My name is Alex. I work for local farms and do little bit of farming myself. I'm sixteen years old and a side from farming I would love to be a shovel operator. I live in Ontario Canada I was wondering what i could do to get myself in the seat on day any ideas would be great. I would also like to know what got all you started. thanks Alex
Beg beg and beg some more. Find out if any farmers in your area are using a excavator and if your friendly with them ask if you can try it out. Be honest that you have no experience. Myself I started with wheel loaders and just started messing around with equipment that was not in use and now I can scrape out a elevated dump truck bed as well as do a rough grade in the pit. Patience and a little rear kissing will get you far.
I started on a JCB 3D mark 2 bachhoe with excavators, got onto this by driver a little 1 ton dumper for a while then started to fill myself when the driver wasn't there. You need an old bloke with a machine, they are loads more relaxed and full of experience and knowledge. My Grandad taught we everything I know, not everything he knows.
You may find some interesting discussions here:
Thanks for the imput it seems around here they only look at your age and not what you are capable of.
hey farmboy welcome to the forum. im only seventeen i started working last summer for a hwy building company i started out flagging but got laid off for the winter But in the spring i was told by the boss that im going to be driving a Cat 6 wheeler . maybe find a farm to work on like curly said and start driving tractors and loaders or find a construction company around that you can get hired as a labour and start working your way up to operate equipment
I have experience on farm equipment and a little experience on backhoes I think I will look into working for a local construction company thanks for the help
Bought an excavator in order to partner with a local operator that has been in the business for 40 years!!!! I'm a general contractor that has run some equipment before but nothing like jumping into a new small business.
Hey Alex, I got lucky and worked for a small machine company for a day as a laborer... after the end of the day the owner asked me if I wanted to learn how to run the machines. They were small machines.. bobcats and mini-hoes up to 60 size... so I learned on those. My next jump was to a demolition and excavating company who's smallest machine was a 60 and went up to a 220...I learned demolition ans residential excavations. then I moved again to a bigger company who did allot of different things... civil construction, rock and blasting. and demolitions, biggest machine there was a 350. My last move was to PKS... they do bridge, highway, infrastructure, as well as oil and gas construction... the biggest piece of equipment I've operated with them was an 850... that's how I got into it and got to where I am now.... When people ask me how to get into operating heavy equipment I personally think getting on with a civil pipe crew or maybe a landscaping company where you can start off as a laborer but be working around equipment is your best bet. You need to be in a invironment where you are working with a crew who have more than one piece of equipment at a job site. It's all about seat time and hrs... most small co's will have no problem giving you time on a bobcat or a rubber tire backhoe to do menial things like moving sand or gravel and as you gain experience the more likely they'll give you more and more seat time. The key is to start off working around equipment... watching how things are done and getting time on the machines when you can... if you have the ability... not everyone does... than you'll make it. Good luck!
Thanks for the tips everyone
also in ontario i started and currently a forklift operator for canada's largest food suplier, thought of moving foward, and now im attending school learning excavator,backhoe, and dozer. good luck with your search, if you look hard enough youll find some one to take you under their wing. good luck again!