Category Archives: Heavy Equipment Operator

How to Operate a Dozer? Get To Know the Basics

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Are you just about to make a foray into the construction industry? If yes, then the very first thing that you will probably want to do is getting to know about the various heavy construction equipment that from now on are going to be your companion for a major part of your day. And among the many heavy equipment that rule the construction fore, nothing is perhaps as significant as the dozer.

Dozer- An Essential Part of the Construction Industry

Perhaps the very first thing that you would want to know is what is a dozer all about? Short for a bulldozer, the dozer is perhaps the most commonplace earth moving equipment that is there on the block. Primarily consisting of a secure coop for the drivers, tracked chassis, a ripper claw at the back end and a number of front mounted blades, that the dozer makes use of in order to push the soil ahead.

Operating a Dozer- Getting To Know the Basics

Now comes in the next question- how are dozers operated? Well, the very first thing that one needs to understand in this context is that operating a dozer is quite complicated and should be entrusted to people who are well trained in this aspect. However, it is best to be aware of the basics before setting foot in the arena.

  • A majority of the controls are devised in such a manner so that they are able to operate the tractor; only one of the controls is devised to control the blade.
  • The operator would do well to be ready to bring the dozer to a halt any time after turning on the ignition.
  • You will have to make use of the joystick, usually on the left in order to make the bulldozer move in the direction that you want. You will also find a joystick to your left, primarily meant for controlling the blade.
  • The operator needs to lower the blade till it touches the ground, following which the joystick has to be operated in a manner so as to scoop
  • The joystick has to be manoeuvred in such a manner so that the blade is lowered and it touches the ground. The controls will then have to be moved in such a manner so that it successfully scoops a certain portion of the earth and leaves a flattened surface behind.
  • If the operator is new in the field and has just started off, it would be better if they do not run the dozer on a slope or a steep area. It would also do well to work on a piece of land that is not as important so that the operator can get used to the mechanisms of the dozer.

If you are in charge of the construction site, it is your responsibility to ensure that the operator hired by you is well up to the mark as operating a dozer is a tad bit complex job. However, there is nothing that cannot be simplified with the right kind of approach and training.

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    Get a brief idea on how to operate a track loader

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    The track loaders are the most useful equipment of construction companies. It helps the workers to work smoothly in the field. It actually uses in the construction sites for many different works. As the construction business is growing day by day, the demands of such equipment are also increased. So, many people have started their business in this field in order to get profit. Whoever is working on this ground requires using such heavy equipment. However, when you are going to use this machine, it is really important to know the process of operating it. If you can increase the undercarriage life and reduce the operating costs through this equipment then it is completely based on its operators. A well trained operator can fix any problem and handle the machine properly. It is the duty of an operator to control near about 60% of the operating cost of a track loader by his different operating techniques and different types of practices.

    Therefore, at first you need to hire a trained operator who can control the every part of this machine and by giving a preventive operation, he can save the maintenance costs. A good and reliable operator know how to make big turns, familiar with the surface, control the slippage and regulate the load.

    Some operators use track loader just as the skid steer. However, the processes of operating the skid steer and track loaders are not same. Usually in case of skid steer, the operators need to perform a number of counter rotate and spin the tires in order to fill the bucket. But compact track loaders have great traction therefore; it does not need any additional spin in order to fill the bucket. So, when you are going to use a track loader you should keep it in your mind.

    When you are operating a track loader in the underfoot condition then you should consider certain things.  If you are going to counter rotate the compact track loader, and then many materials will submerged in the undercarriage. You should be always careful about it and operate the machine properly without causing any damage to it.

    When you are going to control a track loader and operate it on the construction field then you have to use it smoothly. If you start to move it faster it can cause little damages and increase your maintenance costs. Therefore, you shouldn’t try to move the travel direction quickly by counter rotating. It can cause huge damages on the machine and its other components.

    These are the basic steps that an operator needs to follow before operating track loaders if you can manage to learn these steps then you will surely be able to handle the machine properly. It is the best machine to use on the slopes. However, you should always be careful on the different parts of the machine and handle it carefully.

