I am just tapping into heavy equipment operator profession and I know there is a lot of machines that require different skills and licenses to operate. So I am a little confused, I've been doing a lot of reading, but would love to hear the stories of how you guys chose what you do and what you like/dislike about your job the most?
Here you have service techs and operators. We (service techs) like to blame operators for a lot of the repairs we have to make, and the operators like to blame us service techs for not making the repairs right. Its a love affair I tell you! As a service tech we cant take fault, we just point the finger and blame the engineers. Reminds me of a t-shirt I saw...…….. I am a MECHANIC because your honor roll student that got an engineering degree Didn't design it right THE FIRST TIME!
People
Mechanics think operators/truck drivers are stupid, operators/truck drivers think mechanics are lazy. As far as your question in my case I did 2 years of the diesel program at our community college when I graduated high school. At the same time I was operating dozers and excavators for a small residential contractor. I decided I liked operating more so focused on that for the next 15 years. Then the outfit I am working for needed a mechanic more than an operator so I do a lot of both now. I would recommend sticking with operating if you like being home when things get slow and they don't need you or evenings and weekends. If you go union that is a whole different thing that I can't comment on but others here can. I am speaking of smaller outfits. Like heymccall says it usually boils down to the people I am working with that dictates whether I like or dislike the particular task/job. The right people can make a miserable job fun and the wrong ones what should be a cake job no fun. As far as a new operator the biggest thing to remember is watch and learn from the guys that know what they are doing and to focus on being smooth and efficient on whatever you are running. Speed comes with experience.
I like taking a golf cart to work..{home shop} NO traffic.. & the hours are great..
I didn't know that. If guys that sit on their hind parts all day long think mechanics are lazy, they must have some pretty slow mechanics. When I did mechanic work, the rule was to never let mechanics operate or drive trucks because they would never want to do mechanic work again.
It's a joke around here when someone is complaining about why their stereo or some other non-essential item didn't get fixed when you were working on it anyway (changing clutch or busted track tensioner or something important in a time crunch). And when the mechanic is complaining about it just being a blown fuse or some other stupid fix that the operator should have caught. That sort of thing.
I enjoy what I do but lately stupid people have been making it difficult not to mention every body and there dog can operate just ask them In reality it's a good job but you can make better money as plumber or a sparky with far less investment guy I dig for pays 30 plus to his good plumbers and is happy to do so I charge a 100 an hour for a backhoe to show up and dig he is always making comments about we charge to much and most outfits are that way It just really takes the enjoyment out of it
Rotten Sonsabich I work for now has me Doing EVERYTHING, OOOPs, that would be ME, retired!!!! Working at the Power Station was all the garbage Politics and required games of Dog and Pony Show for the Safety Department, for the Rad Protection Group and even our own Department Upper Management that had ZERO Clue how our positions functioned, they bein Ex Navy Nukes that KNEW everting!! Loved the job, could deal with the machines, just the crap flowing downhill tended to be too thick at times.
What I like about being my own boss (retired) is there is no safety department and no political correctness. I cuss all I want and say things (to myself) that would offend the most thick-skinned of any "oppressed" group. No hard hat, no steel toes and rarely any safety glasses. I couldn't do any of that in the corporate (or government) world.
Poor subcontractors that never read the specs or the plans were my pet peave. With a new one that was really bad, I would send a back charge invoice for two hours of my time at the end of the first day. That usually got some supervision moving. Oh, and when they would say, "well this is the way we always do it". It was always completely inferior quality work when compared to the specs.
The flip side of that OIH are the GC's that take said Subcontractors bid since it was so "cheap". The lowest bid is not always the cheapest price. Seriously I understand exactly what you are talking about. The majority of the work we do is in a subcontractor role. Some of the other trades we come into contact with on the job...they leave your scratching your head trying to figure out if they could even read the contract...
With the random experience I have(almost everything other than dozer, scraper, logging and mining grade), I have to say excavator is the most comfortable with entertainment, and backhoe is the most skilled/entertaining. Front loader and blade are probably the most boring, up there with rollers and forklifts. Small stuff requires a lot of up and down, or cramped legs. Skidsteer on a patch crew requires the most technical ability. I'm not even an old guy yet, and I'm leaning towards the machines that can be ran smoothly(excavators and backhoes). So if they move fast and doesn't have a boom and stick, they are usually rough on your back and tail end. I'm finding a lot of operators don't understand limitations and quirks of machines, and will try to use them as a battering ram rather than a hydraulic tool. My favorite part of the job is proving that you are more efficient if you understand the machine and the leverage and physics involved, and don't just beat the machines up.
Ive always said take money out of the equation and the work is fun.
Find something that you would do with out pay and still enjoy.. then go do that and get paid.
Id love that , but being in business for yourself dosent always work that way. There always the rat in the woodpile that dosent want to pay you for that job you really enjoyed doing and did well for him.You become cynical and wary after a few hits.
well said
I consider what I do a paid hobby. Not everything is rosey but I enjoy almost every bit of it.
I run a few high-tech production lines and have about 30-35 people reporting to me. The job is fine, the technology we deal with is really neat, the people are generally good, though there are issues. I don't like paperwork that comes with working for the corporate world and some employees need a lot of babysitting and that gets aggravating. All in all, it's a good job. I've been here over 23 years and while I could be paid better there are some non-financial benefits that I would not get elsewhere. My job, along with my wifes, have given us the ability to afford 6 acres of land and a nice house, so I can't crab about that.
You mean FIGJAMs.? Translated as - ***k I’m good, just ask me......
I really enjoy working for myself and by myself. I dont miss managing other people and the headaches that go with it. I like making my good customers happy, and having the ability to choose who I want to do business with.
rofl
ME TOO!!! LOL ROFL!!!
Nige if I had a quarter for every plumber Mason or superintendent that thought they were an operator let alone understand half of what they think they know about dirt I could retire and get a real job On the flip side you get those few great customers that know what they are paying for and those ones make it great they let you work the job and not manage a circus
There are always going to be toxic people that can ruin a great place to work. I know safety is important but some of those guys take their job too seriously.
I was not trying to discredit subcontractors as being bad in general. In fact most were very good. Just the bad ones were the pain in my day. And you are spot on about taking a outrageous low dollar bid. We looked a lot harder at out of normal low bids, and always did a pre award interview with them. When talking thru the job they usually discovered they had missed a large item. Sometimes after adjusting their number they were no longer low bid. They were still always appreciative of having had that chance to adjust their number. A loser job does no one any good. Having a subcontractor that is forced to cut corners to make up for a bad bid never did anyone any good including the customer.
I like my job because everyday is adventure but sometimes I dislike it because of some feisty co-workers and superior.
I like sitting in a warm office behind a desk on a wet miserable/ freezing cold day. I dislike getting fat sat behind a desk on warm sunny days. Luckily in England the latter are few and far between
Lol! Wet cold days do suck for sure! Makes my tolerance level drop real low on those days. But I guess even on cold wet days you gotta deal with some belligerent ****** customers buying parts that test your patience. Every job got its highs and lows..
Look at the bright side. On wet, cold, miserable days you rarely have anyone looking over your shoulder “helping”.