Do you think, your office is "the cab"? How do you consider it? How do you like it to be? Do you like equipment manufacturers invensts much on operating comfort as other variables of "the digger"?
It's been proven that operator comfort can, and in most cases will, increase operator productivity. I would have to say "yes", they should definately take that into consideration.
more comfort = more production. Bolt a lazy boy in the cab of an excavator and i'll really get some dirt moved.
Back when I started creature comforts might have been a fan and a radio if you were real lucky. I started on a old kobelco 907 and I put a truck air ride seat in it with a small compressor.
well i started in a 941b with just a cage, i remember loading trucks one winter when it was 15 out side. in betwen loads i would drive the loader in to a little hole i had dug out in the bank and put the bucket about 6 feet up on the bank leave the machine running and get out and try to get a little heat off of the motor to keep me warm, oh those were the days....bull XXXX. now our newest machine is the 420e with all the options, in the winter now when i have some idle time i ain't standing in front of the radiator i am finding somthing to do with the machine so that i don't have to get out of it....so yea i think it is money well spent
I would have to go with a thumbs up for the cab.Not only for comfort ,but most machines with cabs also has more resale value.They cost more to buy ,but also usually bring more money when you trade or sell. Draw back is when the air quits on a hot day your wishing you hadn't seen a cab.It is something that need to be maintain.
I think the most dramatic creature comfort is noise abatement. I learned that in my years of trucking, when I started cabs and engines made little attempt at being less noisy. After working a 10 hour day I was exhausted and I can recall having very little patience with my family when I arrived home. The slightest noise would set me off. I finally came to realize that the noise beating I took all day long was having an effect on me both emotionally and physically. As newer trucks replaced old ones, they came with more interior insulation and A/C , which meant I could drive with the windows up. This was a major help in relieving the fatigue of the noise and pounding of the wind all day. The escape from the heat was a plus too. This noise abatement would apply to machines too. One of the features I enjoy most with my Cat 248 is how quiet it is compared to other brand machines. I can operate without hearing protection depending on the attachment I'm using. Other manufacturers have such noisy hydraulics it's impossible to operate without muffs or plugs. I feel you can think more clearly without the noise and do a better and safer job in the process. Anything that can relieve fatigue throughout the workday is going to be a benefit in production.
Over the years, manufacturers have increasingly focused more on operator comfort and I think that overall, machines have evolved into working offices. I would not be surprised if someone came up with a mobile data terminal.
I have to agree with Steve. Noise abatement is very important. I can remember plowing snow at Newark airport one winter with an old Michiganthat was missing the muffler. Boss man asked me to relive the operator that was on it because he couldn't take it any longer. I ran it for ablut 6 hours and thought I was loosing my mind, not to mention my hearing. The other thing that is important is the seat. After running machines with broken seats or just plain bad ones, I can't tell you how much you appreciate a good seat.
Amen to that give me a lazy boy w/ the mesager in it for my back in a 315 or 320 Cat & ill load truck twice as fast . later yall bulldog
I get in my cab of my 410G,put on the AC,radio,ride control{if warranted} and I am 1 happy operator.It's a proven fact that a comfortable operator is a more productive operator.
I'm with you guys on the creature comforts. A 320C or '25C, a/c and XM, get the seat set right, and there'll be some production from this dude in a day for sure.
amen to that.. flat screen tv also bose surround sound maybe
Ok, theres no space for that flat screen. But if there was a navigator monitor style LCD tv in you cab, what do you think?
Put a lawn chair in a cab. of ANYTHING. If it has hydraulics. I'll run it. -Michael-
remember though, all these comforts make for longer repair times and a larger bill when it comes to the shop. more components to remove and re-install. I am all for the comfort and noise reduction but i am for simplicity more so. I guess what I am trying to say is I think the design engineers should be mechanics for 10 years before they even are allowed to have a pencil and paper and go to the drafting board.
I agree with you to some degree on that bordercollie. Most of the machines I work on now have these comforts mentioned above. The early machines were not designed for ac/heat nice seats or even a radio. And it was a pain in the rear to work around these dropin units. The stuff I work on now is old to most standards but were designed with all these comforts in mind. Thus making repairs a lot less painful for the mechanic and the owner as compaired to older converted machines. Sure I like working on the old simple machines but my bread & butter comes from the ones that are working year round in most weather conditions. So IMHO I think they(engineers) are getting better at thier job as time moves foward. Don't get me wrong there is still a lot of room for improvement as for as accessabilty to certain parts is concerned. But then you have to think who spends the most time with the machine the operator or the mechanic, hopefully it's the operator. Thus his comfort is of more importance than my convienance & I accept this.
i concur what you are saying, but when a owner /person paying the bill comes in and says, " on my old machine it only took you x amount of time to do tha same repair and on my same make of machine just different model how come it takes almost twice as long?" Take for example reverser or transaxle repair in a JD 310D compared to what is out there today. slow hyd or low power complaint, never had to troubleshoot pilot controllers/pilot oil systems. electrical,monitor panel problems and the cost to repair, no more replacing a guage, complete printed circuit board now. as far as pilot operated backhoe controls go, i do not like them, lean back and operate like you do a excavator, most hoe operators i see at jobsites hardly ever use the backrest of the seat when operating the hoe, with that being said, now when you do lean forward to look into the trench, all of your backhoe functions are now under your elbows. when mfgr comes out with excv style controls that swing around in front of me when i am digging in the trench and leaning /looking forward i am all for it. I do agree that mfgrs have in mind that the majority of the machines life is in the hands of the operator and not in the professional mechanics shop but there is a lot of room for improvement. take new komatsu wheel loaders for example, to replace the hyd pumps it requires removing the cab, try and explain that to the customer. Mfgr could have made the cab tilt to the side or rearward if they thought hard enough. they do it with their haul trucks. I know you are all going to tell me to change my profession if i don't like being a mechanic. I just had to vent a little, I feel better now. Thanks everyone for putting up with my rambling.................
comfort noise is definately a factor . pilot controls much easier. ride control is nice but this all comes at a cost. backhoe prices are going through the roof and nobody wants to pay anymore than they have to. My first machine was 27000 my second 77000 now they are qouting me 95000 and fuel is outrageous.
Livin' in the cold Yep, I'd say that operator comfort is an important factor in just about any type of machine. When you live in a cold climate, this is especially true. In short, I'm apt to get a whole lot more done if I can bear to be in the cab for more than 30 minutes at a time. And if you're going to pay the money asked for a cab, it might as well be designed to promote production.
Welcome to HEF HandLogger! :drinkup
Yee-Haw right back at ya! Thanks very much for the welcome, Country Boy. I'm really looking forward to all the great reading ahead.
run'em all i have run uncomfortable ones and very nice ones mainly cause i just like running machines but i have no problem with manufacturers continuing with making the cab luxurious....too bad i cant afford the new equipment though
Here's another one for you Did you get my PM, kwag? Here's another one for you, if you know what I mean ...
handlogger yeah i got it..thanks alot for the help! this should give me my 3 posts so I am good to go now!
Comfort is King and it's on the operator to work as efficient as possible. If it has no A/C and it's 120 degrees outside, I could not produce as well. :usa