    Get the detail information on how to operate a wheel loader

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    A wheel loader is basically a type of tractor that has a large bucket attached on the top of it. It is used to take out materials. Actually, wheel loader is popular in different names such as front loader, skip loader, bucket loader, front end loader and scoop loader. Several different industries take the help of wheel loader to perform their heavy loads. Not only the big construction companies, but also many other companies require to use this equipment in order to continue their works. However, before indulging in the process of using it, you should know how to use it in your works.

    Here are few tips that will help you to get familiar with the equipment and allow you to use it properly. Take a look-

    At first you need to check the machine properly and try to find out whether the four wheels are inflated or not. It is also important to verify the engine oil as well as the radiator coolant before starting to operate it. Check the driving path of the machine properly because if there is any debris in the path then it can harm your machine. So, it is safe to check everything at the beginning.

    Now, you have to sit on the operator’s seat and put the seat belt around your waist. There are a number of levers and instrument panel in the machine. You need to know the details of this machine and familiar with it. You need to move the lever which controls the gear selector to the right side. To make your work finish within few hours you need to move the lever.

    You need to turn the key in order to start the machine. Within few seconds the engine will start. Now, you have to give some time in order to warm up the engine. It will take only two minutes and then you can operate it. You have to press the brake pedal. In order to move the machine in the forward direction you need to push forward on the lever of gear selector.

    You need to press forward on the lever of bucket in order to lower it to the ground. You can pull back the lever if you want to uplift the bucket. There are different ways to move the bucket in different position. You need to learn every step before using this machine.

    You can press the brake pedal to stop the loader. You have to turn the gear selector properly and turn it to the first gear position.

    These are the basic steps that you need to know about wheel loader before using it. If you can manage to learn all these steps then it will become easier to operate this heavy equipment. Do not try to operate it without knowing the details of its different parts. It is not so difficult to know the handling procedures of wheel loader you just have to learn the steps.

    If Engine Is the Heart Then Operator Is The Brain Of The Heavy Equipment

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    We all understand the importance than an engine has on heavy equipment. If the construction equipment is installed with a state of the art engine, that itself lengthens the life of the machine. Servicing the machine at regular intervals and keeping it well maintained are always required but what matters most is that engine of the machine should not be affected by any external bodies and utmost care needs to be taken to keep it running at all times. Moreover, if anything goes wrong with the engine, it takes a lot of time and money to get that repaired. A business which is at its full flow may not want a situation like this and every care would be taken to ensure that things goes smoothly without any hindrances from any corner.

    Measures to be taken to ensure the health of the engine is good

    Keep the engine lubricated:-  The engine is a formation of several other parts which when on work at a tremendous speed. This leads to friction and therefore there are particles that get collected in that portion. Not servicing the machine regularly will lead in spreading the particles in different parts of the engine causing it to block the usual free movement. On the other hand, if the equipment is not well lubricated, that will lead to more friction that will take a toll on the machine. Therefore, it is crucial to clean the several parts of the machine and also take special notice to check if the machine is lubricated at all times.

    It is important that you have a good mechanic working for you and is available whenever you need him. Cleaning the engine is a complicated job and it is certainly not the thing which can be done from a newbie. It needs knowledge of a professional who has worked on such machines many times in the past.

    That was all about the engine. Let us now discuss about the brain of the machine which is the operator. An operator is the one who has the steering of the machine. He is the one who first comes to know what machine needs. He gets to know if there is anything that has gone faulty and if it needs to be replaced.

    Recruit competent operator:-  Operators with good years of experience are the ones you should be looking for. Undoubtedly, they would be expensive but would be worth every penny you pay them. An operator with skills can get the work done in lesser time than the one who has less experience.

    If you run a big construction company, you should have a team of skilled operators and can recruit a set of newbie who can get trained under their seniors. This is probably is the way how you can shape a newcomer into an experienced and proficient operator. There are few who are born with inbuilt talent; rest all needs guidance of experts who can mould them to become better employees. In this way, you can replace the old operators with the new guns as and when they retire.

