. Would an ultrasonic system work?
If you go way back in the pictures to share thread you can see me running a 1200F. In my experience with them they hold grade pretty well IF you remember to set the front down a little before cutting the autos on. I found if you left that rear track folded in for an extended period of time, the grade response and mouldboard get to acting up. Being as I was the solo operator most of the time I would swing the leg back outside the drum to load it onto the Fontaine detach because it wouldn't get up it very well folded in. They are great machines along a curb line with the leg folded in but they suck trying to manuver because the rear tracks won't steer. Good luck this season! I learned how to mill in Toronto.
Thanks milling_drum. Im suppose to be going to that wirtgen training center in tennesse this winter. I hope its worth it
I'd be interested to know what they would say at Wirtgen about this question John C mentioned here.
John, why don't you cut along the curb when the track swung out? The curb will hold up and the machine is designed to do just that. As far as the grade jumping around, wirtgen probably can't help much unless they see it in action since it is a machine specific problem. I can tell you that when I had that problem two things were causing it. The first was material coming out of the cutter box because the lower conveyor want all the way down, which in turn went under the side/sensor plate and threw the grade off The second was the side plate was bent out and the track would rub it and lift the plate just enough to raise the machine, then it would free up and drop back down and so on.
Some of the curbs in Canada are alot different then down here. The gutter pans measure out completely different. In many parts of New England they have no gutter pan at all and the ski rides on long piece of granite which they call a curb. The folding in Track/Leg barrel has its purpose but it also has huge downsides....easy to flip a 1200 if you run to fast and turn the wrong way with the leg folded in.
When I drive with the track folded outwards i ride it along the gutter of the curb. This works great for keeping the grade in place aslong as the gutter is level. But it usually leaves about a foot of unmilled roadway from the edge of the cutter to the first drum pass which needs to be done with the 500. If its a short run its not a big deal but when theres a long stretch it takes a fair bit of time to grind and sweep it up. Im just trying to avoid as much work as possible for the cleanup. It seems to me that it takes the most time out of my day. Thanks for the tips guys.
Upon first seeing a W1200 it was understood that if on a curbline the folding legbarrel/track should always be Folded in for two main reasons. 1. Insure the edge of the drum stays as close as possible to the curbline at all times as required To avoid trimming. Trimming means more cleanup because the smaller mills do not have adjustable mouldboards meaning that costs more time sweeping and/or loading out material. Generally in milling its always been about how far your cleanup operation is behind the mill which dictates how far the big mill goes per day. 2. Gutterpans sometimes have soft spots under them and the weight of the track/legbarrel can break the concrete. That being what it is, if your having problems understanding how to get the machine to react on grade, take some time to stay on the ground with it. Cut the drum on and set it down in the yard and play with the sensor skis. You should be able to watch the legbarrels react when you pull the wire (oops). From up top dial in your desired grade or depth of cut and set an obstacle in the way of the sensor or ski and practice keeping the cut where you want. Ask those Wizards at Wirtgen about how to CALIBRATE your specific unit. Give them the serial number. Calibration controls how fast the machine reacts to a command on grade....and a few other functions. Your lucky the 500 operator isn't cussing you out
damn dude that loooks horrible. why in the world would you use gps for milling. kmakes no sense to me. anyways, i need to move to texas, and if you got along well with those guys from tex-op, i may need a job there next year..depending on how things go with valentine ie money hours yada ydada.
Texop wont pay an operator anything over $14 an hour. They are without a doubt the only people I've ever worked for that know what they are doing in all situations.
for 14 an hour they know what they are doing?? did u work for them in the spring summer of 2010 ? i saw them milling in corpus christi i think...with wirtgen mills...idk not sure. I woukld not mill for 14 an hour ill get a warehouse job bro **** that too many idiots will get you kiled