I've done a search and can't find the answer to the question as to which is the normally used excavator control pattern in Australia? I know the topic has been done to death here, but the majority of information on the net comes from North America, and it often varies from elsewhere in the world. Further, my excavator pattern is currently set differently to my friend's excavator, so one of us isn't running what most others are here What's adding further to the confusion is that the terms ISO and STD seemed to be switched depending on where the person is in the world! It's no big deal, but I'm new to excavators and may as well learn a pattern that's mostly used on others here. I have a Bobcat mini-excavator and it is set to what says is "ISO" (both on the controls and in the manual), it is not that same as the Wikipedia entry for ISO for example. Right hand forward lowers the boom, Left hand forward pushes the arm out. I thought that was the normal for most excavators, but was confused when I found my mate's was different.
Left control:lever fwd dipper out lever back dipper in lever left slew left lever right slew right. Right control:lever out boom down lever in boom up lever right bucket crowd lever left empty bucket. Years ago Hitachi and Mitsubishi diggers were the only ones that i had come across that were differant.They changed their movements to become what was known as the universal pattern.
Thanks mate. I'll leave it as it is then. I'll ask my mate why his is different, the other way is the way most backhoes are set up right? I have no idea why the Wikipedia entry is wrong. It feels pretty natural and seems to be coming along well. I've been practicing by grading, I'm not too good at grading away from me, but toward me is fine, albeit slow by pro standards. So long as I don't think too much, the bucket just seems to go to the right place, goodness know how, it mostly just ... does. Lucky for me thinking isn't one of my strong points, so I should be fine! Thanks again.
Pete, a good way to learn to trim is to put a toothed bucket on, go out to a grassy paddock and comb the grass without digging any dirt. Half a day of that and you should have it down pat.
Thanks, that was close to what I was doing, but with a digging bucket with a blade welded to the teeth. I was removing a large Jacaranda tree stump, growing amongst a large rock. The spoil was being placed on finished lawn. Once the stump was (finally) out I reached out as far as I could and graded back as close as I could, without damaging the lawn. I thought it was a great exercise in coordinating pulling back at a specified angle, and also keeping the bucket lip vertical as I pulled. It all worked well and I was impressed with the power of such a tiny machine.
Pete, these days world wide most newer hoe type machines of both tracked and wheeled type have the joysticks pattern that squid wood described, and as yours is.