    Know Your Heavy Equipment- How to operate them?

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    Are you new in the construction industry and need to find out about heavy construction equipment? When it comes to the field of construction, all one can visualize are the tall buildings that are yet to take shape, raw materials such as bricks, gravel, mortar and the like and heavy construction equipment. Have you ever wondered how all those equipment work? How with their enormous mechanical build do they help in constructing those skyscrapers that makes you a proud resident of your city? Well then its time we try and answer some of the basic questions related to the operation of heavy equipment.

     

    Among the many heavy equipments used in the constructing industry, the dump truck, excavator, motor grader, bulldozer and much more. The dump truck, or the more recent version of it, the Articulated Dump Truck (ADT), is perhaps the most resilient commercial heavy equipment automobile to be built in the construction industry. Distinguished from the semi trailer trucks, the Articulated Dump Truck has a permanently hooked cab, unlike the former, which has a divisible automobile. Ideal for running over rugged terrains, its uniqueness lies in the mode of its steering. The twin hydraulic rams veer the whole cab as opposed to the pinion and rack depending on the front axle. The articulated frame is detached from the cab with the help of an oscillating harness and it is this arrangement allows the entire machinery to move with ease as the body and cab can move independently of each other. The presence of a “moveable chassis” only adds to the positive features of the ADT.

     

    The next heavy equipment on the block that one needs to know about is the excavator. As the name indicates, excavators are used to meet the purpose of shoveling materials that are used for construction purposes as debris, mortar, and other such stuff on a large scale. An excavator works on the simple working principle of “input force” exercised and “output force” expended. This heavy equipment has wheels made of steel or rubber resembling that of a war tank. The cab built of tough polymer is stationed over a pivot which allows it to rotate a full three sixty degrees, so that the operator cab observe things from every possible angle. Excavators have a single arm, the singular bend of which accounts for its movement through sweeping angles. This heavy construction equipment also has a container, meant for the purpose of excavation. It has to be kept in mind that the build of an excavator depends on the activity that it has to perform.

     

    Noteworthy heavy equipment on the block is the dozer or more popularly known as bulldozer. Also known as the crawler tractor, the dozer makes use of a broad metal blade for moving soil, sand, bricks, mortar and other such stuff on a large scale. Apart from the extensive blade, dozers also make use of “rippers”, a claw like and lengthened device that is attached to the end of a dozer. They can consist of a single or multi shank that is used for “ripping” objects, such as rocks and other materials. Dozers have now been evolved to suit a variety of purposes. Significant developments include “drive trains”, “hydraulic cylinders” and “automated controls” amongst others. Dozers that come with “stump busters” are generally used for the purpose of clearing land.

     

    The use of heavy construction equipment in the construction industry is one of paramount importance. Hence, it comes across as a wise decision to gather a working knowledge about how these equipments before working with them.

    Becoming An Operator Can Turn Out As a Lucrative Career Option

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    We have just experienced the most extreme financial setback in the country and it seems that the economic condition of the country is falling back on track. Though it is taking its own sweet time but we can see a gradual upward movement in the graph that suggests things are getting back to normal. The period of recession was known as the dark days as there were large scale of unemployment throughout the country and people who were employed were living with fear of losing their jobs without getting any prior intimation. Well, this particular period was perhaps the most apprehensive time as far as jobs security is concerned.

    In the midst of this destructible phase where people were losing jobs, the job of the operator was perhaps the only stuff that held its nerves till the end. People who were looking ahead to make a career as an operator of heavy equipment were thronging in for admissions in renowned technical institutes where they can gain good knowledge to operate heavy equipments and by the time they are done with their course and come out with flying colors, the recession would get over and they may expect good job opportunities waiting for them.

    The job of an operator can unarguably turn out as the most lucrative career option in the present market condition. Construction industry is once again booming and people are buying apartments without any apprehension of economic fallout. The construction companies require competent operators who have sound knowledge of the equipment they would be operating. As a matter of fact, a competent operator is expected to know the in and outs of functioning the equipment and apart from this, they are also expected to know a little about changing parts of the machine, taking care of the equipment once you’re done with your work and things that will help to lengthen the life of the machine.

    Once you join an institute, you’re first given the theoretical knowledge about different kinds of heavy equipment. You’ll get to see the different parts of the machine in the form of diagrams and will have to learn it from there. Once you clear the initial stage of your studies, you’ll then be given a bit of practical training where you will be taken to sites to see the real men working. This is where you will get a hang of what you would be dealing with in the future. It indeed excites many of the aspirants to see real men and machines working together. Such site visits will be organised on an usual basis so that you start learning things practically and are not entitled to know things as they are in the books.

    You probably have to spend another 2 years gaining practical training after which you would be placed by your institution (Many institutions provides free placement to their students). The company that hires you place you under an experienced operator so that you learn more from him and become a capable and skilled operator.

    Want To Know How Efficient Is Operator Of Your Heavy Equipment – Check His Own Cabin

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    In today’s competitive market, it is very hard to get a construction project and the one who gives you the project first analyse if you would be able to complete it or not. They judge you on various parameters like how long you have been running the business and the number of projects you have completed. How many projects you have in your hand and will you able to complete one more project on time if at all you currently have numerous in hand. They also check if you have all the heavy equipments in place that is required for the completion of the project and also the right person who can work on those equipments. Only if you have everything in place, you are able to bag the project or else there are many wolves in the wild that are waiting to snatch your share away from you.

    Out of the many requirements stated above, almost all of them can be acquired with the help of money. However, there is probably one thing that requires your skill to understand a person well before you hire him and that is hiring heavy equipment operator. You may spend good chunk of money to buy the most advanced heavy equipment but you need skills to pick an able operator. One must have the eye to judge who would be the person who can do his job well. An operator’s job is no longer limited to just doing this work and once the job is done, just leave the machine there and go back home. His job is far more than what we all think.

    It is all about treating the construction equipment as his equipment. An able operator would treat the equipment as his equipment and would park it at the place meant for it to stay. Moreover, he would like the things inside his cabin to be organised so that whenever he needs something, he should get it in a blink of an eye. Operators who keep their cabin messed up in no way can be good employees. They may be very good in their work but what good it is of when they struggle to find things that is kept in a messy cabin and particularly when they need them the most. That actually depicts the character of the individual. It also shows the person as a lazy bone who knows his work and also has the ability to do it quite efficiently but does not has the will to do it. Such operators can be a concern for the project and ultimately for the organisation.

    In order to make the operators more responsible in life, there should be few rules put up on them. Firstly, they should be given the overall responsibility of the machine and in no way should any breakdown hamper the progress of the project which if happens would be seriously dealt with. A list of do’s and don’ts must be put up on their cabin which will define the way they should keep things inside. If they experience any fault in the machine then that should be dealt in the same day and if it’s something outside their knowledge, it should be immediately informed to the next supervisor who can take charge of things.

    These practices will only make the operator better in his work and will refine him into altogether a new employee.

    Job of a Heavy Equipment Operator

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    Job of a Heavy Equipment Operator

    Working as a heavy equipment operator needs skill in the person who is doing the job. It is definitely not a cake walk for a person to first understand the complex function (though with time, there have been rampant technological changes that has led to simplify the functionalities and has made things quite easy for the operator) and then run the machine without doing a single mistake. The operator of the machine is well aware of the consequences that may happen if things go wrong from his hands. It may lead to some major casualty. But the important question is from where does one can get these brilliant operators and how can they test their ability to operate the machine efficiently.

    We would be discussing in length about what kind of training one has to go through to operate heavy equipment that makes him a competent operator.

    “Heavy Equipment Operators” are also known as “Operating Engineers” are required to clear their class room as well as hands on training where they are trained everything about the machine. The total duration of the course is around 4-5 years which includes vocational programs for 2 years and the rest is apprenticeship training of 3 years. In the apprenticeship, he gets to learn to work on multiple equipments and is also paid on-the job training. Let us now understand what kind of training one gets from classroom sessions and then from the practical ones.

    Trainings received in the classroom:  The classroom sessions are considered to be the most critical part of the training. It is here that the students are introduced to their future and they learn every smallest thing in great detail. Special consideration is given to teach the safety measures to students and all have to adhere to it during their practical sessions. They are also taught about the utilities of each machine and are given assignments to complete pertaining to what they have learnt in the office. They are also told about engines but that is not taken in detail as the students need a practical training to understand the different features of an engine and what lubricants are needed to keep them moving.

    Practical Training:  Once the students have completed their formal education to operate heavy equipment, they are moved to the next level which is to impart practical training and understand the machines they would be dealing with for their entire life. This is the phase that will decide how good an operator he would be. Here, the student would be taught to work on different form of machines. An experienced teacher would be with them throughout their journey of knowing the machines. Though, they won’t be asked to work on all the machines, the teacher would see which student is good in what sort of machine and accordingly, he would be helped in mastering that piece of steel.

    If the student successfully completes the training, he has high chances of getting a job via campus interviews where he needs to put his ability on display and convince the interviewers that they can’t get anyone better than him. This is how the combination of classroom training and practical training has an impact on the student that helps him develop into a class heavy equipment operator.

    Heavy equipment operator keeping from getting dehydrated

    The looming concern of dehydration for a heavy equipment operator

    We often preach others that in case of diseases preventive measures are way better than the cure itself. However prevention does not pan out to be realistic option for some quarters of people in our society due their professional obligations. Yet after applying plentiful of resources and expenditure for risk management, many outside workers like heavy equipment operators succumb to death or serious physical disabilities rendering them permanently unfit to join the service again. The case is not very different for some physical workers for instance dry cleaners, mechanics, boiler room workers, bakery staff, steamfitters, plumbers and so on who  perform within the enclosure of walls. Taking all the possible defects into account, it can be asserted firmly that dehydration poses the biggest threat for all sorts of hard labor workers. According to NIOSH, every individual has a threshold upper value to withstanding the rising heat content of surrounding environment and that capability to maintain body temperature is influenced by a host of factor like age, blood sugar status, alcoholism profile, physical built and lifestyle etc. yet above all the determiners, it is the type and strenuousness of the job that take the toll most on body.

    On-paper standards & the ground realities:

    Since date, there have been innumerable health tribunals and commissions set up by the government and sometimes by the management to recommend the best health practices to be adapted by the professionals working in hot weather conditions. The most considered indices by notable health organizations like CDC, WHO in making out the heat hazards for workers are- wind velocity, humidity, radiant heat and most necessarily atmospheric temperature. Then come, the individual-specific factors like sex, age, heat tolerance, acclimatization to changing working conditions and hydration level. For such complexity in measurement, it was finally advised to the industries to develop their own set of methods to determine the optimum level of heat tolerance though the industries are hard to be heard since there botheration is only own profits.

    Adversities of dehydration and palliation:

    Medical data shows that dehydration level, as low as 2% of an individual’s body weight, can impede motor nerve senses; doom the vision momentarily; impair the short-term memory and attention and arithmetic efficiency. If the situation deteriorates further to 4% of body weight, a considerable 23% reduction in reaction time happens, entailing significant increase of work-related accidental risks. The biggest threat of dehydration comes from the greatest companion of the workers- the encapsulated protective clothing. Such clothing causes unceasing perspiration in hands and feet incrementing the chance of slippage of operating devices. Appointers often get out of their comfort level to teach workers about the behavioral & medical risks and the symptoms of heat-related illness as well. Although they utter the misconception that fluids intake is enough to prevent heat related stress while instilling the necessity of safe working by providing adequate breaks, proper scheduling, taking plenty of cool water, gradual acclimatization to adverse work conditions, preparing an emergency plan etc. are the most successful steps in preventing untoward situation.